Flower profile

Kiawe

Neltuma pallida

Not native to Hawaii

Kiawe is a flowering plant.

–states

1,326HI sightings*

1,326U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Hawaii

Quick look

Neltuma pallida is a species of mesquite tree. It has the common names kiawe, huarango and American carob, as well as "bayahonda", "algarrobo pálido", and "algarrobo blanco". It is a thorny legume, native to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, particularly drier areas near the coast. While threatened in its native habitat, it is considered an invasive species in many other places.
From Wikipedia's article Neltuma pallida, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
NatureServe lists it as not native to Hawaii. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 1,326 research-grade sightings of it in Hawaii, ranking #31 among the 105 flowers on our Hawaii list. ^iNaturalist

Kiawe gift ideas

Handmade kiawe gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Kiawe art print
Gift pick coming soon
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Kiawe greeting card
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Kiawe mug
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Kiawe earrings
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Kiawe embroidery pattern
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Kiawe sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (13 records)

There are only a handful of Hawaii flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G4 Apparently secure worldwide. ^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. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Hawaii. ^{HAR 13-107}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

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 edibility or poison notes on its page)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 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.

More Hawaii flowers

Sensitive pea

Chamaecrista nictitans

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in HI: January–December

Creeping beggarweed

Desmodium incanum

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in HI: January–December

Creeping indigo

Indigofera spicata

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in HI: March–December

Sources

USDA PLANTS: no profile matched this name.
iNaturalist, Neltuma pallida: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Neltuma pallida (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.
NatureServe Explorer, Neltuma pallida (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: jimsox via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.