Nestegis sandwicensis
Genus
Nestegis
Species
sandwicensis
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- Olopua
- Pua
- Ulupua
Hawaiian Names
- Olopua
- Pua
- Ulupua
Common Names
- Hawaii olive
- Hawaiian olive
Synonyms
- Gymnelaea sandwicensis
- Olea sandwicensis
- Osmanthus sandwicensis
Distribution Status
Endemic
Endangered Species Status
No Status
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Tree
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
- Tree, Medium, 30 to 50
- Tree, Large, Greater than 50
Mature Size, Width
Olopua is known to have a spread of 25 to 30 feet or more.
Life Span
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
Landscape Uses
- Accent
- Provides Shade
- Screening
- Specimen Plant
Additional Landscape Use Information
Another beautiful native tree but rarely seen in the landscape.
Plant Produces Flowers
Yes
Flower Type
Not Showy
Flower Colors
- White
- Yellow
Additional Flower Color Information
Olopua usually has seven to eleven small pale yellow or white flowers. The flowers have been given the Hawaiian name of nonohina.
Additional Blooming Period and Fruiting Information
Olopua produce dark purple or bluish-black mature fruits (drupes) that resemble Kalamata olives, but are not edible. [Rick Barboza, Hui Kū Maoli Ola]
Plant texture
- Medium
- Coarse
Additional Plant Texture Information
The crinkly leathery leaves of olopua are 3 to 10 inches long.
Leaf Colors
- Dark Green
- Medium Green
Additional Leaf Color Information
The upper surface of the leaves are glossy with pale ribs and the lower surface even paler, often the distinctive identifying features of olopua when it is not blooming or bearing fruit.
Additional Pest & Disease Information
Olopua is prone to ants, scale, mealy bugs and thrips.
Fertilizer
For young olopua saplings, an application of a balanced slow release fertilizer with minor elements every six months. [David Eickhoff, Native Plants Hawaiʻi]
Water Requirements
- Dry
Additional Water Information
These xeric trees can tolerate both dry and moist conditions.
Soil must be well drained
Yes
Light Conditions
- Full sun
- Partial sun
Additional Lighting Information
Olopua prefer full sun.
Tolerances
- Drought
- Wind
Soils
- Cinder
- Organic
Natural Range
- Kauaʻi
- Oʻahu
- Molokaʻi
- Lānaʻi
- Maui
- Hawaiʻi
Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)
- Less than 150, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 150 to 1000, 0 to 50 (Dry)
- 1000 to 1999, 0 to 50 (Dry)
Additional Habitat Information
Olopua is found naturally in dry to mesic forests from about 100 to 4,265 feet.
Special Features and Information
General Information
Olopua belong to the Oleaceae or Olive family which include olives (Olea spp.), of course, but also forsythia, ash, privet, jasmine, and pikake.
The five species of Nestegis are found in New Zealand, neighboring Lord Howe Island, and the Hawaiian Islands. [1]
Etymology
The generic name Nestegis is possibly derived from the Greek ne, not, and stegos, cover, perhaps in reference to the lack of a collora in the type species, Nestegis elliptica.
The species name sandwicensis refers to the "Sandwich Islands," as the Hawaiian Islands were once called, and named by James Cook on one of his voyages in the 1770s. James Cook named the islands after John Montagu (The fourth Earl of Sandwich) for supporting Cook's voyages.
Background Information
The beautiful heartwood is light reddish to yellowish brown with black streaks and sometimes used in wooodworking.
Early Hawaiian Use
The very hard durable wood was difficult to work with and yet early Hawaiians fashioned spears (ihe), digging sticks (ʻōʻō), adze handles (ʻau koʻi), daggers for warfare (pāhoa), and rasps for making fish hooks. The strong wood was used for posts, rafters and thatching posts or purlins in house (hale) construction. [2,4,5,6]
Olopua was the preferred firewood, as it burned with a hot flame even when green. [5]
Modern Use
Apparently rarely acquired and used in wood working to make beautiful bowls. [3]
Additional References
[1] "Hawaiʻi's Native Plants" by Dr. Bruce Bohm, page 103.
[2] "Plants in Hawaiian Culture" by Beatrice H. Krauss, page 56.
[3] https://www.www.jkellydunn.com/uncommon.asp?5b934448 [accessed 12/9/09]
[4] "In Gardens of Hawaii" by Marie C. Neal, page 677.
[5] "Auwahi: Ethnobotany of a Hawaiian Dryland Forest" by A.C. Medeiros, C.F. Davenport & C.G. Chimera, page 15.
[6] "Lāʻau Hawaiʻi: Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants" by Isabella Aiona Abbott, pages 68, 88.
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