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Charpentiera is a flowering plant genus in the pigweed family, Amaranthaceae. It consists of five species endemic to Hawaii, where they are known as papala, and one species found only on the island of Tubuai in the Austral Islands. All species are trees, some reaching more than 10 metres (33 ft) in height.

Species

• Charpentiera australis (Tubuai)
• Charpentiera densiflora Sohmer (Kaua?i)^[4]
• Charpentiera elliptica (Hillebr.) A.Heller (Kaua?i)^[4]
• Charpentiera obovata Gaudich. (main islands of Hawai?i)^[4][5]
• Charpentiera ovata Gaudich. (O?ahu, Moloka?i, Maui, island of Hawai?i)^[4]
• Charpentiera tomentosa Sohmer
  • Charpentiera tomentosa var. maakuaensis (O?ahu)^[2]
  • Charpentiera tomentosa var. tomentosa (O?ahu, Moloka?i, Lana?i, Maui, island of Hawai?i)^[2]

Uses

Native Hawaiians on the northwest coast of the island of Kaua?i used lightweight papala branches in the art of ?oahi. Branches were ignited and tossed off of high sea cliffs, where they were buoyed by ridge lifts and burned like fireworks.^[6]

ar.org/starr/plants/images/species/?q=charpentiera+obovata">http://www.hear.org/starr/plants/images/species/?q=charpentiera+obovata. Retrieved 2009-01-30. ^{[dead link]}

^ ^{a b c d} "papala". Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database. Bernice P. Bishop Museum. http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/resultsdetailed.asp?search=papala. Retrieved 2009-03-24. 

^ Little Jr., Elbert L.; Roger G. Skolmen (1989) (PDF). Papala. United States Forest Service. http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/forestry/data/CommonTreesHI/CFT_Charpentiera_obovata.pdf. 

^ Medeiros, A. C.; C.F. Davenport; C.G. Chimera (1998) (PDF). Auwahi: Ethnobotany of a Hawaiian Dryland Forest. Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawai?i at Manoa. pp. 39?40. http://www.hear.org/naturalareas/auwahi/ethnobotany_of_auwahi.pdf. Retrieved 2009-03-24. ^{[dead link]}