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Planchonella sandwicensis is a species of flowering tree in the sapodilla family, Sapotaceae, that is endemic to the main islands of Hawaii. Names for this species in the Hawaiian language include ʻĀlaʻa, Āulu and ʻĒlaʻa.
The wood of ʻālaʻa is yellow with black streaks, extremely hard, and close grained. Native Hawaiians used it in house construction and to make the pale (gunwales) of waʻa (outrigger canoes), ʻōʻō (digging sticks), and ihe (spears). The sticky, milky sap was used as a kolū (glue) for weapon and tool handles and as kēpau (birdlime), much like papala kepau (Pisonia spp.).
Planchonella spectabilis · Black Apple · Planchonella contermina · Bastard Ironwood · Small Leaved Coondoo · Planchonella crenata · Planchonella duclitan · Shiny Leaf Coondoo · Planchonella glauca · Planchonella kaalaensis · Planchonella latihila · Planchonella luteocostata
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Planchonella sandwicensis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
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.
