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Mezoneuron kauaiense (uhiuhi) is a rare native Hawaiian shrub or small tree in the pea family, found in dry to mesic coastal and lowland forests. It is threatened by feral ungulates and invasive plants, so it is mainly of interest to conservationists and botanists rather than home gardeners.
Mezoneuron kauaiense is a rare shrub or small tree in the genus Mezoneuron (pea family, Fabaceae), that is endemic to Hawaii. Common names include uhiuhi (the Big Island and Kauaʻi), kāwaʻu (Maui), and kea (Maui). It is threatened by invasive species, particularly feral ungulates.
Uhiuhi inhabits dry, coastal mesic, and mixed mesic forests at elevations of 80–920 m (260–3,020 ft). Associated plants include lama (Diospyros sandwicensis), ʻaʻaliʻi (Dodonaea viscosa), and alaheʻe (Psydrax odorata). Populations formerly existed on Kauaʻi (Waimea Canyon), West Maui, Lānaʻi, the Big Island (North Kona District), and Oʻahu (Waiʻanae Range), but are only found in the latter two today.
The wood of M. kauaiense is very dense and hard, nearly black, and close-grained. Native Hawaiians used it to make ʻōʻō (digging sticks), ihe (spears), laʻau melomelo (fishing lures), pou (house posts), runners for papa hōlua (sleds), pāhoa (daggers), laʻau palau (clubs), and laʻau kahi wauke (Broussonetia papyrifera scraping boards). The rose-colored flowers are collected to make lei. A blood purifier was made from the young leaves, leaf buds, and bark of uhiuhi mashed together with the inner bark of hāpuʻu (Cibotium spp.), ʻokolehao, ʻulu (Artocarpus altilis) bark, ʻuhaloa (Waltheria indica) taproots, and ko kea (Saccharum officinarum).
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Mezoneuron kauaiense 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.
