One of the strangest of the native trees is the Hau (pronounced “how”). It is found on all the South Sea islands and is, indeed, cosmopolitan in the tropics everywhere. This tree is often grown on Hawaiian beaches to cast shade on the sand by training it over an arbor. It is normally a creeping or procumbent tree, spreading along the ground. Its long, sinuous branches interlock, if not trained, and eventually form jungles too thick to penetrate except by cutting. When this mass of branches is lifted off the ground, by being trained over some strong support, they form a thick green roof which keeps out light showers. These arbors are called Hau lanais in Hawaii. They have been made at many places along Waikiki beach, one of the best being on the seaward side of the Halekulani hotel. Here the central tree is very old, its trunk, gnarled and twisted and several feet through, creating an unusually impressive specimen.
The Hau is a true Hibiscus, its flowers having the typical form with a central column rising from the center of the five petals. When the petals unfold they are a bright yellow color, usually with a dark spot at the base. As they grow older during the day they turn to an apricot color and when they finally fall, they are a deep red. The leaves are heart-shaped, green and leathery above, whitish and silky with hairs, beneath.
The bent branches of the Hau furnish the crooked sticks used to attach the outrigger log to native canoes. And as might be expected of such a unique tree, many legends cluster around it. (Plate V)
Another plant of strange and curious appearance is the Hala, or Screwpine. It might be taken at first sight for a palm, since its leaves have the tough, fibrous quality of palm leaves. Actually it belongs to a family which takes its name from this genus, the Pandanaceae. It grows all over the South Seas and the East Indies, and India.
The descriptive name of Screwpine comes from the way in which the long, narrow, spiny-edged leaves grow out of the branches, in winding whorls. On young specimens they often create curious spirals. On older trees the leaves have a tendency to form tufts at the ends of the branches. These branches divide in pairs, the tree forming a series of ascending Y’s.
The most striking feature of this tree is the way in which it sometimes puts out aerial roots to support the main trunk. These roots grow out and downward, as stiff and straight as a stilt, propping up the tree in what seems an entirely artificial manner. Such roots seem to appear only when the plant needs them, when it is old and heavy or when the soil is moist and loose and does not offer a firm hold.
The Hala fruit is a drupe, the various sections colored orange and very smooth and shining. When separated, the sweet scented fleshy part is strung into leis by the Hawaiians, making one of the most curious of these native garlands.
The long, fibrous leaves are called Lauhala and are split and woven into many products. Lauhala floor mats are frequently seen, while finer work is done in making purses, hats and fans.
A relative of the Hala tree is a vine (Freycinetia arnottii), called Ie-ie in Hawaiian. Its male flowers are a bright scarlet, and form a conspicuous sight in the cooler mountain forests where it grows wild.
OHIA LEHUA
Metrosideros polymorpha Gaudichaud
The favorite flower of old Hawaiian song and legend is the Ohia Lehua. It is not found commonly at the warm levels of Honolulu, and never becomes more than a shrub there, but it may be seen in upper Nuuanu valley and on Tantalus. This plant reaches its greatest perfection, as a magnificent tree, often a hundred feet high, at the cool level of the volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Lehua blossom is the special flower of that island.
The flowers appear as bright red pompons of stamens; sometimes however, they are white, pink or yellow, for the plant is extremely varied. The leaves are small and often reddish when young.
The Hawaiian people believe that this beautiful red flower is sacred to Pele, the goddess of the volcano. If a flower is picked she may show her anger by sending rain, but if an offering of a flower is first made to her, then others may be taken safely. The flowers are made into leis—the Sweet Lei-Lehua of the song—which are highly regarded.
The Ohia wood is dark, hard and very beautiful, much used for floors and fine carving. The early Hawaiians made images of their gods from it, as well as spears and other implements.
The Lehua is a member of the Myrtle family and found on various South Sea islands. (Plate V)
Another shrub, (Calliandra haematoma) has been introduced into Hawaii and is now known as the Haole Lehua, that is, the foreign Lehua. It has tufts of red flowers, very like those of the native plant, but they are larger and even more showy than the true Lehua. During the winter and spring, leis are made of these and are often seen, being casually called Lehua leis.
KAMANI
Calophyllum inophyllum Linnaeus
A tree that grows wild along the seashore is given the name of Kamani by the Hawaiians. It has large, thick, leathery leaves, very smooth and shining, and clusters of waxy, white flowers. These flowers have four white petals and in the center is a mass of golden stamens surrounding a red pistil. They are fragrant.
The flowers are followed by round, reddish fruits which contain an oily nut. In other parts of the tropics, especially Fiji and India, this oil has important uses, but it is not extracted in Hawaii. The tree belongs to the Mangosteen family and is found widely through the tropics. The nut may have floated to the shores of Hawaii or possibly some early Polynesian voyager brought it in his double canoe.
