1. Ornamental Plant Identification
Natural Resources Core
Ms. Doran

2. Plant Identification Vocabulary
Common name: local name given to a particular species
Examples: lion, hibiscus, human
Scientific name: name used by scientists that consists of a genus name and a species name; belongs to only one species
Examples: Panthera leo, Hibiscus brackenridgei, Homo sapiens

3. Aloe
Aloe vera
Prefers full sun to partial shade. Excellent drought and salt tolerances. Requires good drainage. Does well when containerized or as a mass planting. Forms own colonies.

4. Anthurium Anthurium andraeanum
Partial shade. Moderate drought and poor salt tolerance. Easily grown in containers or used for ground cover or as a border.

5. Avocado Persea americana
Full sun or partial shade. Moderate salt and drought tolerances. Prefers well drained soils. Can be used as a shade tree. Bears edible fruit.

6. Bamboo Palm Rhapis excelsa
Excellent low light tolerance, but can be grown in direct sun. Moderate salt and drought tolerance. Can be used as screen planting. Excellent as a potted plant for interior use.

7. Bird of Paradise Strelitzia reginae
Best flowering in full sun but best color in partial shade. Prefers slightly acidic soil with organic matter. Fair salt tolerance. Excellent group or mass planting.

8. Great Bougainvillea Bougainvillea spectabilis
Full sun. Prefers hot, dry areas for best blooming. Fairly drought tolerant. Colorful planting for hillside areas and containerized plantings.

9. Croton Codiaeum variegatum
Full sun for best color. Low tolerance for shade or salt. Needs good drainage. Effective accent planting. Pruning may be required.

10. Crownflower Calotropis gigantea
Full sun for best flowering. Needs good drainage. Good tolerance for salt and wind. Used in traditional medicine and as mosquito control. Poisonous.

11. Dracaena; Money Tree Dracaena marginata
Full sun with little shade tolerance. Moderate tolerance for salt; good tolerance for wind and drought. Excellent when containerized for indoor use.

12. Red Ginger Alpinia purpurata
Full sun to partial shade in rich moist soil. Poor tolerance for salt, drought, or wind. Needs ample moisture and good drainage. Used in traditional medicine.

13. Hala AKA pandanus Pandanus tectorius
Full sun to partial shade. Good tolerance for drought, wind, and salt. Both fruit and flower are very fragrant. Leaves used for lauhala.

14. ‘Ilima
Sida fallax
Full sun. Moderate tolerance for wind; good tolerance for salt and drought. Needs well-drained soil. Can be used as ground cover or pruned into a shrub.

15. Ixora; Jungle Geranium; Flame of the Woods
Ixora coccinea
Full sun to partial shade, especially to encourage flowering. Fair tolerance for salt. Needs non-alkaline soils. Colorful border planting or hedge.

16. Jade plant Crassula ovata
Full sun to partial shade. Develops red tinge on leaves in high sunlight. Good tolerance for drought, salt, and wind. Can be containerized for indoor or outdoor use.

17. Kukui, Candlenut Tree Aleurites moluccanus
Full sun to partial shade. Moderate tolerance for sun. Good option to provide shade. Has a wide variety of traditional and medicinal purposes.

18. Laua’e Microsorum scolopendria
Full sun ok but does better in partial shade. Good tolerance for wind and salt. Excellent ground cover when grown in shade. Smells like maile.

19. Mango Mangifera indica
Best in full sun. Moderate tolerance to drought and salt. Flowers prone to wind damage. Can be used as a hedge, screen, or shade tree. Fruit is edible (AND DELICIOUS).

20. Mock Orange Murraya paniculata
Full sun but can tolerate some shade. Tolerates varied soil types. Fair tolerance for wind and salt. Popular hedge plant.

21. Monkey Pod Samanea saman
Full sun. Fair tolerance to drought; moderate tolerance to salt and wind. Good as shade tree for large areas like parks. Fine grained wood used often in ukuleles and furniture

22. Norfolk Island Pine Araucaria heterophylla
Full sun. Shade needed when young. Fair tolerance of salt in air; excellent tolerance to wind. Can be used as windscreen. Can be grown indoors in a container.

23. Octopus Tree, Umbrella Tree
Schefflera actinophylla
May be grown in full sun or deep shade. Needs good drainage. Moderate tolerance to salt and drought. Can be containerized for indoor growing.

24. Papaya
Carica papaya
Full sun for best fruiting. Poor tolerance to drought; moderate tolerance to salt. Can be used as a border or accent plant. Edible fruit.

25. Paperbark Tree Melaleuca quinquenervia
Full sun or partial shade. Some tolerance to salt. Tolerates a wide variety of soil. Excellent for areas unsuitable for other trees.

26. Plumeria Plumeria rubra
Full sun for best flowering. High tolerance to drought; good tolerance to wind and salt. Tolerates a variety of soils. Can be grown indoors in containers.

27. Poinsettia Euphorbia pulcherrima
Full shade to partial sun. Full sun can cause leaves to drop and delay flowering. No tolerance to salt; good tolerance to drought. Prefers well-draining soils. Can be grown indoors.

28. Shower Tree
Cassia fistula

29. Snowbush Breynia disticha
Best in full sun to develop varied foliage color. No tolerance for salt. Popular hedge plant.

30. Tahitian Gardenia, Tiare
Gardenia taitensis

31. Ti Leaf Cordyline fruticosa
Full sun to partial shade. Fair tolerance to salt; poor tolerance to wind and drought. Best in rich soil with adequate moisture and some wind protection.

32. Wedelia Wedelia trilobata
Needs full sun for best flowering. Does well in shade. Low tolerance to drought. Commonly grown as ground cover. Excellent on slopes.