Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_aleurites_moluccanus
Candlenut
Aleurites moluccanus
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About Candlenut
Aleurites moluccanus is native from tropical and subtropical Asia into the western Pacific and was carried to Hawaiʻi by Polynesian voyagers. It is now a conspicuous naturalized and culturally significant tree in many moist valleys and stream corridors, where status should retain “Polynesian introduction” rather than simply “introduced.” Cultural value and ecological spread can coexist, so site-specific management should distinguish heritage trees from stands that impede restoration. Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist records Polynesian-introduced presence on Kauaʻi; current extent remains unassessed.
Kauaʻi evidence
Bishop Museum 2025 Checklist wide: Taxon=Aleurites moluccanus; Status=pol; K=K. Identification and ecological statements have the separately linked reviewed sources. The checklist establishes documented island presence; it does not establish current abundance or invasion extent.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Aleurites moluccanus
- Common names
- Candlenut
- Hawaiian names
- Kukui
- Other names
- Kukui · Candlenut · candle-nut tree · Aleurites moluccana · Aleurites trilobus · Aleurites moluccanus
- Family
- Euphorbiaceae
- Order
- Malpighiales
- Record type
- Species or taxonomic group
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Recorded on Kauaʻi
- Origin
- Polynesian introduction
- Conservation status
- Conservation priority; formal rank not listed
- Evidence date
- 2026-10-05
- Evidence limits
- Current extent and population trajectory require refreshed surveys; public occurrence is island level only.
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Valleys · Lowland forests · Cultural landscapes · Stream corridors
- Food and resource needs
- Light, water, nutrients, and suitable soil or substrate
- Reproduction
- Viable propagules and suitable establishment conditions
- Shelter
- Suitable soil, substrate, and vegetation structure
- Growth form
- Tree
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Invasive behavior in some contexts, erosion, altered understory
- Conservation actions
- Map as cultural tree · Manage spread where it displaces native plants
- Monitoring
- Map as cultural tree; manage spread where it displaces native plants
- Data gaps
- Additional ecological and conservation citations are recommended
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Not assessed
- Seasonal description
- Aleurites moluccanus is native from tropical and subtropical Asia into the western Pacific and was carried to Hawaiʻi by Polynesian voyagers. It is now a conspicuous naturalized and culturally significant tree in many moist valleys and stream corridors, where status should retain “Polynesian introduction” rather than simply “introduced.” Cultural value and ecological spread can coexist, so site-specific management should distinguish heritage trees from stands that impede restoration. Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist records Polynesian-introduced presence on Kauaʻi; current extent remains unassessed.
Sources and further reading
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aleurites_moluccanus.jpg
- https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A338514-1/general-information
- https://ntbg.org/database/herbarium/detail/PTBG1000081844
- https://manoa.hawaii.edu/lifesciences/faculty/carr/page1.htm
- https://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/publications/pdf/tr75.pdf
