Lei Mokihana | Pareu - All Colors

100% Organic cotton | ʻĀina-friendly dyes & inks | Designed in Hawaiʻi | Made in the USA | Dimensions: 70" long x 44" wide

Of the many things from which lei are fashioned, mokihana is perhaps one of the most unique both in shape and scent. Inside these peculiarly plump, cube-shaped fruits, the tang of orange meets the intensity of licorice and produces a fragrance so beautiful it is the stuff of poetry. The licorice scent is reflected in the plant's Latin name: Melicope anisata (anisata coming from the word anise - the thing that gives licorice its unique flavor). Mokihana has found its way into many mele (songs, poems, etc.) and is often a poetic reference to the island of Kauaʻi. Lei mokihana have also been described by composers as "poina ʻole" (unforgettable), perhaps because the fruits can only be procured in the mountains of Kauaʻi (in wet to mesic forests at 1200 - 4000 ft.), making this type of lei a gift to remember. Or maybe it is the fact that a lei mokihana will keep its fragrance long after the fruits have dried (sometimes for years), causing the receiver of the lei to recall fond memories with each inhalation of its aroma. These thoughts inspired the ʻōlelo on this shirt: ʻAʻala mokihana i ka nuʻu - Mokihana fragrance in the heights. There are actually 47 Hawaiian species of Melicope. The group is commonly referred to as alani, but several species have unique names (mokihana, uahiapele, leiohiʻiaka, etc.). The leaves of some of these other species are very fragrant when crushed and were used to impart a pleasing scent to kapa.