Brighamia insignis

Description:

lula or luluCampanulaceae (Bellflower family)Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands (Nihau, extinct; Kauai, extant with probably only one wild specimen remaining)IUCN: Critically EndangeredOahu (Cultivated)The flowers have a nice fragrance! Some say it is "similar to violets."www.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/5209423657/in/photolist-...One older source (Charles Gaudichaud,1819) states that Hawaiians "used all fragrant plants, all flowers and even colored fruits" for lei making. Red or yellow were indicative of divine and chiefly rank; purple flowers and fruit, or with fragrance, were associated with divinity. Because of their long-standing place in oral tradition, the fragrant yellow flowers lula were likely used for lei making by early Hawaiians, even though there are no written sources.Botanist Otto Degener notes: "Brighamia, called by various natives puaala, alula, ohaha, was eaten raw as a supposed remedy for consumption and various other diseases."EtymologyThe endemic genus Brighamia, is named for William Tufts Brigham (1841-1926), geologist, botanist and the first direction of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii.The Latin specific epithet, insignia, meaning outstanding or distinguished in reference the plants unique appearance.nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Brighamia_insignis