Acacia koaia

Description:

Koaia, Koaie, or Dwarf koaFabaceaeEndemic to the Hawaiian IslandsVulnerableHoomaluhia Botanical Garden, OahuKoaia (center) with other native Hawaiian plants. On the left is naupaka kahakai (Scaevola taccada); right is hala (Pandanus tectorius).The dense reddish brown wood is harder than koa (Acacia koa) and was used by early Hawaiians for short spears (ihe), long spears (polol), fish lures (lau melomelo), shark hooks (makau man) with bone points, bait sticks in fishing, fancy paddles (hoe), house (hale) construction, ukk (musical bow), calabashes (umeke), and the ie kk --the final beater to smooth out the kapa.Koaia was not used for making canoes (waa) because it produced curly grained wood.The crushed koaia leaves were mixed with other plant materials and used in a steam bath for skin disorders.One older source (Charles Gaudichaud,1819) states that Hawaiians "used all fragrant plants, all flowers and even colored fruits" for lei making. The red or yellow were indicative of divine and chiefly rank; the purple flowers and fruit, or with fragrance, were associated with divinity. Because of their long-standing place in oral tradition, the leaves and flowers of koaia were likely used for lei making by early Hawaiians, even though there are no written sources.NPH00003nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Acacia_koaia