The royal purplish-blue berries of our native Hawaiian lily, the 'uki'uki, are a riveting attention magnet in the home landscape or nestled in its natural environment.

The first time I saw the gorgeous fruits of the 'uki'uki, I literally stopped in my tracks. I had to examine them from every angle, mesmerized by the absolute lushness and clarity of their color.

'Uki'uki (Dianella sandwicensis) is an indigenous, perennial, clumping lily that thrives in the undergrowth of diverse habitats. It grows in wet forest, dry shrub land, grassy land and near or on lava fields.

The plant has spreading rhizomes. The leaves are long, slender and spear-shaped, tough, smooth and flexible, with a prominent keeled midrib. Petite blue to white flowers with yellow stamens spring forth from spikes that dance in the wind.

In ancient Hawai'i, the clustered fruits were used in lei hua (seed lei), with greenery interspersed among the berries. William Brigham in his 1911 treatise "Ka hana kapa" for the Bishop Museum listed 'uki'uki as a dye plant, with the berries producing a pale blue color for kapa cloth. Leaves were used to decorate the mahiole (feather helmets).

The premier use of 'uki'uki involved the leaves, dried and then braided into cordage. Leaves were stripped from a living plant, then heated over a fire or within an imu, and left in the sun a few days. The Hawaiian technique of thatching varied from that of western and central Polynesia, in that bunches of thatch were tied to a horizontal 'aho (the horizontal parts of the house framework) on both the walls and the roof. Of the various thatch materials, the Hawaiians preferred pili grass, because of its color and fragrance when freshly cut. A three-ply braid of 'uki'uki was used to bind bundles of pili grass to the 'aho. The grass hale on the ground floor of Hawaiian Hall at the Bishop Museum consist of lashing material of three-ply 'uki'uki braid.

'Uki'uki is the perfect accent plant for the landscape. The clumped formations make attractive grouped planting or understory for trees and large shrubs. Banked or sloped terrain also provides fine locations for 'uki'uki.

The plant is relatively pest-resistant. Ants and their concurrent pests (scale and aphid insects) are sometimes problematic. Remove by hand, or apply insecticidal soap.

In this era of discovering a "greener" approach to life, 'uki'uki is a native ally. Recent studies have shown that the plant can help clean up landscapes because it is wastewater tolerant.

The fascinating and alluring 'uki'uki deserves a special place in the private and public landscaping of Hawaiian soil.