Santalum freycinetianum

Description:

[syn. Santalum freycinetianum var. freycinetianum]Iliahi or Forest sandalwoodSantalaceaeEndemic to the Hawaiian Islands (Oahu only)Aiea Loop Trail, Oahu; a small leaved formFlowers and especially the heartwood have a pleasing sandalwood fragrance.The Hawaiian name lau ala literally means "sweet wood" or "fragrant wood." Though early Hawaiians may not have used iliahi wood extensively, it was still valued. Besides used as firewood, the light yellow wood was sometimes used to make kk or musical bow.Medicinally, the leaves were used as a shampoo for dandruff and head lice; and a drink from powdered material for male and female sex organs or "for sores of long duration."The fragrant heartwood and bark of iliahi was pounded to scent the smell of new kapa (tapa), and when added with coconut oil the would water proof the material.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 leaves, new leaves (liko) and flowers of iliahi were likely used for lei making by early Hawaiians, even though there are no written sources.EtymologyThe generic name Santalum is derived from santalon, the Greek name for sandalwood.The specific epithet freycinetianum is named in honor of Captain Loius de Freycinet (1779-1840), commander of the French exploration on board of which was Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupre, the first Western botanist to come to the Hawaiian Islands.NPH00008nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Santalum_freycinetianum