Santalum ellipticum

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Santalum ellipticum
Starr 070607-7271 Santalum ellipticum.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Santalales
Family: Santalaceae
Genus: Santalum
Species:
S. ellipticum
Binomial name
Santalum ellipticum

Santalum ellipticum, commonly known as ʻIliahialoʻe (Hawaiian) or coastal sandalwood, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the mistletoe family, Santalaceae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. [3] It is a sprawling shrub to small tree, typically reaching a height of 1–5 m (3.3–16.4 ft) and a canopy spread of 1–3 m (3.3–9.8 ft), but is extremely variable in size and shape. Like other members of the genus, S. ellipticum is a hemi-parasite, deriving some of its nutrients from the host plant by attaching to its roots. [4]

Contents

Habitat and range

ʻIliahialoʻe inhabits dry forests, low shrublands, and lava plains [4] throughout the archipelago, including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, but has been extirpated from Laysan and Kahoʻolawe. Although never recorded on Niʻihau, its historic presence on the island is almost certain. [5] S. ellipticum is generally found at elevations from sea level to 560 m (1,840 ft), but populations can occur as high as 950 m (3,120 ft). [4] An isolated individual was observed growing at 2,140 m (7,020 ft) on the island of Hawaiʻi. [5]

Uses

Non-medicinal

The ʻlaʻau ʻala (heartwood) of ʻiliahialoʻe contains valuable, aromatic essential oils. Trees were harvested for export to China between 1791 and 1840, where the hard, yellowish-brown wood was made into carved objects, chests, and incense. The ʻiliahialoʻe trade peaked from 1815 to 1826. [6] Native Hawaiians used the wood to make pola, the deck on a waʻa kaulua (double-hulled canoe). Powdered ʻlaʻau ʻala was used as a perfume and added to kapa cloth. [7]

Medicinal

Native Hawaiians combined leaves and bark of the ʻiliahialoʻe with naio ( Myoporum sandwicense ) ashes to treat kepia o ke poʻo (dandruff) and liha o ka lauoho (head lice). ʻIliahialoʻe shavings mixed with ʻawa ( Piper methysticum ), nioi ( Eugenia reinwardtiana ), ʻahakea ( Bobea spp.), and kauila ( Alphitonia ponderosa ) was used to treat sexually transmitted diseases. [6]

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<i>Thespesia populnea</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Hibiscus tiliaceus</i> Species of flowering tree

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<i>Santalum album</i> Species of tree in Sandalwood family

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<i>Mezoneuron kauaiense</i> Species of legume

Mezoneuron kavaiense is a rare shrub or small tree in the genus Mezoneuron, that is endemic to Hawaii. Common names include Uhiuhi, Kāwaʻu (Maui), and Kea (Maui). It is threatened by invasive species, particularly feral ungulates.

<i>Alphitonia ponderosa</i> Species of tree

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<i>Flueggea neowawraea</i> Species of tree

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<i>Santalum freycinetianum</i> Species of tree

Santalum freycinetianum, the forest sandalwood, Freycinet sandalwood, or ʻIliahi, is a species of flowering tree in the European mistletoe family, Santalaceae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Its binomial name commemorates Henri Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet, a 19th-century French explorer. ʻIliahi inhabits dry, coastal mesic, mixed mesic, and wet forests on Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Molokaʻi at elevations of 250–950 m (820–3,120 ft). It grows in areas that receive 500–3,800 mm (20–150 in) of annual rainfall. Like other members of its genus, ʻiliahi is a root hemi-parasite, deriving some of its nutrients from the host plant; common hosts include koa, koaiʻa, and ʻaʻaliʻi.

<i>Nestegis sandwicensis</i> Species of tree

Nestegis sandwicensis, commonly known as Hawai'i olive or olopua, is a species of flowering tree in the olive family, Oleaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. 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, 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).

<i>Psydrax odorata</i> Species of shrub

Psydrax odorata, known as alaheʻe in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering shrub or small tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. It is native to the Pacific Islands, New Guinea and Australia.

<i>Rhus sandwicensis</i> Species of tree

Rhus sandwicensis, commonly known as neneleau, neleau or Hawaiian sumac, is a species of flowering plant in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is small tree, reaching a height of 4.5–7.5 m (15–25 ft) and a trunk diameter of 10–30 cm (3.9–11.8 in). Neneleau inhabits dry, coastal mesic, mixed mesic and wet forests at elevations of 180–610 m (590–2,000 ft) on all main islands.

<i>Santalum austrocaledonicum</i> Species of tree

Santalum austrocaledonicum, or New Caledonia sandalwood, is a sandalwood tree from the family Santalaceae. It is a small tree with gray bark and green leaves, and is parasitic. Most have been removed from their habitat due to logging; very few trees remain in the wild.

<i>Pouteria sandwicensis</i> Species of tree

Pouteria sandwicensis is a species of flowering tree in the sapodilla family, Sapotaceae, that is endemic to the main islands of Hawaii. Names for this species in the Hawaiian language include ʻĀlaʻa, Āulu and ʻĒlaʻa.

<i>Leptecophylla tameiameiae</i> Species of tree

Leptecophylla tameiameiae, known as pūkiawe or maiele in the Hawaiian language, is a species of flowering plant that is native to the Hawaiian and Marquesas Islands. The specific epithet honors King Kamehameha I, who formed the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. It grows as a tree up to 4.6 m (15 ft) tall in forests and as a shrub 0.9–3 m (3.0–9.8 ft) in height elsewhere. Its small needle-like leaves are whitish underneath, dark green above. The round berries range in color from white through shades of pink to red. Pūkiawe is found in a variety of habitats in Hawaii at elevations of 15–3,230 m (49–10,597 ft), including mixed mesic forests, wet forests, bogs, and alpine shrublands.

References

  1. "Santalum ellipticum". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  2. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Santalum ellipticum". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  3. Little Jr., Elbert L.; Roger G. Skolmen (1989). "ʻIliahi-a-lo e, coast sandalwood" (PDF). Common Forest Trees of Hawaii (Native and Introduced). United States Forest Service.
  4. 1 2 3 Merlin, Mark D.; Lex A.J. Thomson; Craig R. Elevitch (April 2006). "Santalum ellipticum, S. freycinetianum, S. haleakalae, and S. paniculatum (Hawaiian sandalwood)" (PDF). The Traditional Tree Initiative.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. 1 2 "Santalum ellipticum". Native Plants Hawaii. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  6. 1 2 "iliahi". Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database. Bernice P. Bishop Museum . Retrieved 2009-04-05.
  7. 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.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)