Colubrina asiatica

Description:

napanapa or Asiatic snakewoodPolynesian Names: napanapa (Hawaii); Fhoa (Niue); Fhoa (Tonga); Fsoa (Samoa); Tutu (Tahiti); Vere (Fiji)RhamnaceaeIndigenous to the Hawaiian IslandsOahu (Cultivated)The common name "latherleaf" comes from the fact that the leaves are lathery when crushed and added to water used by early Hawaiians as a soap. It is still used in some Polynesian islands as soap and sometimes in native medicines.NPH00003nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Colubrina_asiatica