Syzygium sandwicense

Description:

hia hMyrtaceae (Myrtle family)Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands (Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lnai, and Maui)Kalauao Trail, OahuCloseup of fruitwww.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/4748986657/in/photostream/The wood was used in canoe construction, for fuel and house construction. The bark produce a black dye for kapa (tapa).Apparently before Western contact the leaves were brewed as a tea to lift the spirits.hia h is a close relative of the mountain apple (ohia ai). The small fruit of hia h are edible but often bland, even bitter, to slightly sweet.EtymologyThe generic name Syzygium is from the Greek prefix syn- or sys-, together, and zygon, yoked, in reference to the coherent (sticking together) petals that form a calyptra (hood or cup) in some species.The species name sandwicense refers to the "Sandwich Islands," as the Hawaiian Islands were once called, and named by James Cook on one of his voyages in the 1770s. James Cook named the islands after John Montagu (The fourth Earl of Sandwich) for supporting Cook's voyages.nativeplants.hawaii.edu