NATIVE TREES
Long before the first human being landed on Hawaii, these islands were
covered with a thick growth of trees, shrubs and smaller plants. Land
which first rose above the surface of the ocean as hot lava, or as
coral, slowly deposited on undersea volcanic rocks, gradually became
covered with plant life. It was brought ashore by ocean currents, by
birds and by the wind. Among the first plants, doubtless, was the
coconut. The huge nuts of this tree, covered with their tough, thick
husks, can float on the ocean for months, and after finally washing
ashore will take root and grow. The roots are tolerant of brackish water
so that they can become established near salt water lagoons.
In spite of what we know of the way in which such isolated bits of land
as Hawaii became covered with plants, it remains a constant wonder that
so many different ones arrived here without the help of men. For Hawaii
has a very rich native flora that has been of great interest to
botanists. Many of the plants found growing here are common to all the
South Sea islands. Others have so changed, through mutation and
self-selection, that totally new species have been created, unique to
Hawaii. Trees are among the finest of these native plants, some of them
attaining huge size. A few of those most often seen, are illustrated and
described here.
HAU
_Hibiscus tiliaceus Linneaus_
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)
HALA. LAUHALA. PUHALA. SCREWPINE
_Pandanus odoratissimus Linnaeus_
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.
Male and female flowers grow on different Hala trees. The male flowers,
called _Hinano Hala_, appear as a long, white, pendulous cluster of
blossoms, the showy portion being the bracts. They have many stamens and
the flower is extremely fragrant. In Hawaii these male flowers are not
so frequently seen as the female. The latter appear as a solid, round
ball at the ends of the branches, looking a good deal like the fruit of
a pineapple, (see Plate V). It is a standard joke to point these out to
tourists as proof that pineapples grow on trees.
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.