Mezoneuron kavaiense

Description:

[syn. Caesalpinia kavaiensis]UhiuhiFabaceae (Legume or Pea family)Endemic to the Hawaiian IslandsIUCN: Critically EndangeredOahu (Cultivated), Oahu formThree seeds barely visible in still green pod.Early Hawaiians used the hard wood for digging tools (), war clubs and daggers, prepping boards for kapa (lau kahi wauke), kapa beaters, kalo (taro) cutters, spears for hee (octopus), fishing implements (lau melomelo or lau mklei), and shark hooks (makau man) fitted with bone points. This strong wood was also used in house (hale) construction for posts, rafters and purlins.The bark and young leaves pounded with other plants were pounded, squeezed and liquid taken to purify the blood.Uhiuhi, or mmane (Sophora chrysophylla), wood was also used for sled runners in a sport for the aristocrats called papa hlua. The slopes were usually made with layers of grass or ti leaves.Notes the Hulihee Palace website: "The person about to slide gripped the sled by the right hand grip, ran a few yard to the starting place, grasped the other hand grip with the left hand, threw himself forward with all his strength, fell flat on the sled and slid down the hill. His hands held the handgrips and the feet were braced against the last cross piece on the rear portion of the sled. The sport was extremely dangerous as the sleds attained high speed running down hill. Much skill was necessary to keep an even balance and to keep from running off the slide or overturning the sled. In competitions, the sled that went the farthest, won."One older source (Charles Gaudichaud,1819) states that Hawaiians "used all fragrant plants, all flowers and even colored fruits" for lei making. The red or yellow were indicative of divine and chiefly rank; the purple flowers and fruit, or with fragrance, were associated with divinity. Because of their long-standing place in oral tradition, the flowers of uhiuhi were likely used for lei making by early Hawaiians, even though there are no written sources.EtymologyThe current generic name is Mezoneuron is from the Greek meizon, greater, and neuron, nerve, referring to the winged pod.The specific epithet kavaiense is in reference to the island of Kauai.NPH00007nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Caesalpinia_kavaiensis