Nestegis sandwicensis
| Olopua | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Oleaceae |
| Genus: | Nestegis |
| Species: | N. sandwicensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Nestegis sandwicensis (A.Gray) O.Deg., I.Deg. & L.A.S.Johnson | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Nestegis sandwicensis, commonly known as Olopua, is a species of flowering tree in the olive family, Oleaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii.[2] It is found on all major islands at elevations of 30–1,300 m (98–4,265 ft) in coastal mesic and mixed mesic forests,[3] and, especially, dry forests. It usually reaches a height of 6 m (20 ft) with a trunk diameter of 0.2 m (0.66 ft), but may reach 20 m (66 ft) in height with a trunk diameter of 0.9 m (3.0 ft).[4]
Uses
Native Hawaiians used the hard wood of olopua to make ʻau koʻi (adze handles), apuapu (rasps for making fish hooks), ʻōʻō (digging sticks), laʻau melomelo (fishing lures), pou (house posts), pāhoa (daggers), pīkoi (tripping weapons similar to a rope dart), and spears. Because the wood burned well even if green, it was used as wahie (firewood).[5]
References
- ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Nestegis sandwicensis
- ↑ Otto Degener, Isa Degener, & Lawrence Alexander Sidney Johnson. 1958. Flora Hawaiiensis; the New Illustrated Flora of the Hawaiian Islands. Honolulu, fam 300
- ↑ "olopua, pua, ulupua". Hawaii Ethnobotany Online Database. Bernice P. Bishop Museum. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
- ↑ Gray, Asa. 1862. Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences V: 331. Olea sandwicensis
- ↑ Medeiros, A. C.; C.F. Davenport; C.G. Chimera (1998). "Auwahi: Ethnobotany of a Hawaiian Dryland Forest" (PDF). Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Further reading
- Krauss, Beatrice H. (1993). Plants in Hawaiian Culture. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1225-5.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nestegis sandwicensis. |
 |
Wikispecies has information related to: Nestegis sandwicensis |
- "Olopua". Native Hawaiian Plants. Kapiʻolani Community College.