Hawaiian Woods & Trees

Here you will find a lot of pictures of Hawaiian woods and woods that grow in Hawaii along with information on the wood and trees, and pictures of the trees, flowers, leaves ,seeds and bark when possible. If you have a question about any of the woods or even woods that are not listed here but grow in Hawaii just email me at Koawoodhawaii@msn.com Note that everything on this page (photos too!) are copyrighted and may not be used without written permission. Copyright 1997-2022 by Chris Allen. If you want to use some of our photos on your website, call us with your request or email me, aloha. Chris Allen.

KOA Acacia Koa
In Hawaii Koa is an endemic hardwood tree. It is considered the king of Hawaiian hardwood. Curly Koa is rare and most desirable. In days of old Koa was used for making canoes. After the Kou trees started dying wood turners began using Koa to make bowls. Because of the beautiful dark brown to red grain with black ribbon grain running through out the wood, it makes outstanding bowls and furniture.

Naio-(Myoporum sandwicense)- Naio is a endemic Hawaiian tree that can grow as tall as 50 feet and 24 inches in diameter. Naio grows from just above sea level to over 9000 feet. The wood has a scent similar to Iliahi (sandalwood). The wood is light to deep dark yellow and the sapwood is white to cream color. The wood is hard and works very well, it is moderately stable and it takes a finish well. Naio was among the few kinds of strong woods used by the Hawaiians for house timbers.

Aalii- pronounced (ah ah lee ee) a nice Hawaiian wood that is very hard and mostly grows as a shrub. The Hawaiians used different parts of the tree for different things like medicine, and dye and they used the wood for Oo’s, spears and weapons because of the woods extreme hardness. there is 3 different species of Aalii and it Endemic to Hawaii and found nowhere else in the world

Kona Coffee- coffee arabica. Has been grown in Hawaii since the 19th century. Sometimes they can be seen growing wild in the rain forest. Kona coffee comes from the island of Hawaii. After it flowers, it produces oval red berries or “beans”. A small tree or shrub that grows 15 feet high. The wood is hard with a nice white grain, it sands very well and is some what stable.

False Kamani- Terminalia catappa- (Kamani Haole). This tree is found growing along beaches and rocky shores, flank roadsides, speckle pastures, around hotels, condos, fast-food restaurants, airports and city parks. Its wide-spreading, horizontal branches bear rosettes of large, spoon shaped leaves. The tiny white flowers appear within the rosette, they then enlarge to form almond shaped green fruits. The wood is reddish, strong, elastic and good for constructing boats and houses. Roots, bark, leaves and fruit are used medicinally and for tanning skins, and the fruit yields a dye and ink.

Mamani- Sophora chrysophylla. On the slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, you can see some of these bushy trees growing. It has curving pale green leaves, small oval leaflets and pea-like golden flowers. Its seed pods provide food for the Palila, an endangered finch-like Hawaiian honeycreeper found only in this forest. Mamani is a very hard wood and has been used as fence posts in modern times and it is said that it was necessary to develop a hardened staples to be driven into the hardwood as ordinary staples wouldn’t do.The Hawaiians used the wood for sled runners and farmer’s spades. The heart wood is a nice yellow color and the sapwood is white.

Lychee- Litchi chinensis Sonn.. It’s a thick foilaged, broad crowned, medium sized fruit tree from southern China, much like the Longan. It was brought to Hawaii in 1873 and now has been established in many gardens. It bears clusters of round red shelled fruits. The fleshy fruit within the shell is prized for its delicious flavor, a good source of ascorbic acid and phosphorus. The wood is hard and heavy in density, nice reddish color.

Mac nut- macadamia integrifolia. The first trees were planted in 1890 and over the years has become an important part of Hawaii’s economy. Dark green wavy-edged leaves, small white flowers and walnut-like fruits grow in long dangling clusters. The nuts are round, hard-shelled, are about 1’’ in diameter, within the shell contains the white delicious kernel. The wood pattern looks like lace wood, fine grained, reddish cabinet wood.

Mango- mangifera indica- This tree was introduced to Hawaii and is now indigenous to Hawaii. Mango is originally from India and is a large tree that can grow more than 70 feet tall and more than 3 feet in diameter. Mango is a nice wood that can have colors from blonde to chocolate brown with parts that might have pink orange colors as well as yellow colors. The wood can be curly and is a medium hardwood. The first mango tree planted in Hawaii was in Honolulu by Dan Marin. There are more than 40 varieties in Hawaii.

Milo- (Thespesia populnea)- Milo is a very nice shade tree that grows by the ocean. The biggest milo tree that I have seen was 35 feet tall and 27 inches in diameter. Most milo is small nowadays all under 12 inches in diameter. The wood is a nice pink color when it is freshly cut but with age it will turn medium to dark brown. The wood is strong and very durable, it sands very well but resists a finish because of oils in the wood. This was one of the woods the early Hawaiians used for making these calabash bowls.

Monkey Pod- Samanea saman. An umbrella shaped tree and massive trunk, can be found in parks, pastures, shading streets, in cities and countries. It has pink powder puff blossoms and lacy leaves. The wood has been known to most people for its beautiful carved bowls and ornaments in Hawaii. Having variegated colors, textures and grain.

