Kamani (Calophyllum inophyllum)
Hawaiian name: Kamani
Botanical name: Calophyllum inophyllum
Family: Clusiaceae
Status: Polynesian-introduced
Where found: Maui, Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i, O‘ahu & Kaua‘i
Water/Light: Dry to moist, with full sun exposure
Elevation range: Coastal (low elevations)
Height: Up to 60 feet, with a 40 foot spread
From Work Done by Whit Germano to Catalog Native Hawaiian Plants
MNBG

Notes: Kamani was brought to Hawai`i by early Polynesian settlers. The wood was fashioned into many objects including canoes, `umeke (containers), trays (called pa kamani), and food bowls. There is no bitter taste or odor to kamani wood, making it perfect for use as food vessels. The fruit husk yields a brownish/mauve kapa dye, and kamani oil is useful in waterproofing kapa cloth. Kamani flowers smell similar to orange blossoms and were used to give fragrance to newly pounded kapa cloth. In old Hawai‘i, the bark resin of kamani was used in a medicinal treatment for ulcers.

Join Us for the
20th Annual
Arbor Day Garden Expo!
Trees Giveaway
A Few Native Hawaiian Plants from the MNBG Collection
- ‘A‘ali‘i (Dodonaea viscosa)
- Alahe'e (Psydrax odorata)
- ‘Ānapanapa (Colubrina asiatica)
- Hala (Pandanus tectorius)
- Hala pepe (Dracaena auwahiensis)
- Hau (Hibiscus tileaceus)
- Hō‘awa (Pittosporum glabrum)
- ‘Iliahi (Santalum haleakalae)
- Kamani (Callophyllum inophyllum)
- Koa (Acacia koa)
- Koai‘a (Acacia koaia)
- Koki‘a, Hau hele ‘ula (Kokia drynarioides)
- Koki‘o ke‘o ke‘o (Hibiscus arnottianus subsp. arnottianus)
- Koki‘o ke‘oke‘o (Hibiscus arnottianus subsp. immaculatus)
- Koki‘o ‘ula‘ula (Hibiscus kokio ssp. kokio)
- Koki‘o ‘ula‘ula (Hibiscus kokio ssp. saintjohnnianus)
- Koki‘o ke‘o ke‘o (Hibiscus waimeae ssp. waimeae)
- Kou (Cordia subcordata)
- Kukui (Aleurites moluccana)
- Loulu (Pritchardia remota)
- Maʻo (Gossypium tomentosum)
- Ma‘o hau hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei)
- Māmaki (Pipturus albidus)
- Mau‘u lā‘ili (Sisyrinchium acre)
- Milo (Thespesia populnea)
- Naio (Myoporum sandwicense)
- Nānū (Gardenia brighamii)
- Ōhai (Sesbania tomentosa)
- ʻŌhiʻa ʻai (Syzygium malaccense)
- ‘Ōhia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha)
- Pōhinahina (Vitex rotundifolia)
- Pōkalakala (Polyscias racemosa)
- ʻUlu cv. ‘Maʻafala’(Artocarpus altilis)
- Wauke (Broussonetia papyrifera)
- Wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis)