Flower profile

Kanawao

Hydrangea arguta

Kanawao (Hydrangea arguta) is a flowering plant in the Hydrangeaceae family.

Kanawao is a flowering plant.

–states where USDA records it

687HI sightings*

687U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Hawaii

Quick look

Broussaisia arguta, the kanawao, is a species of perennial flowering plant in the Hydrangea family, Hydrangeaceae, that is endemic to Hawaiʻi. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Broussaisia.
From Wikipedia's article Broussaisia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Hydrangeaceae family. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 687 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #70 among the 118 flowers on our Hawaii list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month in Hawaii (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (29 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe: Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. ^NatureServe
Hawaii: Not listed Not on Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. ^{HAR 13-107}

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list. For context only: ASPCA lists a related species, Hydrangea arborescens (“Hills of Snow”), as toxic to dogs and cats. That doesn't tell us about this species, so keep pets away to be safe. ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS has no state-by-state distribution for this name, so we can't map it yet.

Names, range and relatives

Other Hydrangea on Bloomipedia (5): Wild hydrangea, Oakleaf hydrangea, Bigleaf hydrangea, Panicle hydrangea, Mountain hydrangea.

More from the Hydrangeaceae family (9 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Lewis' mock orange, Cliff fendlerbush, Sweet mock orange, Slender deutzia.

More Hawaii flowers

Bigleaf hydrangea

Hydrangea macrophylla

🌷 Garden flower

🌷 Grown in Hawaii gardens

ʻōhiʻa lehua

Metrosideros polymorpha

Native

🌼 Blooms in HI: May–June

Beach naupaka

Scaevola taccada

Native

🌼 Blooms in HI: May–December

Sources

USDA PLANTS: no profile matched this name.
iNaturalist, Hydrangea arguta: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Broussaisia (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Hawaii: Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife.
Hawaii: Hawaii noxious weed list (HAR 4-68).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
Photo: Kevin Faccenda via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.