Scaevola taccada is an erect, spreading, evergreen shrub or small tree with somewhat succulent, soft-wooded, pithy stems. It usually grows up to 4 metres tall, with occasional specimens to 7 metres.
The plant is a widely used traditional medicine, also providing food and materials for local use. It is commonly gathered from the wild, often protected when land is cleared and sometimes also cultivated, especially as a hedge plant. It is grown in erosion control schemes in Florida.

Known Hazards

None known

Habitat

Usually confined to the seashore, restricted to sandy beaches or rock and coral outcrops.
It is occasionally found inland on Pacific atolls in sunny disturbed habitats and on rock faces.

Cultivation Status

Cultivated, Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a position in full sun, but tolerates some shade.
Grows best in a sandy soil. Plants are very salt and wind tolerant.
Established plants are very drought tolerant.
The fruits are dispersed by frugivorous birds and sea-currents. They are buoyant because of a corky outer layer and can float in sea water for at least 250 days with no significant loss in viability.
The plant has escaped from cultivation and become naturalized in Florida.
The plant flowers and fruits throughout the year.
Plants are very tolerant of trimming and can be shaped into hedges.

Edible Uses

Fruit
Eaten occasionally.
The white fruit is a fleshy drupe, 10 - 15mm in diameter.
Young leaves - cooked as a potherb.

Medicinal

The plant is quite widely used in traditional medicine throughout its native range, particularly for the treatment of skin conditions. There has been little research into the plant but it has been shown that the leaves contain saponins and coumarins.
In the literature, there is also the occasional mention of the presence of an alkaloid 'scaevolin'.
An acetonitrile extract of the leaves has shown selective antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 and vesicular stomatitis virus.
Diluted sap from the leaves or sap from the ripe berries is used in folk medicine to clear opacity of the eye and in the treatment of eye infections.
The sap may also be directly applied to sores.
The juice squeezed from young stems and ripe fruits is applied directly to bites and stings.
The bitter leaves are eaten as a cure for indigestion.
The young leaves are chewed to soothe a cough.
An infusion, or else the juice from the heated leaves, is mixed with water to treat coughs, pneumonia and tuberculosis.
An extract from the leaves is used as a form of long-term contraception by women, said to be effective for up to 7 years.
The leaves are used as a poultice for headache.
The leaves are traditionally used for treating skin ailments, swellings, elephantiasis, scrotal swellings, oedema, chill and indigestion.
The root is applied as an antidote after eating poisonous fish or crab.
A decoction is used in the treatment of beriberi and in certain syphilitic affections, also in dysentery.
The roots are considered a good therapy for cancer.
The root is used externally to treat skin affections.
The bark is applied for abscesses, menstrual complaints and bone fractures.
For pains and sores, the taproot bark is combined with salt and applied to affected areas.
The stem is used for treating abdominal complaints.

Agroforestry Uses

The plant is used for soil stabilization, especially of sand dunes.
It makes a good, dense hedge and so is of value to provide protection from the wind and salt spray in coastal zones.
Large branches can usually be used as cuttings to create an instant hedge.
This species is one of the first colonizers of the strip-mined areas in Nauru.

Other Uses

The soft, snow-white pith, 25mm or more in diameter, is sometimes cut into thin paper-like flakes and then made into artificial flowers, butterflies, and other objects.
The leaves are boiled with grass skirts to dye them brown and make them durable.
The hollow branches are used as popguns or blowguns in games.
The wood from the base of the mature stems is used as nails in traditional boat building.
The wood is coarse, fibrous and useless.
It is used locally for for roofing strips, rafters, supports, and house decking, rafts, canoe paddles and poles, scoop-net handles, eel traps, reef markers, net gauges, shark rattles, throwing sticks, and toy darts.

Propagation

Seed - preferably pre-soaked in cool water for 24 hours and then covered lightly by soil in a well-drained potting mix.
Germination may take 3 - 9 months.
Seeds that have been soaked in saltwater are said to germinate better, reducing germination time by 1 - 2 weeks.
Cuttings can be up to 50 cm long, with the lower leaves removed, and the upper ones cut in half.
Planting should be in a light well-drained potting mix or a sandy soil, with watering once a day. Rooting should be achieved in 2 - 3 months.
Large branches can also be used as cuttings as long as they are kept moist until rooted.
Air layering