Hidden within the cool, misty forests of Hawaiʻi grows a raspberry unlike the familiar berries found in grocery stores.
Known as ʻākala, this native Hawaiian fruit can grow surprisingly large—sometimes approaching two inches in length. Depending on the plant and stage of ripeness, its color may range from pale yellow and salmon pink to bright red, deep purple or nearly white.
Its flavor is equally distinctive. ʻĀkala is generally less sweet than a cultivated raspberry, with a tart, mildly bitter quality that becomes more pleasant when the fruit is fully ripe. Its juice produces such a vivid pink color that Native Hawaiians traditionally used it to dye kapa cloth.
Scientifically known as Rubus hawaiensis, ʻākala belongs to the same botanical family as raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and roses. Yet it is not an imported relative that escaped from a garden. It is an endemic Hawaiian species, meaning it developed naturally in the islands and is found nowhere else in the wild.
ʻĀkala is therefore more than an unusual berry. It is part of Hawaiʻi’s distinctive forest ecology, cultural history and extraordinary story of island evolution.
The Meaning Behind the Name
The Hawaiian word ʻākala is commonly translated as “pink,” referring to the rosy color of the berry’s juice.
That pigment gave the fruit a practical cultural use. Native Hawaiians used ʻākala juice to create pink or rose-colored dye for kapa, the traditional cloth produced by beating and processing plant fibers. The plant was also used in traditional medicinal practices, although detailed preparations belonged to systems of specialized Hawaiian knowledge rather than casual household experimentation.
Maui Nui Botanical Gardens describes ʻākala as the “kala of the uplands,” one of three plants associated with different ecological zones:
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Limu kala represented the ocean.
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Pua kala, the native Hawaiian poppy, represented the middle lands.
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ʻĀkala represented the upland forests.
The distinction reflects how Hawaiian names and traditions often connect plants with the specific landscapes in which they grow.
A Giant Among Raspberries
Although its fruits vary considerably, ʻākala can produce some of the largest raspberries in the world.
The State of Hawaiʻi’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife reports fruits reaching approximately 1.6 inches long and nearly an inch wide. Maui Nui Botanical Gardens notes that exceptional berries may grow to about two inches in length.
Instead of forming the tidy, rounded cone associated with commercial red raspberries, ʻākala fruits may appear long, irregular and loosely constructed. Each berry consists of many small, juice-filled sections clustered around a central structure, as is typical of fruits in the genus Rubus.
Their colors can be remarkably diverse. A ripe berry may be:
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Salmon pink
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Rose red
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Brilliant crimson
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Dark purple
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Golden yellow
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Creamy white
The color alone does not always reveal whether the fruit is ready to eat. Because ʻākala can retain a noticeable bitter edge, experienced observers generally wait until the berry is completely ripe and separates easily from the plant.
The plant’s unusual size earned it the description “giant raspberry” from the early Hawaiian botanist Joseph Rock.
What Does ʻĀkala Taste Like?
A cultivated raspberry has usually been selected over generations for sweetness, aroma, attractive color, firmness and dependable yields. Wild ʻākala developed under very different conditions.
Its flavor is often described as less sweet than that of a commercial raspberry. Depending on the individual plant, ripeness and growing conditions, the berry may taste:
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Tart
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Mildly sweet
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Slightly bitter
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Earthy
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Floral
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Delicately raspberry-like
The State of Hawaiʻi describes the fruit as sweet but somewhat bitter, while Maui Nui Botanical Gardens notes that it is not as sweet as an ordinary raspberry.
Fully ripe fruits are generally more appealing than underripe ones. Sugar, cooking or combination with sweeter fruit can balance ʻākala’s natural sharpness.
The berry’s tartness makes it particularly suitable for jelly, where sweetness can be adjusted without obscuring its color and distinctive character. Maui Nui Botanical Gardens specifically identifies jelly as a flavorful use for the fruit.
A Raspberry of the Mountain Forests
ʻĀkala does not grow naturally along the tropical beaches most often associated with Hawaiʻi.
It is an upland plant found primarily in mesic and wet forests, where rainfall, cloud cover and cooler temperatures create conditions very different from those at sea level. Its documented elevation range extends from roughly 2,000 feet to more than 10,000 feet.
The species occurs naturally on:
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Kauaʻi
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Molokaʻi
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Maui
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Hawaiʻi Island
The plant may appear in moist forest understories, along forest openings or in places where sufficient light reaches the vegetation below the canopy. It can grow as a substantial shrub with upright or arching canes approximately five to ten feet long, although some cultivated or especially vigorous examples may become taller.
