Santalum haleakalae var. lanaiense

Main Plant Information

Genus

Santalum

Species

haleakalae

Varieties

• lanaiense

Hawaiian Names with Diacritics

• Lāʻau ʻala
• Wahie ʻala
• ʻAoa
• ʻAʻahi
• ʻIliahi

Hawaiian Names

• Aahi
• Aoa
• Iliahi
• Laau ala
• Wahie ala

Common Names

• Lānaʻi forest sandalwood
• Lānaʻi sandalwood

Synonyms

• Santalum freycinetianum var. auwahiense
• Santalum freycinetianum var. lanaiense
• Santalum lanaiense

Plant Characteristics

Distribution Status

Endemic

Endangered Species Status

Federally Listed

Plant Form / Growth Habit

• Tree

Mature Size, Height (in feet)

• Tree, Small, 15 to 30
• Tree, Medium, 30 to 50
• Tree, Large, Greater than 50

Life Span

Long lived (Greater than 5 years)

Landscape Uses

• Specimen Plant

Source of Fragrance

• Flowers
• Wood

Additional Fragrance Information

George C. Munro, botanist, comments on the ʻiliahi fragrance. He said: “So far I could find, the aroma was slight and mainly in the root or near the ground.” [1]

Plant Produces Flowers

Yes

Flower Characteristics

Flower Type

Showy

Flower Colors

• Red

Additional Flower Color Information

Small clusters of bright red flowers. [4]

Blooming Period

• Sporadic
• Summer
• Fall

Additional Blooming Period and Fruiting Information

The blooming period is variable, but usually late summer or fall, flowering frequently but fruiting occasionally. [4]

Leaf Characteristics

Plant texture

• Coarse

Additional Plant Texture Information

Dark green nearly round to twice as long as broad leaves on the upper surface; lighter green underneath. [4]

The plants were orginally described as having the largest leaves in the genus…“almost worthy of specific distinction.” [4] George Munro describes var. lanaiense “with exceptionally large leaves… peculiar to Lānaʻi.” [1]

Leaf Colors

• Dark Green
• Medium Green

Additional Leaf Color Information

New leaves are gorgeous with hues of pink, magenta, and orange.

Pests and Diseases

Growth Requirements

Water Requirements

No data available.

Light Conditions

No data available.

Environmental Information

Natural Range

• Molokaʻi
• Lānaʻi
• Maui

Natural Zones (Elevation in feet, Rainfall in inches)

No data available.

Habitat

• Terrestrial

Additional Habitat Information

Historically, this species was found in much drier habitats than presently found, which are from mesic sometimes to wet forests. Much of its habitat is degraded or destroyed by ungulate grazing and browsing. Currently, they are found in a wide range of habitats and very scattered throughout their range. [4]

On Lānaʻi two populations with few trees are found at Kānaepuʻu and Lānaʻihale. Due to rats few seedlings are known. [1]

At Auwahi, East Maui there are from 100 to 200 plants. [3] Plants also occurs of leeward West Maui in inaccessble to goats at between 3000 to 4500 feet. [4]

Special Features and Information

General Information

ʻIliahi and ʻiliahialoʻe belong to the Sandalwood family or Santalaceae which comprises about 1,000 species worldwide and includes several species endemic to the Hawaiian Islands in the genera Santalum , Exocarpus and Korthalsella .

Formerly this species was a variety of Santalum freycinetianum . However, it is a closely related to S. haleakalae and is currently a variety of this species. [8]

Currently there are six endemic species in the Hawaiian Archipelago. [8]

Etymology

The generic name Santalum is derived from santalon , the Greek name for sandalwood.

The specific epithet haleakalae is named for Haleakalā, Maui where this species is found.

The varietal name lanaiense is named after the island of Lānaʻi.

Hawaiian Names:

Lāʻau ʻala lietrally means “sweet wood” or “fragrant wood.”

Background Information

ʻIliahi and ʻiliahialoʻe are hemiparasitic, which means they derive some nutrients from their host but are not totally dependent on them as are other native plants such as mistletoe or hulumoa ( Korthalsella spp.), kaunaʻoa ( Cuscuta sandwichiana ), and kaunaʻoa pehu ( Cassytha filiformis )–all of which are parasitic. [5]

The Sandalwood Trade Story:

The captivating scent of sandalwood’s heartwood has fueled greed among men throughout the world. This was the case with a collaboration of Chinese, American and Hawaiian merchants and monarchy in the late 18th century. Due to China’s, as well as a few other countries, insatiable appetite for sandalwood, the white sandalwood ( Santalum album ) imported from India was becoming scarce because of over harvesting and, even to this day, it is an endangered species.

