Bidens hawaiensis

Description:

Kookoolau or Hawaii beggarticksAsteraceaeEndemic to the Hawaiian Islands (Kohala, Puna District and Klauea on Hawaii Island) Oahu (Cultivated)Early Hawaiians used the leaves in hot teas and tonics. Today, all species of kookoolau can be brewed as a tonic and each are said to have distinct flavors. Regarding Bidens spp., Isabella Abbott comments that "I find that the roughly half a dozen species common in Hawaii offer two or three slightly different flavors, each a bit more subtle than commercial black tea." ("Lau Hawaii: Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants")<a href="http://nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Bidens_hawaiensis"