Its compound leaves generally consist of three leaflets. The plant can lose its leaves briefly during part of the year, making it somewhat deciduous despite Hawaiʻi’s generally mild climate.
Does ʻĀkala Have Thorns?
ʻĀkala is sometimes described as a thornless raspberry, but that description is not entirely reliable.
Some plants possess fine prickles or sharp hairs along their young stems. These structures may become less noticeable as the canes mature and shed portions of their outer bark. Other plants appear nearly smooth.
The variation has contributed to ʻākala’s reputation as an island plant that reduced its physical defenses after evolving in an environment that historically lacked large browsing mammals. However, anyone handling the plant should still look carefully before assuming that its stems are harmless. Plant Pono notes that even plants growing within the same forest may differ in their prickliness.
The introduction of cattle, goats, pigs and other mammals dramatically changed Hawaiian forests. A plant that evolved without those animals did not necessarily possess the defenses required to withstand trampling, rooting and heavy browsing.
Two Hawaiian Raspberries
The name ʻākala can create some botanical confusion because Hawaiʻi has two endemic raspberry species.
The species most commonly discussed as ʻākala is:
Rubus hawaiensis
A generally upright or arching shrub found on Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi, Maui and Hawaiʻi Island.
The second is:
Rubus macraei
Often called ʻākalakala, although it may also be referred to as ʻākala. It has a lower, more creeping growth habit and a more restricted distribution.
At first glance, the two plants appear closely related. Scientists once assumed that they descended from the same ancestral arrival in Hawaiʻi. Genetic research, however, indicates that they resulted from separate colonization events.
Research summarized by the U.S. Geological Survey found that Rubus hawaiensis has a confirmed relationship with salmonberry, Rubus spectabilis, of western North America. Rubus macraei appears to have a different North American connection and is more closely associated with blackberry relatives. Their similarities developed independently as both lineages adapted to the Hawaiian environment.
This means Hawaiʻi did not receive one ancestral raspberry that divided into two species. Raspberry relatives apparently reached the remote islands on separate occasions.
How Did a Raspberry Reach Hawaiʻi?
The Hawaiian Islands formed far from any continent, so their native plants descend from organisms that completed extraordinary journeys.
Seeds reached the islands through several possible routes. Some floated across the ocean. Others arrived attached to birds, carried in mud or transported within digestive systems after being eaten elsewhere.
Scientists cannot observe the original arrival of ʻākala’s ancestor, but its relationship to North American raspberry species suggests a successful long-distance dispersal across thousands of miles of ocean.
A bird may have eaten an ancestral berry and later deposited a viable seed in Hawaiʻi. From that extremely unlikely event, a new population could have formed, adapted and eventually become a distinct Hawaiian species.
This history illustrates one of the defining features of Hawaiian biology. Many native species descend from rare arrivals followed by long periods of isolation and evolution.
ʻĀkala may resemble a continental raspberry, but it represents a uniquely Hawaiian branch of that much larger botanical family.
From Wild Berry to Jelly
ʻĀkala has never become a major commercial fruit crop. Its natural populations occur mainly in upland forests rather than in easily managed orchards, and the fruit does not possess the uniform sweetness, firmness or predictability demanded by large produce markets.
Nevertheless, its culinary possibilities are intriguing.
Historically documented food use is relatively limited compared with the fruit’s role as a kapa dye. The berries are edible, however, and their acidity can work particularly well in preserves.
Possible preparations include:
ʻĀkala jelly
Jelly is one of the most frequently mentioned uses. Straining the fruit removes its numerous seeds while preserving its color and tart berry flavor. Added sugar balances the natural bitterness.
Mixed-berry preserves
Combining ʻākala with a sweeter fruit could retain its Hawaiian character while creating a more rounded preserve.
Fruit sauces
A lightly sweetened berry sauce could accompany pancakes, cakes, yogurt or rich desserts.
Sorbet or granita
The fruit’s acidity would lend itself to a refreshing frozen dessert, provided enough sweetness were added to balance the sharper flavors.
Syrup
A strained syrup could highlight the berry’s vivid pink pigment in drinks or desserts.
These are best understood as culinary possibilities rather than reasons to gather berries from wild populations. Because ʻākala is a native species facing conservation pressure, fruit for experimentation should come only from legally cultivated plants or authorized sources.