With fewer imports from India, and with the help of American fur traders, China now turned their attention to the Hawaiian sandalwoods or ʻiliahi and ʻiliahialoʻe. From the 1790’s to mid-1830’s, ʻiliahi and the Hawaiian people who harvested the logs experienced an incredible hardship with the exportation of sandalwood to China. For obvious reasons, the Chinese in the Canton-Macao area began to call the Hawaiian Islands Tang Heung Shan [Tahn Heung Sahn], or the “Sandalwood Mountains.” [6]

Many thousands of Hawaiians, at the order of the aliʻi, under Kamehameha I (the Great), left off agriculture and worked to supply the Sandalwood Trade. The consequences were devastating. Many of the common people (makaʻāinana) who were used as laborers died from exposure to cold weather, exhaustion, malnutrition, disease or other causes. As a result, during this dark period Hawaiʻi suffered through one of the worst famines in its history. [7]

By the mid-1830’s, the sandalwood supply was nearly exhausted and the remaining inferior or smaller pieces were driving prices and demand down. Even naio ( Myoporum spp.) was trying to be passed off as genuine sandalwood with little success. Naio has thus acquired a pitiful nickname “bastard sandalwood.”

In 1839, King Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli) placed a kapu on the remaining ʻiliahi, reserving it for himself. By 1840 the Hawaiian sandalwood trade basically came to a finish. [8] Fortunately, the people, the land and the ʻiliahi have recovered but not without scars. While not as common as in the past, ʻiliahi and ʻiliahialoʻe are fairly easy to see in its native habitat though very large trees are still difficult to find.

Early Hawaiian Use

Canoe:

The wood was favored for making the pola, the sometimes covered platform on a double canoe (Holmes 1981). [10]

Clothing:

The early Hawaiians used the powdered heartwood to perfume the bad odor of newly made kapa. [2,10] Kamakau (1976) notes the making of makuʻe, a red and brown mottled kapa made by “beating in ʻiliahi (sandalwood) and palaʻa (fern).” [10]

Lei:

One older source (Charles Gaudichaud,1819) states that Hawaiians “used all fragrant plants, all flowers and even colored fruits” for lei making. The red or yellow were indicative of divine and chiefly rank; the purple flowers and fruit, or with fragrance, were associated with divinity. Because of their long-standing place in oral tradition, the leaves, new leaves (liko) and flowers of ʻiliahi were likely used for lei making by early Hawaiians, even though there are no written sources. [9]

Medicinal:

Chun (1994: 166) noted that this species was used as medicine. [10]

Modern Use

Santalum haleakalae var. lanaiense is listed as a Federally Endangered Species.

Though it has no comercial value, there are still poachers taking plants for the heartwood. [4]

Additional References

[1] “The Strory of Lānaʻi” by George C. Munro, pages 72, 214, 215.

[2] “Plants in Hawaiian Culture” by Beatrice H. Krauss, page 70.

[3] “Auwahi: Ethnobotany of a Hawaiian Dryland Forest” by Medeiros, A.C., C.F. Davenport & C.G. Chimera, page 26.

[4] “Recovery Plan for the Lanai Plant Cluster” by theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, pages 24, 25, 30, 32, 34, 46, 48.

[5] “Distribution and Status of Sandalwood i Hawaiʻi” by Lani Stemmermann. Presented at the Symposium on Sandalwood of the Pacific, April 9-11, 1990, Honolulu, Hawaii.

[6] “A Hawaiian King Visits Hong Kong, 1881,” Tin-Yuke Char, page 93; http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:ezbdf7pOkv4J:sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/44/4401330.pdf+Sandalwood+Mountains+Tan+Heng+San&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1≷=us&client=firefox-a [accessed 12/15/08]

[7] “The History of Human Impact on the Genus Santalum in Hawaiʻi” by Mark Merlin and Dan VanRavenswaay. Presented at the Symposium on Sandalwood of the Pacific, April 9-11, 1990, Honolulu, Hawaii.

[8] “Taxonomic Revsion of the Endangered Hawaiian Red-Flowered Sandalwoods ( Santalum ) and Discovery of an Ancient Hybrid Species” by Danica T. Harbaugh et.al., pages 833-838.

[9] “Nā Lei Makamae–The Treasured Lei” by Marie A. McDonald & Paul R. Weissich, pages XIV-XV, 28.

[10] “Auwahi: Ethnobotany of a Hawaiian Dryland Forest” by A.C. Medeiros, C.F. Davenport & C.G. Chimera, page 26.