Cordia subcordata

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KouPolynesian Names: Kanava (Uvea, Futuna, Tokelau, Tuvalau); Kou (Hawaii); Motou (Niue); Nawanawa (Fiji); Puataukanave (Tonga); Tauanave (Samoa); Tou (Society Islands, Cook Islands, Marquesas, Tuamotu)Boraginaceae (Borage family)Indigenous to the Hawaiian IslandsOahu (Cultivated)Kou can grow to 50 ft., but typically 25-25 ft. in landscapes in Hawaii.Flower, buds & fruit (nuts)www.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/4822100731/in/photostream/Habitwww.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/4822717192/in/photostream/Early Hawaiians certainly brought kou with them as one of the canoe plants since it is such a highly esteemed wood. Formerly thought to be exclusively a Polynesian introduction, a recent fossil site at Mhulep, Kauai predates Polynesian arrival where kou samples were found and thus proving that kou is also an indigenous plant. The seeds are salt-water tolerate and disperse along coastal areas even on atolls where few other timber trees for wood can grow.They were planted as a favorite shade tree around houses and by the seashore.Kou was considered as one of the best woods for carvings along with the native koa (Acacia koa) and milo (Thespesia populnea), and the Polynesian introduced kamani (Calophyllum inophyllum).Wooden food bowls (umeke kou), cups, platters (p kou), and calabashes were highly prized as the best of all woods because it did not impart a resinous flavor to the food such as koa and most other native woods.The flowers were used for lei and young girls especially were fond of lei kou. They were always strung kui style (one behind the other).The tasteless seeds were eaten in times of famine or occasionally by hungry children.The leaves were used to stain fishing lines a light tan color. They used the aged leaves for a warm brown to red dye for kapa.EtymologyThe generic name Cordia, is named for Euricius Cordus (1485-1535) and his son Valerius (1515-1544), both German botanists and pharmacists.The specific epithet is from the Latin sub-, almost or not completely, and cordatus, cordate (with two equal rounded lobes at base) in reference to the leaf shape, literally meaning "almost heart-shaped."nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Cordia_subcordata