True Kamani trees grow on the campus of the University of Hawaii. They may also be seen on a ride around the island, growing near the beach. (Plate V)
A tree called locally False Kamani, is the Terminalia catappa. Its large leaves and the fact that it, too, grows near the sea probably caused it to be given this name. The special characteristic of this tree is the way its large leaves turn red before they fall in winter. A scattering of these big red leaves on the tree is very noticeable, and when the whole tree finally turns red it becomes a conspicuous object. New, shining green leaves shortly follow the old. A fine example of this tree grows in the grounds of Iolani Palace.
KOA
Acacia koa Gray
Like the Ohia, the Koa tree does not grow well at lower altitudes, but at proper elevations, such as near the volcano, on the Island of Hawaii, it becomes Hawaii’s largest and finest tree. It is, perhaps best known to town dwellers by its wood, known as Hawaiian mahogany, which has been extensively used in furniture. In cooler sections of Honolulu, such as Tantalus, and upper Nuuanu, Koa trees may be found growing. They seldom attain much size, but are often of very picturesque form.
The most characteristic thing about the Koa is its sickle-shaped leaf, like those found on many other members of the Acacia group. It is not a true leaf, however, but the flattened, grayish-green petiole, or leaf stem, modified to serve as a leaf. Such a modification is called a phyllode. The true leaves grow on young trees and sometimes appear on new growth. They are bipinnate, or fernlike, with many small leaflets. Both true and modified leaves are shown in Plate V, but no flowers. Koa flowers are very inconspicuous, being small, creamy balls of stamens and pistils, like so many of the other Acacia flowers. They are followed by numerous small, brown pods.
The tall straight trunk of the Koa tree was used by the early Hawaiians to make canoes. A fine tree growing in the mountain was selected by the kahuna, or wise man of the village, and laboriously cut down with stone adzes. Then the whole village turned out to help drag it to the water’s edge. Here it was hollowed and shaped with stone implements. Finally, it was colored and the out-rigger attached, the entire process taking months, perhaps years.
MILO
Thespesia populnea (L.) Correa
A tree which has heart-shaped leaves, like those of the Hau, and Hibiscus-shaped flowers, but is of upright, normal form, is the Milo. The flower is a paler yellow than the Hau blossom, and has a red spot at the base of the petals. As it fades, it turns from yellow to a purplish pink. It is followed by a five-parted green capsule, which turns dark brown and hangs on the tree a long time.
The Milo is a member of the Mallow family and closely related to the true Hibiscus. Like the Hau, it is at home over a wide area in the South Seas and the Asiatic tropics. It is found growing on the beaches and is said to have shaded the grass hut home at Waikiki of the first King Kamehameha. (Plate V)
KOU
Cordia sebestena Linnaeus
A native tree with bright orange colored blossoms is called Kou by the Hawaiians. Botanically it is Cordia subcordata. Though found on other South Sea islands, it is now rare in Hawaii, while a close relative, the Cordia sebestena, is generally called Kou. This foreign Kou, which has been introduced from tropical America, is quite similar in general appearance to the native species. Its flowers are a rich, orange-red, about an inch across. They are tubular, with six broad lobes, frilled and crepe-like in texture. Opening in clusters of three or four at a time, they make a gay showing over the small tree on which they grow. The leaves are very rough and shaped like a heart. Several trees grow on Young street between Piikoi and Pensacola streets. (Plate V)
The wood of the native Kou was highly prized for making the wooden bowls from which the Hawaiians ate.
KUKUI. CANDLENUT TREE
Aleurites moluccana (L.) Willdenow
Conspicuous for its light colored foliage, groves of the Kukui tree are easily seen on the mountain side, from a long distance. The trees grow best in sheltered ravines and gullies, so that from a distance, the shadow of such ravines is usually lightened by the blotches of greyish green which mean Kukui trees. The trees grow down to sea level, however, and may be found at many places in Honolulu, among others in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel garden.
Leaves of the Kukui tree vary greatly. One type has pointed lobes, another has lobes which have flattened into almost regular form. The leaves are covered with a grayish down, which is particularly heavy on the under side, giving the tree its light appearance.
The white flowers are very small with five petals. They come in soft, massed clusters, male and female flowers growing separately on the same tree. The male appear on the upper branches, the female on the lower. They are not very different in appearance, but the male (illustrated on Plate V) has slightly broader petals. The Kukui is the special flower of Molokai.
The round green fruit contains a nut which was very useful to the early Hawaiians. Containing a high percentage of oil, it was used to make a candle-like torch, by stringing the nuts on the slender midrib of a coconut leaflet. Sixty or seventy nuts would burn an entire evening. The nut is also edible, although purgative in its action especially when not roasted. A pinch of ground, roasted Kukui nut is always served at luaus.
This tree is a member of the Euphorbia family. It grows widely over the South Seas.
