Scaevola taccada
Coastal, drought- and wind-tolerant shrub with distinctive half-flowers and buoyant white berries that can germinate after prolonged saltwater exposure, native from Africa and the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, and widely used in landscaping, leis, and erosion control along tropical and subtropical coasts.
Common Names
Beach Naupaka, Beach Cabbage, Naupaka, Naupaka Kahakai, Sea Lettuce, Naupaka Kai, Fan Flower, Half Flower
Summary
Beach naupaka, naupaka kahakai, is a dense, thicket-forming evergreen coastal shrub native to tropical Indo-Pacific shores. It grows on sandy or rocky soils exposed to salt spray, often reaching 3–10 ft tall and 6–15 ft wide, with branches that root on contact to aid spread. Leaves are glossy bright green and obovate, and flowers occur year-round in fan-like clusters with white petals, followed by spherical fleshy white berries. Buoyant seeds enable ocean currents dispersal, allowing colonization of new sandbanks.
Prefers full sun to partial shade in well-drained sandy soils and tolerates heat, drought, strong winds, and salt spray; once established, requires little water. Uses include beach stabilization, erosion control, landscaping, windbreaks, hedges, and groundcover; commonly used for coastal plantings, though forms dense stands that displace native vegetation and is invasive in Florida and parts of the Caribbean; propagation by seed or cuttings; hardy in USDA zones 10a–12b.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
3-12 feet
Spread
6-15 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 10-12
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun.
Soil Type
Well-drained sandy soils
Soil Drainage
Well-drained sandy soils
Soil pH
6.5-7.0
Bloom Color
White, often with purple streaks
Bloom Time
Year-round
Foliage Color
Green to yellow-green, with glossy/shiny leaves; light green becoming yellow with age.
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Evergreen broadleaf
Growth Rate
Fast
Seasons of Interest
All four seasons
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings, Layering (including air layering)
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees and birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (Gaertn.) Roxb.
- Publication
- Hort. Bengal. : 15 (1814)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asterales
- Family
- Goodeniaceae
- Genus
- Scaevola
Synonyms
Lobelia piliplena Roemeria lobelia Scaevola velutina Scaevola frutescens Scaevola fauriei Scaevola lativaga Lobelia frutescens Scaevola koenigii Scaevola billardieri Scaevola leschenaultii Scaevola chlorantha Scaevola sericea Scaevola lambertiana Scaevola macrocalyx Scaevola latevaga Scaevola piliplena Scaevola lobelia var. sericea Scaevola frutescens var. koenigii Scaevola frutescens f. glabra Scaevola taccada f. punicea Scaevola taccada var. bryanii Scaevola taccada var. fauriei Scaevola taccada var. sericea Scaevola koenigii var. macrocalyx Scaevola koenigii var. glabra Lobelia velutina Scaevola sericea var. taccada Scaevola frutescens f. moomomiana Lobelia sericea Lobelia koenigii Scaevola billardierei Scaevola bela-modagani Scaevola plumerioides Scaevola frutescens var. sericea Lobelia sericea var. koenigii Scaevola taccada f. moomomiana