More Valuable Than a Harvest
The rarity of ʻākala creates an important distinction between appreciating a wild food and treating it as an available commodity.
The State of Hawaiʻi lists Rubus hawaiensis with a NatureServe global rank of G2, or imperiled. Identified threats include competition from invasive plants and damage caused by feral hoofed animals.
Wild berry picking can also remove food and seeds from the forest. Even when the collection of a few fruits appears harmless, repeated gathering can interfere with natural regeneration, wildlife feeding and conservation work.
Visitors should also remember that many native forests lie within protected areas where removing plants or fruit is prohibited.
The responsible way to experience ʻākala is through a botanical garden, cultural demonstration, conservation nursery or cultivated plant obtained from a legitimate Hawaiian source.
Its greatest value may not be the amount of jelly it can produce. Its value lies in remaining alive within the forests where it evolved.
Competition from Introduced Berries
Hawaiʻi now supports several introduced raspberry and blackberry species. Some escaped from cultivation and became aggressive invasive plants.
These nonnative brambles can spread into disturbed forests, form dense growth and compete with native vegetation. Their resemblance to ʻākala can also cause confusion among hikers and gardeners.
Plant Pono advises people to learn the differences between native ʻākala and invasive members of the genus Rubus. The native plant is considered appropriate for Hawaiian landscapes, while several introduced relatives are serious ecological pests.
The situation creates an unusual conservation challenge. Efforts to control invasive raspberries and blackberries must avoid harming Hawaiʻi’s native species.
Research into biological controls has shown why this caution matters. Organisms capable of attacking an introduced blackberry may also infect ʻākala or ʻākalakala. Protecting the native plants therefore requires careful testing rather than broad assumptions based on whether a raspberry is considered useful or troublesome elsewhere.
A Plant Supporting the Forest
ʻĀkala is not only a producer of edible fruit.
Its flowers, leaves, stems and berries contribute to the wider forest ecosystem. Research in Hawaiian forests has found several native caterpillar groups using ʻākala as a host plant. Those insects, in turn, can become food for native forest birds.
Birds and other fruit-eating animals may consume the berries and disperse the seeds. The shrub also adds structure to the forest understory, providing cover and growing space beneath taller native trees.
This ecological role helps explain why removing wild fruit is not equivalent to picking from a commercial farm. In a natural forest, the berry is already part of a network involving plants, insects, birds and soil.
A fruit that appears unused may actually be awaiting an animal disperser or the opportunity to produce the next generation of plants.
Preserving Hawaiʻi’s Native Raspberry
Conserving ʻākala requires more than protecting individual shrubs.
Its habitat must remain sufficiently intact for the plants to flower, produce fruit and establish seedlings. Invasive weeds must be controlled without damaging the native raspberry. Feral animals must be prevented from trampling plants and disturbing the soil. Conservationists must also preserve genetic diversity among populations growing on different islands and at different elevations.
Botanical gardens and native-plant nurseries can assist by cultivating ʻākala, educating visitors and maintaining plant material outside vulnerable wild populations.
The plant also has potential as a native ornamental for suitable Hawaiian gardens. Its arching canes, colorful berries and cultural significance make it an appealing alternative to imported brambles, provided it is planted under appropriate moist, upland conditions. Plant Pono recognizes it as a low-risk native landscaping plant that can be propagated by seeds or vegetative methods.
Cultivation may allow more people to encounter the berry without placing additional pressure on wild plants.
Hawaiʻi’s Berry of the Uplands
ʻĀkala is easy to appreciate for its novelty.
It is an enormous raspberry growing on tropical islands. Its fruits may be pink, red, yellow, white or purple. Its juice once colored kapa cloth, and its tart berries can become brilliantly colored jelly.
Yet its deeper importance lies in everything surrounding the fruit.
ʻĀkala represents an improbable ancestral journey across the Pacific. It reflects generations of Native Hawaiian knowledge about plants, landscapes, dyes and healing. It supports organisms within the mountain forest and carries genetic information found nowhere else on Earth.
Unlike a cultivated raspberry selected primarily for sweetness, ʻākala was shaped by the rain, elevation and isolation of Hawaiʻi.
Its fruit may be less sugary than the berries in a supermarket, but its story is far richer: a jewel of the upland forest whose greatest rarity is not its flavor, size or color, but the fact that it exists only in Hawaiʻi.
