Ochrosia haleakalae

Description:

HleiApocynaceae (Dogbane family)Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands (East Maui and Hawaii Island)RareMaui (Cultivated)Flowers smell like a mild plumeria or frangipani.Early Hawaiians used the wood for gunwales (moo) on canoes (waa) and scraping boards for olon (Touchardia latifolia).The bark of the stems and roots produced a yellow dye for kapa (tapa). Pukui and Elbert (1986) stated that kapa dyed with hlei or the act of dyeing kapa with it are also known as hlei. Kamakau (1976) notes two types of kapa dyed with hlei: 1) a yellow kapa named hlei for the tree, "colored by beating in the juice of the bark of the hlei" and 2) a kapa named wailiilii with a pattern of thick yellow stripes dyed with hlei.The nuts were used as a food source.Medicinally, an infusion of bark and leaves were for steam in a sweat bath. The nuts with other plants were chewed and given to infants for general debility.EtymologyThe generic name Ochrosia is derived from the Greek ochros, pale yellow, in reference to the color of the fruit.The specific name haleakalae refers Haleakal, Maui, part of the range of this species.NPH00001nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Ochrosia_haleakalae