Santalum ellipticum
Encyclopedia
Santalum ellipticum, commonly known as Iliahialoe (Hawaiian
) or Coast Sandalwood, is a species of flowering plant
in the European mistletoe
family, Santalaceae
, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands
. It is a sprawling shrub
to small tree
, typically reaching a height of 1 – and a canopy spread of 1–3 m (3.3–9.8 ft), but is extremely variable in size and shape. Like other members of the genus, S. ellipticum is a hemi-parasite
, deriving some of its nutrients
from the host plant by attaching to its roots.
, low shrublands
, and lava plain
s throughout the archipelago, including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
, but has been extirpated
from Laysan
and Kahoolawe
. Although never recorded on Niihau
, its historic presence on the island is almost certain. S. ellipticum is generally found at elevations from sea level to 560 m (1,837.3 ft), but populations can occur as high as 950 m (3,116.8 ft). An isolated individual was observed growing at 2140 m (7,021 ft) on the island of Hawaii.
. Trees were harvested for export to China
between 1791–1840, where the hard, yellowish-brown wood
was made into carved objects, chests, and incense
. The iliahialoe trade peaked from 1815 to 1826. Native Hawaiians used the wood to make pola, the deck
on a waa kaulua (double-hulled canoe
). Powdered laau ala was used as a perfume
and added to kapa
cloth.
) ashes to treat kepia o ke poo (dandruff
) and liha o ka lauoho (head lice
). Iliahialoe shavings mixed with awa (Piper methysticum
), nioi (Eugenia reinwardtiana), ahakea (Bobea
spp.), and kauila (Alphitonia ponderosa
) was used to treat sexually transmitted disease
s.
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
) or Coast Sandalwood, is a species of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the European mistletoe
Viscum album
Viscum album is a species of mistletoe, the species originally so-named, and also known as European Mistletoe or Common Mistletoe to distinguish it from other related species...
family, Santalaceae
Santalaceae
Santalaceae is a widely distributed family of flowering plants which, like other members of Santalales, are partially parasitic on other plants...
, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
. It is a sprawling shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
to small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
, typically reaching a height of 1 – and a canopy spread of 1–3 m (3.3–9.8 ft), but is extremely variable in size and shape. Like other members of the genus, S. ellipticum is a hemi-parasite
Parasitic plant
A parasitic plant is one that derives some or all of its sustenance from another plant. About 4,100 species in approximately 19 families of flowering plants are known. Parasitic plants have a modified root, the haustorium, that penetrates the host plant and connects to the xylem, phloem, or...
, deriving some of its nutrients
Plant nutrition
'Plant Nutrition is the study of the chemical elements that are necessary for growth. In 1972, E. Epstein defined 2 criteria for an element to be essential for plant growth:# in its absence the plant is unable to complete a normal life cycle or...
from the host plant by attaching to its roots.
Habitat and range
Iliahialoe inhabits dry forestsHawaiian tropical dry forests
The Hawaiian tropical dry forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of on the leeward side of the main islands and the summits of Niihau and Kahoolawe. These forests are either seasonal or sclerophyllous. Annual rainfall is less than and...
, low shrublands
Hawaiian tropical low shrublands
The Hawaiian tropical low shrublands are a tropical savanna ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. These shrublands cover an area of in the leeward lowlands of the main islands and most of the smaller islands, including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The ecoregion includes both grasslands and...
, and lava plain
Lava plain
A lava plain, also called a lava field or lava bed, is a large expanse of nearly flat-lying lava flows. Such features are generally composed of highly-fluid basalt lava, and can extend for tens or even hundreds of miles across the underlying terrain...
s throughout the archipelago, including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small islands and atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest of the islands of Kauai and Niihau. They are administered by the U.S. state of Hawaii except Midway Atoll, which has temporary residential facilities and is...
