Sea Lettuce

Naupata

The Naupata is a small shrub present in almost all the Polynesian archipelagos. It primarily grows at on the edge of the beach, on limestone based ground. It has a good resistance to strong winds and high salinity levels. The Naupata is well studied and used in traditional medicine. The white fruit is commonly used as eye drops to clean the eyes. The have healing properties, especially when applied to wounds caused by coral. The shrub distributes its seeds by using oceanic currents and endozoochory: some birds eat its seeds.