Alahe'e – Indegenous

(Psydrax Odoatum)

Description:

        A Shrub or small tree, 3-6m (10-20 ft) tall, with light-colored bark.  Leaves are oppositely arranged, roundish, glossy, dark green on the surface, and dull on the underside.  Flower clusters are small, white, and fragment.  The small, black fruit form clusters along the stem of new growth.

Distribution and Ecology:

       Dispersed on most of the main islands, primarily in dry shrub land and dry to moist forests, often on slopes at 10-860 m (30-2,800 ft).  This species also grows in Micronesia, and the South Pacific.

Cultural Uses:

       Hawaiians made ‘o’o (digging sticks) from the durable wood of the alahe’e.  They also used tools made from alahe’e to cut softer wood.