Waves crash along the scenic peninsula of Laupahoehoe Point County Park, on the Hamakua Coast, Big Island, Hawaii, USA. The plant called Beach Naupaka (Scaevola sericea, synonyms: Lobelia taccada, Scaevola taccada) is native to Hawaii and is also known as Naupaka Kahakai, or Half-flower. Its flower is white or cream usually tinged with purple, pale purple, or tan. According to Hawaiian legends, the one-sided flowers of Beach Naupaka are a symbol of lovers torn apart and never reunited. The corky seeds are buoyant and can remain viable in the ocean for a year as they are carried to new shorelines. The leaves have curled-under edges and are shiny, bright green, somewhat succulent, alternate, and obovate in shape with a broad, rounded tip. The plants are dense, spreading, mounding, thicket-forming shrubs. In Hawaii, Beach Naupaka grows wild along the coastlines and is also used as a landscaping or hedge plant in coastal areas because of salt tolerance and attractive form.
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