Trees

African Tulip Tree;
Flame Tree; Fountain Tree
Spathodea campanulata
Family: Bigoniaceae
A tall colorful tree native to Africa blooms year round. Buds grow in a crowded circular cluster with the bright red tulip shaped flowers opening a few at a time. Unopened buds will squirt water when pinched or punctured. Leaves and flowers are made into dyes from gold to dark brown. Young trees sprout easily from seeds in elliptical seedpods, which are also used for dry flower arrangements. It is now one of the dominant canopy trees in the deep rainforest ravines on the Hamakua Coast. It has been included in the pest plant category.




Banyan; Indian Banyan
Ficus benjamini
Family: Ficus
Native to India this evergreen tree is sacred to the Hindus. Its aerial roots that grow from horizontal branches can root and support the tree as it grows to cover very large areas. Our tiger enjoys resting in its shade on warm days.






Cecropia; Trumpet Tree
Cecropia obtusifolia
Family: Cecropiaceae
This tree has distinctive palmate leaves and tassels of flowers. The stems are hollow and their juice is used as a lubricant for canoes. The flowers are ground into flour and used for baking. Cecropia are common in Hilo around the airport and on Stainback Highway. This tree is in the pest plant category.


Guava
Psidium guajava
Family: Myrtaceae
Guava is native to tropical America and introduced to Hawaii. Commonly found growing wild throughout the state and is considered a pest plant. There are many varietal forms, which differ in tartness, color of the pulp, and pulp to seed ratio. Because of its commercial value in producing jams, jellies, juices, and other products, many commercial cultivars have been developed through selective crossings.





Strawberry Guava; Waiawi'ula'ula
Psidium cattleianum
Family: Myrtaceae
Native to Brazil this plant is considered a pest in Hawaii. It has shiny leathery leaves and the trees form dense stands. Fruits are small - less than an inch in diameter - and when ripe are red in color. Fruits are eaten fresh or made into jellies and jams. The yellow strawberry guava, is called waiwi locally. This plant bears larger yellow fruit with a better flavor. However both guavas are listed as pest plants. This tree is abundant on zoo grounds and since its limbs have a smooth bark they are cut and used as perches in many exhibits.



Kukui; Candlenut
Aleurites moluccana
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Kukui is native to Polynesia and southern Asia. This plant was probably introduced by the early Polynesians and is now a common tree of the lower elevations. Flowers and leaves are strung into leis to represent the island of Molokai - the color gray-green. The early Hawaiians obtained tapa cloth dyes from the roots and green seed covering. The oily kernel of the seed was used as a candle - a longer lasting candle was obtained by stringing several kernels on the midrib of the coconut leaf. Oil extracted from the kernels was used in lamps and as a drying oil. Although the fresh kernel is purgative, when baked it provides a distinctive relish when used in small amounts. Because the tree's products played an important part in the daily lives of the Hawaiians, the kukui has been designated the State tree of Hawaii.

Melochia
Melochia umbellata
Family: Sterculiaceae
A native to India this tree was introduced for reforestation use. It is a weedy fast growing tree. In India it is used to provide shade for crop plants but in Hawaii their rapid growth allows them to crowd out native species and their small winged seeds are spread by winds allowing them to cover wide areas, making it a pest plant. The wood is soft and deteriorates rapidly after being cut. However at the zoo, the leaves and young shoots are used in some of our animal's diets.



Milo; Portia Tree
Thespesia populnea
Family: Malvaceaee
Milo is native to the eastern tropics where it is found growing in coastal areas. It is a very good shade tree along the seashore and was planted by the early Hawaiians for such. The milos along with the kou were the favored shade trees for coastal areas. The beautifully grained reddish wood was used extensively for poi calabashes. In areas where this tree is found the young leaves are eaten by some people as a vegetable. Tannin, dyes, medicine, oil, and gum are also obtained from this tree. The Polynesians probably introduced the milo here. Its flowers are hibiscus like- yellow with dark throats, changing to peach and maroon as they age. They do not open as wide as the hau flowers.

Monkeypod; Rain tree; 'Ohai
Samanea saman
Family: Leguminosae Subfamily: Mimosoideae
The monkeypod is a native of tropical America that attains heights of 80 feet or more with a wide symmetrical canopy. This is definitely not a tree for small confined areas. Another local characteristic is the surface roots, which cause maintenance problems or cause damage to nearby structures. The beautiful flowers are tufts of pink and white stamens. Each leaf consists of four to eight paired leaflets that fold in the late afternoon for the night or during inclement weather and cloudy days. The leaves drop in February and March when the long black pods can easily be seen. The wood is popular with woodworkers. It is however listed as a pest plant to Hawaiian native ecosystems.