, but has been extirpated
Local extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
from Laysan
Laysan
Laysan , located northwest of Honolulu at N25° 42' 14" W171° 44' 04", is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It comprises one land mass of , about 1 by 1.5 miles in size . It is an atoll of sorts, although the land completely surrounds a shallow central lake some above sea level that has...
and Kahoolawe
Kahoolawe
Kahoolawe is the smallest of the eight main volcanic islands in the Hawaiian Islands. Kahoolawe is located about seven miles southwest of Maui and also southeast of Lanai, and it is long by wide, with a total land area of . The highest point on Kahoolawe is the crater of Lua Makika at the...
. Although never recorded on Niihau
Niihau
Niihau or Niihau is the seventh largest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii, having an area of . Niihau lies southwest of Kauai across the Kaulakahi Channel. Several intermittent playa lakes provide wetland habitats for the Hawaiian Coot, the Black-winged Stilt, and the...
, its historic presence on the island is almost certain. S. ellipticum is generally found at elevations from sea level to 560 m (1,837.3 ft), but populations can occur as high as 950 m (3,116.8 ft). An isolated individual was observed growing at 2140 m (7,021 ft) on the island of Hawaii.
Non-medicinal
The laau ala (heartwood) of iliahialoe contains valuable, aromatic essential oilsSandalwood oil
Sandalwood oil is an essential oil obtained from the steam distillation of chips and billets cut from the heartwood of the Sandalwood tree. Sandalwood oil is used in perfumes, cosmetics, and sacred unguents.-Main Constituents:...
. Trees were harvested for export to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
between 1791–1840, where the hard, yellowish-brown wood
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is the name of a class of fragrant woods from trees in the genus Santalum. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and unlike many other aromatic woods they retain their fragrance for decades. As well as using the harvested and cut wood in-situ, essential oils are also extracted...
was made into carved objects, chests, and incense
Incense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
. The iliahialoe trade peaked from 1815 to 1826. Native Hawaiians used the wood to make pola, the deck
Deck (ship)
A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
on a waa kaulua (double-hulled canoe
Outrigger canoe
The outrigger canoe is a type of canoe featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull...
). Powdered laau ala was used as a perfume
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
and added to kapa
Kapa
Kapa is a fabric that was made by Native Hawaiians from the bast fibres of certain species of trees and shrubs in the orders Rosales and Malvales. It is similar to tapa found elsewhere in Polynesia but differs in the methods used in its creation...
cloth.
Medicinal
Native Hawaiians combined leaves and bark of the iliahialoe with naio (Myoporum sandwicenseMyoporum sandwicense
Myoporum sandwicense is a species of flowering tree in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. Common names include Naio, bastard sandalwood or false sandalwood. It is native to Hawaii and Mangaia in the Cook Islands.-Description:...
) ashes to treat kepia o ke poo (dandruff
Dandruff
Dandruff is the shedding of dead skin cells from the scalp . Dandruff is sometimes caused by frequent exposure to extreme heat and cold. As it is normal for skin cells to die and flake off, a small amount of flaking is normal and common; about 487,000 cells/cm2 get released normally after...
) and liha o ka lauoho (head lice
Head-louse infestation
Pediculosis capitis is a human medical condition caused by the colonization of the hair and skin by the parasitic insect Pediculus humanus capitis—the head louse. Typically, only the head or scalp of the host is infested...
). Iliahialoe shavings mixed with awa (Piper methysticum
Kava
Kava or kava-kava is a crop of the western Pacific....
), nioi (Eugenia reinwardtiana), ahakea (Bobea
Bobea
Bobea is a genus of flowering plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. All species in this genus are endemic to Hawaii. . Bobea was named for Jean-Baptiste Bobe-Moreau by Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré in 1830 in his book Voyage de l'Uranie.The wood of Bobea is hard, wearable, and yellow. It was used...
spp.), and kauila (Alphitonia ponderosa
Alphitonia ponderosa
Alphitonia ponderosa is a species of flowering tree in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is locally known as kauila, as is the related Colubrina oppositifolia.-Description:A...
) was used to treat sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
s.