Pīkake lei on Oʻahu

Pīkake is Arabian jasmine, and the Hawaiian name means peacock. It is usually traced to Princess Kaʻiulani, who kept peacocks at ʻĀinahau in Waikīkī and was fond of the flower. The lei is made from unopened buds rather than open blooms, strung tightly so the strand looks like a rope of small white beads. A single lei takes a great many buds, which is most of why pīkake costs more than an orchid or plumeria lei of the same length.

The scent is the point. Pīkake is one of the most strongly perfumed lei you can buy in Honolulu, and it carries. Because the buds open and brown quickly once strung, pīkake is a same-day lei: order it for the day you need it, keep it in the refrigerator in a closed bag or container until you leave, and expect it to be at its best for that day rather than the week.

Supply follows the weather. The plant flowers most heavily in the warm months, so pīkake is easiest to find and cheapest from late spring through autumn, and thinner and dearer in winter. Around graduation season and May Day, demand climbs fast and shops sell through what they have strung. If you need pīkake for a particular date, especially a double or triple strand, call ahead rather than turning up and hoping.

Several Chinatown shops list pīkake among their regular lei. Shops that post no product list at all may still make it to order, and the listings below say which is which.