Noni; Indian Mulberry
Morinda citrifolia
Family: Rubiaceae
The noni is native to the Pacific islands, Asia, and Australia. It is a small tree with large waxyleaves and grows in the open lowlands. The small white flowers form on a globe and each flower forms part of the whole fruit that increases in size as it matures. The ovary of the flower develops as one of the many faceted pits on the fruit. Hawaiian herbalists used the leaves, fruit, and bark. The bark yielded a red dye while the roots a yellow one. The juice of the ripe fruit is used by some people to alleviate hypertension although the smell of the fruit may take time getting accustomed to. The early Polynesians probably introduced this plant to Hawaii.

`Ohi`a lehua; Lehua
Metrosideros collina
Family: Myrtaceae
This tree or plant is native to Hawaii although the ancestral species is believed to have come from the southwest Pacific. The species consists of many subspecies that are highly variable in characteristics of morphology such as size, leaf type, flower color and hairiness. The lehua is important as it is the major large species of the Hawaiian forest and is the micro ecosystem that provides food for many of the native forest bird species. The wood is dense and red in color. For a short period the tree was harvested commercially in the Pahoa area to provide railroad ties for rail lines in the western United States. Commercial charcoal production in the early 1900's also made extensive use of the lehua trees. The lehua is the flower that represents the Big Island and is used in leis.



Pua kenikeni
Fagraea berteriana
Family: Loganiaceae
This native to the south Pacific islands attains tree-like proportions and is a local favorite. It is grown both as an ornamental and for the flowers. The flowers are very fragrant and are strung into leis. At one time the Hawaiians produced a perfume by placing the flowers into coconut oil. The Hawaiian name translates roughly to "ten cents flower" or "coin flower", so named because of the cost per flower at one time.







`Ulu; Breadfruit
Artocarpus communis
Family: Moraceae
The origin of this fig relative is not specifically known. Some believe it is native to Malaysia while others consider it native to Polynesia. It is found growing throughout tropical Asia and Polynesia and it is believed to have been under cultivation for over 2,000 years. For many Pacific islanders the breadfruit is a staple. Although introduced to Hawaii by the early Polynesians, the Hawaiians came to prefer the taro as their staple food item.

The tree and the fruit were important to the Pacific islanders. Fruits were eaten raw when ripe, baked and eaten, or used in preparing other food items. In Hawaii the fruits were baked and eaten or baked and pounded into a poi-like food, and when taro was not available the `ulu was substituted and mixed with coconut milk to make a pudding similar to kulolo. The fruit is a good source of vitamins A, B, and C. In Samoa the fruits are buried as a means of preserving the fruit for later use. Stored in the ground the fruits last several months.

The wood of the tree is light and was used for canoes, surfboards, and to make drums. The leaf stipules were used as a finishing abrasive. The milky sap becomes sticky when exposed to air and was used as chewing gum, caulking, and by the bird catchers to trap birds.

The leaves are very showy and stiff hairs on their surface give the leaf a rough texture. `Ulu leaves were and still are a favorite design on Hawaiian quilts. Both male and female flowers are formed on the same tree. Both occur on similar round or oblong structures. The male flower is powdery due to the pollen. The female flowers are very small and packed together. Because the female flowers are so tightly packed, as the fertilized flowers develop; the individual flowers form a collective fruit weighing up to 10 lbs. Each bump on the fruit represents an individual flower. Since seeds very rarely form within fruits in Hawaii, propagation of this plant is primarily from cuttings or root suckers. There are several varieties of Tahitian or Samoan origin grown in Hawaii. These varieties are differentiated by pulp color, taste and leaf shape.

Umbrella Tree; Octopus Tree
Schefflera actinophylla
Family: Araliaceae
This fast growing evergreen with palmate leaves is very shade tolerant. Mainlanders know it as a houseplant, but the zoo uses the keikis in many of our terrariums and animal enclosures. It is native to Australia and has large octopus like red flower stalks that radiate from the top of the tree, which can grow, to 50’. It is considered one of the plant pests in Hawaii as alien fruit loving birds spread its seeds. It is quite common in wet lowland habitats on all islands.

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