Kauila

Description

Colubrina oppositifolia, known as Kauila in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering tree in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It can be found in dry, coastal mesic, and mixed mesic forests at elevations of 240-920 m (790-3,020 ft) on the islands of O-ahu (Wai-anae Range) and Hawai-i (slopes of Kohala, Hual-lai, and Mauna Loa). There is also one individual remaining on Maui. Associated plants include alahe-e (Psydrax odorata) and -ohe kukulu-e-o (Reynoldsia sandwicensis), This tree reaches a height of 5-13 m (16-43 ft). The trunk is coated in shredding gray-brown bark and the smaller twigs are reddish. The leaves are oppositely arranged and have pointed oval blades. The yellow-green flowers occur in clusters of 10 to 12. The fruit is a rounded capsule which is explosively dehiscent.