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Erythrina sandwicensis
Also called Wili wili, Hawaiian Coral Tree
Wiliwili is a drought-deciduous tree endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, grown in cultivation mainly as an ornamental for its orange to yellow flower racemes. It is easy to grow in warm, dry, sunny sites and is easily propagated from cuttings.
Wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis) is a species of tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the only species of Erythrina that naturally occurs there. It is typically found in Hawaiian tropical dry forests on leeward island slopes up to an elevation of 600 m (2,000 ft).
Wiliwili means "repeatedly twisted" in the Hawaiian language and refers to the seedpods, which dehisce, or twist open, to reveal the seeds.
Wiliwili is occasionally seen in cultivation in Hawaiʻi. It is easily propagated from cuttings. Seven other species of Erythrina were under general cultivation in the Hawaiian Islands, but have been mostly extirpated by the alien gall wasp (see Conservation, below). They were popular street trees in dry areas and windbreaks on fields. At least 80 others have been known in botanical gardens there. No non-native species of Erythrina is known to be naturalized in Hawaiʻi.
Native Hawaiians made a number of items from wiliwili wood because of its low density, such as mouo (fishing net floats), ama (outrigger canoe floats, and extremely long papa heʻe nalu (surfboards) called olo. Olo, which averaged 18 feet (5.5 m), were exclusively ridden by aliʻi (royalty). The wood was sometimes used for the waʻa (hull) of outrigger canoes intended to be used near-shore, for recreation, or for training. The shiny orange-red seeds were strung into lei.
Machete · Coral erythrina · Flame coral tree · Cockspur Coral Tree · Basul · Brazilian Coral Tree · Bucayo · Dwarf erythrina · Broad Leaved Coral Tree · Sacred Coral-tree · Mountain immortelle · Erythrina resupinata
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Wiliwili by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
