''Pleomele'' is a former

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s. All its species are now placed in the genus '' Dracaena''. The Hawaiian name for plants in this genus is ''hala pepe'', which translates to crushed or dwarfed ''

Pandanus tectorius ''Pandanus tectorius'' is a species of ''Pandanus'' (screwpine) that is native to Malesia, Papuasia, eastern Australia, and the Pacific Islands. It grows in the coastal lowlands typically near the edge of the ocean. Common names in English inclu ...

''.

Former species

*''Pleomele angustifolia'' ( Medik.)

N.E.Br. Nicholas Edward Brown (11 July 1849 in Redhill, Surrey – 25 November 1934 in Kew Gardens, London) was an English plant taxonomist and authority on succulents. He was also an authority on several families of plants, including Asclepiadacea ...

= '' Dracaena angustifolia'' *''Pleomele atropurpurea'' (

Roxb. William Roxburgh FRSE FRCPE FLS (3/29 June 1751 – 18 February 1815) was a Scottish surgeon and botanist who worked extensively in India, describing species and working on economic botany. He is known as the founding father of Indian botany. ...

)

= ''

Dracaena elliptica ''Dracaena elliptica'' is a species of Asian tropical forest under-storey plants in the family Asparagaceae; no subspecies are listed in the Catalogue of Life. Distribution and Description The native range of this species is: Andaman Islands, ...

'' *''Pleomele aurea''

H.Mann Horace Mann Jr. (February 25, 1844 – 1868) was an American botanist, son of Horace Mann. His mother was one of the famous Peabody Sisters Mary Tyler Peabody Mann. Mentored in botany by Henry David Thoreau, whom he accompanied on an expedition t ...

- golden hala pepe (

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

) = '' Dracaena aurea'' *''Pleomele australasica''

Ridl. Henry Nicholas Ridley CMG (1911), MA (Oxon), FRS, FLS, F.R.H.S. (10 December 1855 – 24 October 1956) was an English botanist, geologist and naturalist who lived much of his life in Singapore. He was instrumental in promoting rubber trees ...

= '' Dracaena angustifolia'' *''Pleomele auwahiensis'' H.St.John - Maui Nui hala pepe (

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

Molokai Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length an ...

) = '' Dracaena rockii'' *''Pleomele elliptica'' (

Thunb. Carl Peter Thunberg, also known as Karl Peter von Thunberg, Carl Pehr Thunberg, or Carl Per Thunberg (11 November 1743 – 8 August 1828), was a Sweden, Swedish Natural history, naturalist and an Apostles of Linnaeus, "apostle" of Carl Linnaeus ...

& Dalm.)

= ''

'' *''Pleomele fernaldii'' H.St.John - Lānai hala pepe ( Lānai) = '' Dracaena fernaldii'' *''Pleomele flexuosa'' ( Blume)

= '' Dracaena angustifolia'' *''Pleomele forbesii'' O.Deg. - Waianae hala pepe (

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

) = ''

Dracaena forbesii ''Dracaena forbesii'', synonym ''Pleomele forbesii'', (Waianae Range hala pepe or Forbes' dracaena) is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to the island of Oahu in Hawaii. It inhabits dry, coastal mesic and mixed mesic forests at ele ...

'' *''Pleomele fruticosa'' (

K.Koch Karl Heinrich Emil Koch (6 June 1809 – 25 May 1879) was a German botanist. He is best known for his botanical explorations in the Caucasus region, including northeast Turkey. Most of his collections have today been lost. He is also known as t ...

)

='' Dracaena angustifolia'' *''Pleomele gracilis'' (

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

)

= ''

'' *''Pleomele halapepe'' H.St.John - Oahu hala pepe (Oahu) = ''

Dracaena halapepe ''Dracaena halapepe'', synonym ''Pleomele halapepe'', the royal hala pepe, is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to the island of Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-large ...

'' *''Pleomele hawaiiensis'' O.Deg. & I.Deg - Hawaii hala pepe (

Island of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of , it has 63% of th ...

) = ''

Dracaena konaensis ''Dracaena konaensis'', synonym ''Pleomele hawaiiensis'', the Hawaii hala pepe, is a rare species of flowering plant that is endemic to the island of Hawaii in the state of Hawaii. It inhabits dry forests on old aā lava flows at elevations of ...

Uses

Medicinal

Native Hawaiians Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii ...

combined the bark and leaves of ''hala pepe'' with the root bark of ''uhaloa'' (''

Waltheria indica ''Waltheria indica'' is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae, that has a pantropical distribution. It is believed to have originated in the Neotropics. Common names include sleepy morning, basora prieta, hierba de soldado ...

'') and ''popolo'' (''

Solanum americanum ''Solanum americanum'', commonly known as American black nightshade, small-flowered nightshade or glossy nightshade, is a herbaceous flowering plant of wide though uncertain native range. The certain native range encompasses the tropics and subtr ...

''), and a section of ''kō kea'' (''

Saccharum officinarum ''Saccharum officinarum'' is a large, strong-growing species of grass in the genus ''Saccharum''. Its stout stalks are rich in sucrose, a simple sugar which accumulates in the stalk internodes. It originated in New Guinea, and is now cultivated ...

'') to treat high

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...

and chills. ''Hala pepe'' bark, roots, and leaves were combined with ''ōhia ai'' (''

Syzygium malaccense ''Syzygium malaccense'' is a species of flowering tree native to tropical Asia and Australia. It is one of the species cultivated since prehistoric times by the Austronesian peoples. They were carried and introduced deliberately to Remote Ocean ...

'') bark, ''uhaloa'' and ''popolo'' taproot bark, ''alaala wai nui pehu'' (''

Peperomia ''Peperomia'' is one of the two large genera of the family Piperaceae. It is estimated that there are at least over 1,000 species, occurring in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world. They are concentrated in northern South America a ...

'' spp.) stems, ''noni'' (''

Morinda citrifolia ''Morinda citrifolia'' is a fruit-bearing tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Its native range extends across Southeast Asia and Australasia, and was spread across the Pacific by Polynesian sailors. The species is now cultivated throughout th ...

'') fruit, ''kō kea'', ''niu'' (

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

s, ''Cocos nucifera''), and ''pia'' (''

Tacca leontopetaloides ''Tacca leontopetaloides'' is a species of flowering plant in the yam family Dioscoreaceae. It is native to Island Southeast Asia but have been introduced as canoe plants throughout the Indo-Pacific tropics by Austronesian peoples during prehis ...

'') to treat

lung The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...

disorders.

Non-medicinal

The soft wood of the trunk was carved by

into '' kii''. Hala pepe represented the

goddess A goddess is a female d