Acacia koaia

Taxobox
name = Koaiokinaa
status = VU
status_system = IUCN3.1

---

regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Fabales
familia = Fabaceae
subfamilia = Mimosoideae
genus = "Acacia"
species = "A. koaia"
binomial = "Acacia koaia"
binomial_authority = Hillebrand

The koaiokinaa or koaiokinae ("Acacia koaia"; Family Fabaceae) is a small tree endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is closely related to the koa, and is sometimes considered to be the same species. The koaiokinaa is usually distinguished by growing as a short, broad, knarled tree; having the seeds longitudinally arranged in the pod; shorter, straighter phyllodes; and much denser wood. A population on the northern coast of Kauaokinai may be intermediate, but the relationships have not been worked out. Koaiokinaa wood is claimed to be very different from that of koa, and this may be the best character to separate them.

Koaiokinaa is highly adapted to dry habitats, and is capable of forming dense forests in areas with very little rainfall. It was formerly found widely in dry forest on the islands of Hawaiokinai, Maui, Molokaokinai, and Lānaokinai, and Ookinaahu. However, it has been devastated by cattle and other ungulates and is now rare. It can be seen on ranch land in North Kohala, and at a small fenced exclosure outside of Waimea known as the koaiokinaa sanctuary.

Medicinal Uses

Koaiokinaa leaves were formerly used by Hawaiians to make a tea to "wash diseased skin".Fact|date=April 2008 The tea was made from leaves and bark of koaiokinaa. The treatment consisted of a steam bath and washing of the entire body with the prepared tea.

External links

* [http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/thumbnails/html/acacia_koaia.htm Photos of Acacia koaia] at Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk Project (HEAR)
* [http://www.ntbg.org/plants/plant_details.php About Acacia koaia]

References

*Wagner, W. L., D. R. Herbst, and S. H. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu