Plant – Ala hee

Alaheʻe

Description: Small sized shrub/tree that has the ability to reach heights of seven feet. Shrubs in this species have medium green sized leaves and white flowers of sorts.

ʻōlelo mua(Introduction)

Inoa (Name):

  • Scientific – Psydrax Odorata
  • Hawaiian – Alahe’e, Walaheʻe, ʻŌheʻe

ʻOhana: Part of Rubiaceae family

Plant Status: Indigenous

Nū hou ʻAno ʻano (Seed Information): 

  • Seed length approximately 6 mm. Photograph: B.Kennedy.

Nū hou Propagation(Propagation Information):

  • Intermediate (Bornhorst 1996:15; Bornhorst and Rauch 1994:57–58; Culliney and Koebele 1999:50–53; Nagata 1992:1993 addendum)

Kaianoho(Habitat):

  • Found in dry shrubland, dry to mesic forest, and dry slopes; rare in wet forests 10–860 (1160) m most main islands (Wagner et al. 1990:1119, as Canthium odoratum).

lāʻau lapaʻau(Medicinal Use):

  • The leaves and “white skin of stem” are prepared by cooking and bitter medicine is drunk to cleanse the blood

Ways it was Used:

  • With durable wood as cutting tools on softer woods for farming tools.
  • Wood is also made into shark hooks and bait sticks and the leaves used for dying.
  • Harder woods were fashioned into adzes and sticks to keep pot lids open.
  • Red or yellow colors indicated divine and chiefly rank
  • Purple flowers and fruit, or any with fragrant were associated with divinity
  • the flowers and leaves were used for lei making by early hawaiians

Kinolau – Descendent of Hawaiian God: None

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