Wikstroemia sandwicensis
Genus
Wikstroemia
Species
sandwicensis
Hawaiian Names with Diacritics
- Kauhi
- ʻĀkia
Hawaiian Names
- Akia
- Kauhi
Common Names
- Variableleaf false ʻōhelo
Synonyms
- Diplomorpha sandwicensis
- Wikstroemia fauriei
- Wikstroemia multispicata
- Wikstroemia perdita
Distribution Status
Endemic
Endangered Species Status
No Status
Plant Form / Growth Habit
- Shrub
- Tree
Mature Size, Height (in feet)
- Shrub, Small, 2 to 6
- Shrub, Tall, Greater than 10
Life Span
No data available.
Landscape Uses
- Container
- Ground Cover
- Hedges
- Specimen Plant
Plant Produces Flowers
Yes
Flower Type
Not Showy
Flower Colors
- Green
- Yellow
Blooming Period
- Sporadic
- Fall
- Winter
Additional Blooming Period and Fruiting Information
Plants possess both male and female flowers (unisexual).
Plant texture
No data available.
Fertilizer
Apply 13-13-13 slow release fertilizer every six months. Foliar feeding in early morning with a water-soluble or an organic fertilizer (e.g. kelp or fish emulsion) at one-third to one-fourth the recommended strength every other month has proved beneficial.
Water Requirements
No data available.
Light Conditions
No data available.
Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)
No data available.
Special Features and Information
General Information
ʻĀkia belong to Daphne family (Thymelaeaceae). There are a dozen endemic species in the Hawaiian Islands.
Etymology
The genus is named for Johan Emanuel Wikström (1789-1856), a Swedish botanist and author of several papers on Thymelaeaceae.
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.
Hawaiian Names:
Botanist William Hillebrand (1888) states the Hawaiian names for the genus are "akia" or "akea." Hillebrand (1888) also states the root of the word may be in the Fijian name for the genus mati and that the native name for the genus in Tahiti is ovao. [6]
The name ʻākia is also shared by Solanum nelsonii, a small native shrub in the Solanaceae or Nightshade family.
ʻĀkia also means "to ferment; very sour, as poi. ʻAi ʻākia, sour poi." [5] Any name realionship is uncertain.
Distinctive varieties are named lau nui, mānalo, and pehu. [5]
Kauhi is an alternate name for this species.
Background Information
The common name "false ohelo" is attributed to the fact that the fruits of ʻākia resemble the orange or red ʻōhelo (Vaccinium spp.) berries.
ʻĀkia is sometimes referred to as the "fish poison plant."
Early Hawaiian Use
ʻĀkia bark was used as a source of fiber material for ropes. [3] Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaiʻi, B. Peterson (1990) states that “Species of Wikestroemia have furnished one of the strongest Hawaiian fibers, used in making ropes and braids. It is also said to have been used in making kapa. Measurements made from fibers of branches desiccated for 6 months demonstrated that the density of Wikestroemia fibers was about the same as that of New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax) and ramie (Boehmeria nivea)."
The wood, likely from larger species, was used as ‘auamo (carrying sticks) and [7] also used as a type of ceremonial firewood in ʻanaʻana magic (Kamakau 1991). [6]
Medicinally, the sap of ʻākia (Wikestroemia spp.) mixed with niu (coconut) and kō kea (white sugarcane) was taken internally with ‘uala (sweet potato) as a purgative. The leaves and leaf buds were mixed with the bark of ‘ōhi‘a ‘ai (Syzygium malaccense) and ‘uhaloa root (Waltheria indica), niu, kō ‘aina kea (a sugarcane variety). Plant material was pounded, water added, strained, and the liquid taken internally for wai‘ōpua pa‘a (leukorrhea) and nae kūlou (shortness of breath?). [7]
Roots, bark, leaves and stems were used as a poison to stupefy fish called hola which were then gathered by the early Hawaiians. The plant parts were crushed, placed in a porous container, and sunk in salt water pools. The fish were safe to eat because ʻākia is not known to be poisonous to warm-blooded creatures by means of this fishing method. [3]
So is ʻĀkia Poisonous or Not?
Alkaloids can be extracted from various parts of the plants, and ʻākia has an old reputation for being poisonous. Reputable sources mention that ʻākia was used in old Hawaiʻi as a death penalty for those who broke kapu. The guilty party was forced to drink the juice of ʻākia, causing seizure and death. [2,4] Botanist Otto Degener (1945) mentions that criminals were executed by means of a deadly drink prepared from roots and bark of ʻākia together with parts of other plants. However, another reputable reference says that 'no parts of ʻākia are poisonous to mammals,' likely including humans. [3] However, it is possible that not all species of Wikestroemia are poisonous, judging by experiments where ʻākia has been shown to be nontoxic. Handy and Handy (1972:239) distinguished two types of ʻākia: a bitter ʻākia (ʻākia ʻawa) and a ‘mild’ ʻākia (ʻākia manalo). The bitter ʻākia is described as a shrub that bears orange-red fruits, a description that matches that of most Hawaiian Wikestroemia species. Of this type they write that decoctions of the bark and roots are deadly poisonous and were used for killing and suicide. The other mild type of ʻākia, of which no description is given, is described as not being poisonous but rather whose bark and leaves were used as a narcotic. [6]
Either way, it is probably best to side with caution and avoid ingesting any parts of ʻākia until sound information is available.
Modern Use
The fruits can be used in lei.
Regarding the toxicity or lack thereof, How to Plant a Native Hawaiian Garden notes this:
"In Hawaii, only the toxicity of Wikstroemia pulcherrima Skottb. has been studied extensively by Dr. Frank Tabrath. W. pulcherrima has caused mice to go to sleep. The toxicity of W. pulcherrima varies from high to zero toxicity even in the same plant at different times. Many people have eaten the berries for years without ill effects." [8] (See subheading above "Early Hawaiian Use")
Additional References
[1] "Trees and Other Plants Used by Early Hawaiians" by C.S. Judd, page
[2] "Amy Greenwell Garden Ethnobotanical Guide to Native Hawaiian Plants & Polynesian Introduced Plants" by Noa Kekuewa Lincoln, page 10.
[3] "In Gardens of Hawaii" by Marie C. Neal, page 616.
[4] "Hawaiian Natural History, and Evolution" by Alan C. Ziegler, pages 197-198.
[5] http://www.wehewehe.org [Accessed on 09/15/11]
[6] "Auwahi: Ethnobotany of a Hawaiian Dryland Forest" by A.C. Medeiros, C.F. Davenport & C.G. Chimera, pages 19-20.
[7] "Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database" http://data.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb [Accessed 1/30/13]
[8] "How to Plant a Native Hawaiian Garden" by Kenneth M. Nagata, page "ʻĀkia."
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