Kauila (O‘a) (Alphitonia ponderosa)

Photo courtesy of MNBG

Hawaiian name: Kauila (Kauwila, O‘a on Maui)
Botanical name: Alphitonia ponderosa
Family: Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn Family)
Status: Endemic
Where found: Maui, Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i, O‘ahu & Kaua‘i  K/ O (r)/ Mo (r)/ L (r)/ M (r)/ H (r)
Water/Light: Moist, with full sun exposure
Elevation range: 790 to 4,100 feet
Height: 13 to 82 feet

Hawaiians called two species by the name of kauila: Alphitonia ponderosa and Colubrina oppositifolia. Both are rare, and though more widespread than Colubrina, Alphitonia ponderosa is rare on all islands except Kauaʻi. Bruce Koebele writes in his website Native Plants of Hawaiʻi that this is one of many native species that are difficult to grow successfully in cultivation, and recommends planting it above 1,000 feet elevation.

Kauila is one of the hardest of all native woods. Since both species were named kauila, it is uncertain which species was most used most, but metal was unknown among early Hawaiians. The wood is so dense that it sinks in water. Kauila wood was fashioned into many useful and ceremonial items, including but not limited to ʻau koʻi (handles) for stone chisels, pupupu hale (beams) for houses, iʻe kuku and hohoa (kapa beaters), pololū (spears), pahe‘e (darts or javelins), pahoa (daggers), leiomano (shark tooth clubs), kāhili (tall feathered banners), papa hōlua (land sled runners), ki‘i (images), melomelo (fishing lures) and ‘ō‘ō (digging sticks for farming). Kauila wood was also crafted into musical instruments and ka lā‘au (hula sticks). Its leaves and bark produce a bluish dye for kapa.