Naio is a plant that hides in plain sight. It is everywhere and takes different guises. It can be a shrub or a small tree, erect or prostrate. The shape of its leaves and flowers vary, as do its habitats. Naio is found from the shore to the mountains, from dry to wet, and on all the islands. It is everywhere, but due to the changing conditions of where it is found naio presents itself just a bit differently so that instant recognition is not obvious. One easy way to spot naio is by looking at the ground. Naio flowers year-round, dropping lots of tiny white to pink flowers. It makes for a lovely sight on the trail.
Recognition also played a part in naio’s history. At the end of the sandalwood trade in Hawaii, when the forests were depleted of the fragrant wood, unscrupulous traders cut naio as a substitute for sandalwood. The wood of naio has a slight scent similar to sandalwood, although it does not last, which led naio to have the common name of false sandalwood. The substitution scheme was found out, luckily for naio, sparing it the fate of our sandalwood forests.
Another interesting part of naio’s history is how it got here. Naio’s scientific name is Myoporum sandwicense which makes one think it is endemic to Hawaii. However, it is also found in just one other place. Our young islands share naio with one of the oldest islands in the Pacific, Mangaia, the most southerly of the Cook Islands. How is it that naio is on all our islands, but not on any other island in the South Pacific? Inquiring minds want to know.
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