Biology:Pipturus albidus
| Māmaki | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Urticaceae |
| Genus: | Pipturus |
| Species: | P. albidus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pipturus albidus (Hook. & Arn.) A.Gray ex H.Mann
| |
Pipturus albidus, known as māmaki (sometimes waimea, for its resemblance to olomea[3]) in Hawaiian and known as Waimea pipturus in English,[4] is a species of flowering plant in the nettle family, Urticaceae, that is endemic to Hawaiʻi. It inhabits coastal mesic, mixed mesic, and wet forests at elevations of 60–1,830 m (200–6,000 ft). Māmaki is a small tree that reaches a height of 9 m (30 ft) and a trunk diameter of 0.3 m (0.98 ft).[5]
Uses
Medicinal
Native Hawaiians made a treatment for illnesses known as ʻea and pāʻaoʻao from the fruit.[6] They also combined fresh māmaki leaves with hot stones and spring water to produce herbal tea that was an effective treatment for general debility. Tea made from the leaves of this plant have antiviral properties, antibacterial properties, and antioxidants such as catechins, chlorogenic acid, and rutin[7] It also contains anticancer and chemopreventive properties.[7] Today, packages of dried māmaki leaves are commercially produced.[8]
Non-medicinal
The bast fibres were used by Native Hawaiians to make kapa (bark cloth) and kaula (rope).[6]
Ecology
Pipturus albidus is known to attract the Kamehameha butterfly (Vanessa tameamea) and Koa butterfly (Udara blackburni) as its nectar is sweet.[9][5][10] The Kamehameha butterfly eggs thrived on this plant in regard to both size and performance.[11]
References
- ↑ Walsh, S. (2025). "Pipturus albidus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-2.RLTS.T166866208A166870107.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/166866208/166870107. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ NatureServe. "Pipturus albidus" (in en). Arlington, Virginia. https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.135347/.
- ↑ "Hawaiian-English Dictionary". University of Hawaii Press. 2003. http://wehewehe.olelo.hawaii.edu/cgi-bin/hdict?e=q-0hdict--00-0-0--010---4----den--0-000lpm--1haw-Zz-1---Zz-1-home-waimea--00031-0000escapewin-00&d=&l=en.
- ↑ "Pipturus albidus". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=PIAL2. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Little Jr., Elbert L.; Roger G. Skolmen (1989). "Mamaki". Common Forest Trees of Hawaii (Native and Introduced). United States Forest Service. http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/forestry/trees/CommonTreesHI/CFT_Pipturus_albidus.pdf.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "mamaki, mamake, waimea (P. albidus on Kauai & P. ruber)". Hawaiian Ethnobotany Database. Bernice P. Bishop Museum. http://data.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/ethnobotany.php?b=d&ID=mamaki.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sun, Alanna; Kondratyuk, Tamara; Wongwiwatthananukit, Supakit; Sun, Dianqing; Chang, Leng Chee (March 2022). "Investigation of Antioxidant, Anticancer, and Chemopreventive Properties of Hawaiian Grown Māmaki tea ( Pipturus albidus )" (in en). Natural Product Communications 17 (3). doi:10.1177/1934578X221080945. ISSN 1934-578X. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1934578X221080945.
- ↑ Krauss, Beatrice H.; Martha Noyes (2001). Plants in Hawaiian Medicine. Bess Press. pp. 85–88. ISBN 978-1-57306-128-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=Ku9pNKSsPTkC.
- ↑ Scott, James A. (1992). The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford University Press. p. 399. ISBN 978-0-8047-2013-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=Oa5m8gZcGjMC.
- ↑ "Pipturus albidus" (in en-US). https://plantpono.org/pono-plants/pipturus-albidus-mamaki/.
- ↑ Bogner, Kari K.; Haines, William P.; Kim, Jorma; Drake, Donald R.; Barton, Kasey E. (2024). "Endemic island plant–herbivore interactions: Kamehameha butterfly (Nymphalidae) and Hawaiian Urticaceae" (in en). Biotropica 56 (1): 149–161. doi:10.1111/btp.13292. ISSN 1744-7429. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/btp.13292.
External links
- "Pipturus albidus". Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Database. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. http://www2.hawaii.edu/~eherring/hawnprop/pip-albi.htm.
Wikidata ☰ Q16988147 entry
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