Useful more for what grows around and on it than for anything it produces itself, and yet it might be one of the most important trees on this whole farm.
The Basics
Neneleau, also called Hawaiian sumac (Rhus sandwicensis), is an endemic Hawaiian tree and one of our go-to nurse trees in the food forest.
Origin and Habitat
Endemic to Hawaii, growing wild along roadsides and ridgelines in places like Honomu and Waipio Valley, and already established on this land when we arrived in 2015.
What It Looks Like
A sturdy, fast-spreading tree that sends out root runners and pops up new shoots wherever there’s light, growing to about 25 to 35 feet in an umbrella shape. It’s short-lived for a tree, usually only 5 to 7 years, but makes up for that by reproducing itself constantly.
Uses and Flavor
Not eaten directly, its value is entirely in what it supports, and what it once supported culturally. The wood was traditionally used for lomilomi sticks and umeke bowls, and despite the sumac in its common name, it isn’t poisonous like some of its relatives elsewhere in the world. It even gets a mention in the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation chant.
Growing It Here
We planted a giant lilikoi cutting from Adam and Katie at the base of one so it could climb up and canopy over a main path, letting the neneleau do the structural work while the lilikoi gets the light. That root-running, rapid-shade habit is exactly why it’s been one of the best allies in getting this whole food forest established, especially for the cacao orchard, which needed fast shade and wind protection early on.
Pests and Diseases to Watch For
Nothing specific to report, though because it’s short-lived we’re always cycling out older trees that have run their course.
Kenta’s Take
Some trees are the stage, not the star, and that’s a genuinely useful role to fill in a food forest like this. During peak flowering the whole tree turns yellow and hums with bees, and the sound of bees mixed with tiny flowers dropping like confetti onto the forest floor is one of my favorite moments every fall. Ranchers around here tend to hate this tree since it competes with grass, but I think it deserves more credit as an ally for reforestation.