Lama (Diaspyros ferrea)- Lama is Hawaiian ebony, it can grow about 25 feet tall and 14 inches in diameter. Lama is naturally white but if the tree is injured during growth it can develop a dark black color so typical of ebony. Lama also spalts very nicely, the wood is medium hard and works well.

Kiawe-Mesquite- Prosipis pallida. It has small compound leaves, yellow caterpillar like flowers. Found in coastal dry forest area. Kiawe has thorny branches, wide spreading crown, reaching a height of 60 ft..(Kiawe means swaying) It provides protein-rich fodder, fuel, lumber and charcoal, reforestation on the barren wastelands of Kaho’olawe. It is a hard wood, heavy density, nice dark brown heartwood, sapwood is white.

Coconut Palm- Cocos nucifera- (Niu). It can be found on all islands, slender and tall growing to about 100′ in height, slender fronds are 10′ long or longer, as many as 100 pairs of long slender leaflets per frond. The flowers bloom in large clusters among the leaves. The fruits grow in clusters close to the trunk. The large ripe fruit is shaped like a football. The outer part of the trunk has a layer of tan to brown wood like material with numerous fibers in the matrix. So the texture of the wood is very coarse, grain is coarse, the wood is soft and light weight, stability and work-ability are both poor. The core is a soft matrix with no strength or work-ability. Logs are used in making drums, inferior canoes, building logs, etc.

Spalted Camellia- Camellia japonica L.. An ornamental tree or shrub, native to china and Japan, has attractive leaves and beautiful flowers. The wood is hard and durable and it sands very well. When you cut the wood from a live tree it is white but this is one of the woods that spalts very nicely as you can see from the picture.

Hau-Hibiscus tiliaceus. This tree has many branches that sprawls in all directions with masses of long limbs. It can grow up to 20′ tall. They grow along the coasts of all islands and in the tropical Pacific. The leaves are heart shaped, dark green above, light green-gray below. The flowers are large and yellow turning to a magenta or brownish pink by the end of the day or the next. The heart wood is a purple color, sapwood is white, pith soft. The wood is very light but stability is good with low shrinkage, workability is excellent. The Hawaiians used the tough wood for adz handles, fire making and fish floats. The curved branches were used for Iako or arms for the Ama or float of the wiliwili wood to the body of the canoe. Fibers from the bark were used for making tapa cloth, sandals, twine for rope and netted bags.

Hala (Pandanus chamissonis) – Hala is a tree indigenous to Hawaii, it can grow up to 30 feet tall and 12 inches in diameter. One of the world’s most ancient plants (over 250 million years old). A nature spirit and progenitor of the human race in Hawaiian mythology. Hala is utilized and loved by Pacific peoples. Uses are mats, woven items, housing, food, ornaments, pillows, fishing implements, religion, and medicine. A coastal tree, elongated, spirally tufted leaves and prop roots make hala unmistakable. The wood is very hard except for the center which is fibrous. Nice red little streaks in the grain.

Rambutan- Nephelium lappaceum. An evergreen tropical fruit tree growing to a height of 10 to 20m tall. The flowers are small, alternate and long. Fruit is a round to oval drupe, leathery skin is reddish and covered with fleshy pliable spines, hence the name rambutan, the Malayan word rambutan which means hairs. Fruit is closely related to the lychee, longan, and mamoncillo. The wood from the rambutan tree is hard to get because most of the time people want to leave the tree to grow so they can harvest the fruit, the wood is medium hard and has a nice cream color with light brown streaks, the grain is nice and can be curly, it works well and sands good.

Kamani- (Calophyllum inophyllum)- Kamani is a very nice looking tree that can grow up to 60 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter. Kamani has a nice hardwood that has a red heartwood with whitish sap wood. The wood is hard and durable, it works well and sands well but I find it a bit brittle. The early Hawaiians mainly used 3 different woods for their calabash bowls. One of them was kamani the other 2 is milo and kou (not koa).

Kou-(Cordia subcordata)- Kou is a beautiful shade tree that grows by the ocean up to 35 feet tall. I had cut a tree in Kalapana that the lava was threatening and it was 32 inches in diameter. The wood is a nice chocolate brown with white sap wood and is some what soft but very durable. It works and sands very well and was the wood of choice by the Ali’i (royalty) for there calabash bowls. Kou is some what rare now but it is being replanted by locals and the state.

Guava-Cattley guava-(waiawi)- P. Sidium cattleianum f. lucidum Degener. A shrubby tree that grows 10 to 12 ft. high, with smooth, nearly cylindrical branches. The leaves are smooth, dark green shiny. Flowers and fruits resembles those of the common guava, small yellow fruits that are good to eat and make jelly out of. The wood is hard and dense but works well and sands well, it is tannish in color with some black streaks

Ohi’a (Metrosideros polymorpha) – The Ohi’a tree is a very nice looking tree and very useful in Hawaii, it grows as a shrub and as a large tree growing up to 75 feet or more and getting more than 20 inches in diameter. The wood is very hard and very durable, so much so that one time the wood was exported to the mainland USA for rail road tie’s. The wood has a very nice purple red color and will have dark purple to black striped in some wood, it is hard to carve but not impossible.