   Hawaiian Trees - March 7, 2001 Jeff Schalau, County Director, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County After my technical meeting in Hawaii, my family and I snorkeled, body surfed, toured, and ate our way across the big island. Never having been there, I didn't know what to expect. I figured that legions of tourists would make the whole vacation experience boorish and impersonal. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. With the help of a detailed guidebook, we toured around and had an excellent time. Our home base was Kailua: a resort town on the Kona Coast. It was in this general area that King Kamehameha I spent much of his time before dying in 1819 and Captain Cook was killed. Kailua is also adjacent to the Kona Coffee growing district. The history of the Kona Coast is rich. The environment for supporting plant life is also rich. Last week's column discussed the problem of exotic plants and their destructive effects on the Hawaiian landscape. This week I want to extol the virtues of a few Hawaiian native trees. Then, I promise we will get back to gardening. 'Ohi'a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) grows from sea level to 9,000 feet in elevation. It is in the myrtle family and, as the name "polymorpha" implies, it takes many shapes and adapts well to the various sites it is found on. I also saw that it was extensively used in rustic construction much like juniper poles are used here. 'Ohi'a flowers come in white, yellow, orange, and red and have bristle-like stamens similar to bottlebrush (Callistemon). The Kukui or Candlenut tree (Aleurites moluccana) is the state tree of Hawaii. It has pale green foliage and produces a very hard, oily nut that is used to make leis. Native Hawaiians also used this tree for dyes, fuel, medicine, food, oil, gum, and timber. Interestingly, this is not a native Hawaiian plant, but was transplanted by early Polynesian voyagers. Koa (Acacia koa) is the premier timber tree of Hawaii. The primary use of koa by early Hawaiians was for canoes. The largest recorded canoe was 120 feet long and 9 feet deep. The wood looks and feels much like mahogany and is used for ukuleles and guitars. Most of the older resorts have lots of koa wood paneling too. Koa trees are thought to be of ancient Hawaiian lineage because over 50 endemic insect species have coevolved with this tree species. Today, koa forests are severely impacted by harvesting. The Hawaiians are working hard to reforest the harvested lands. Coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) symbolize Hawaii. The trade winds blows causing a pleasant rustling sound among the fronds. The coconut provides food, fiber, timber, shelter, and ornament. It is not known whether the coconut palm was already established in Hawaii when the first Polynesian voyagers arrived in the islands. However, along with taro, this tree provided sustenance to the early Hawaiians. Sandlewood (Santalum paniculatum) is a slow growing, aromatic hardwood that was exploited by early seafaring traders. Four species exist in Hawaii. Starting in 1790, merchant ships would stop over in the islands to trade for sandalwood. They would usually trade it in China. By 1840, most of the merchantable Hawaiian sandalwood was exhausted. White Hibiscus (Hibiscus arnottianus) has large, lightly scented flowers and will grow to 30 feet in the rainforest. The hibiscus cultivars are shrubs that are everywhere, bloom year-round, and come in a wide range of colors. There are many other trees species in Hawaii. Most of them have strikingly beautiful flowers, delicious edible fruits, lush foliage or a combination thereof. However, the lion's share of these are exotic: Plumaria, Poinciana, Tabebuia, Jacardanda, Bougainvillea, papaya, breadfruit, lychee, starfruit, mango, macadamia, etc. Sadly, none of them do well here in unprotected plantings. Wait a second, we can plant oleander. Oh well, if you appreciate this sort of thing, I recommend you go to the big island of Hawaii. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension has publications and information on horticulture and landscaping. If you have other gardening questions, call the Master Gardener line in the Cottonwood office at 646-9113 or E-mail us at mgardener@kachina.net and be sure to include your address and phone number. The Yavapai County Cooperative Extension web site is http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/. |