Rauvolfia sandwicensis

Description:

HaoApocynaceaeEndemic to the Hawaiian IslandsHawaii Island (Cultivated)Hao grows as trees to small shrubs. Hao grows as trees to small shrubs. The tiny flowers of hao, while not dramatic, have a fragrance similar to plumeria, which belong to the same family.Early Hawaiians scraped the bark and mixed with its flowers in water. The medicine was drunk to aid in curing paoao (a childhood disease with physical weakening) and ea (thrush).The wood of hao is very hard. "Native Hawaiian Medicine--Volume III" by Kaluna M. Kaaiakamanu notes: "It is called Hao because of what it is like due to the hardness that can spoil an adze." Incidentally, the name for iron in Hawaiian is also hao.NPH00002nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Rauvolfia_sandwicensis