Kwau, or Hawaiian hollyAquifoliaceae (Holly family)Indigenous to the Hawaiian islands (All the main islands except Niihau and Kahoolawe); also found in Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands on Nuku Hiwa only.Hawaiiloa Ridge, Oahu Early Hawaiians used the wood for kapa (tapa) anvils called kua kuku, on which the second-stage kapa making process was done on. The wood was also used for trimmings canoes (waa). Etymology:The generic name Ilex is the Latin name for the Evergreen or Holm oak tree (Quercus ilex).The Latin specific epithet anomala means extraordinary or abnormal.
Leaves sold roadside near the town of Tena, central Ecuador. The species is found mainly in that country and the leaves used to make a tea similar to the related Yerba Mate.
This makes the famous Yerba Mate 'tea', the gaucho's friend and general social drink in the outback of Argentina and adjacent regions. In context at www.dixpix.ca/Amazon/flora/asterids/index.html