Acacia koaia Student name: Joe Bruin Section: 1X Common Names: Koa'oha, Koai'a, Koai'e Classification: Kingdom: Plantae (Plants) Superdivision: Spermatophyta (Seed plants) Division: Angiospermae (Flowering plants) Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons) Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae (Pea family) Genus: Acacia P. Mill. Species: Acacia koaia Hbd. (National Plant Database, 2014) Native Distribution and habitat Acacia koaia is native to Hawaii. It is found on Kaua'i, O'ahu (possibly in the Ko'olau Mountains), oloka'i, Lana'i, Maui and Hawai'i in low elevations in drier, open woodland habitats (USFWS. 2014) Plant, leaf, flower, seed pod (NTBG, 2014) Plant Distribution (Wagner, 1990Characteristics of the species: Acacia koaia is a rare tree that is well known for its decorative wood. It is adapted to drier conditions and has hard wood, a small stature, and gnarled appearance. The tree is somewhat unusual in that it produces two types of leaves. The younger leaves are twice compound and have a petiole with small leaflets. The mature "leaves" are not at all compound, they are modified leaf stems, or phyllodes, which function as leaves. These crescent-shaped phyllodes are gray-green and range from 3 to 9 1/2 inches in length. The small, yellow, powder-puff shaped flowers are formed in heads with cream-colored corollas at the ends of the branches. The seeds are contained in brown bean pods 1/4 to 1 inch wide and up to 12 inches long. (Wagner, 1990, 1999; Bornhorst, 1996Acacia koaia is a key species in the ecology of the Hawaiian forests but only about 10% of the original forests are left. The abundance and distribution of most endangered forest birds including Hawaiian honeycreepers, are strongly linked to this species and it also affects the climate, building the water holding capacity of soils, accumulating condensation and fog drip, and cooling the air. Many of the species of plants and animals associated with the species have gone extinct, and many of those that remain are endangered. Interesting facts: Acacia koaia was used for surfboards, paddles, and for framing grass houses. The bark provided dye to tapa, a light cloth made from the bark of Wauke (Broussonetia papyrifera). The Hawaiian’s ukulele is also made of this wood. It is interesting to note that Hawaiians of earlier times did not use this essence for bowls or platters because of an unpleasant flavor associated with the wood (Wilkinson, 2003). Acacia koaia leaves have been used from ancient times by Hawaiians to make a tea to "wash diseased skin". The tea was made from leaves and bark of Koaia plants (without the seeds) of Cassia occidentalis and Desmodium uncinatum. The treatment constitutes of steam bath and washing of the entire body with the prepared tea (Kaaiakamanu, 1922). References: Bornhorst, Heidi L. 1996. Growing Native Hawaiian Plants. Kaaiakamanu, D.M. and Akina, J.K. 1922. Hawaiian Herbs of Medicinal Value. NatureServe. . Available at: http://www.natureserve.org/ [Accessed November 23, 2014]. National Plant Database. Available at: http://plants.usda.gov [Accessed November 23, 2014]. National Tropical Botanical Garden Plant Database. Available at: http://ntbg.org/plants/plant_details.php?rid=847&plantid=54 [Accessed November 23, 2014]. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Available at: http://www.fws.gov/ [Accessed November 23, 2014]. Wagner,W.L., D.R. Herbst, and S.H. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii. Wilkinson, K.M. and Elevitch, C.R. 2003. Growing Koa, A Hawaiian