''Flueggea neowawraea'', the mēhamehame, is a species of flowering tree in the family Phyllanthaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It can be found in

dry Dry or dryness most often refers to: * Lack of rainfall, which may refer to ** Arid regions ** Drought * Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages * Dry humor, deadpan * Dryness (medica ...

, coastal mesic, and mixed mesic forests at elevations of . Associated plants include kukui ('' Aleurites moluccanus''), hame (''

Antidesma pulvinatum ''Antidesma'' is a genus of tropical plant in the family Phyllanthaceae formally described by Linnaeus in 1753. It is native to tropical Africa, S + E + SE Asia, Australia, and various oceanic islands. The greatest diversity occurs in ...

''), ahakea ('' Bobea'' sp.), alahee ('' Psydrax odorata''), olopua (''

Nestegis sandwicensis ''Nestegis sandwicensis'', commonly known as Hawai'i olive or ''olopua'', is a species of flowering tree in the olive family, Oleaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is found on all major islands at elevations of in coastal mesic and mixed mes ...

''), hao (''

Rauvolfia sandwicensis ''Rauvolfia sandwicensis'', the devil's-pepper, also known as ''hao'' in the Hawaiian language, is a species of flowering plant in the milkweed family, Apocynaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is a shrub A shrub (often also called a ...

''), and aiai (''

Streblus pendulinus ''Streblus pendulinus'', commonly known as Hawai'i roughbush or ''aiai'' (Hawaiian language), is a species of flowering plant in the mulberry family, Moraceae, that is native to eastern Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. It is usua ...

''). Mēhamehame was one of the largest trees in Hawaii, reaching a height of and trunk diameter of .

Native Hawaiians Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii ...

used the extremely hard wood of this tree to make weaponry. Although it had declined along with other dry and mesic forest plants, many large trees could still be found until the 1970s. At that point, the arrival of the black twig borer, (''

Xylosandrus compactus ''Xylosandrus compactus'' is a species of ambrosia beetle. Common names for this beetle include black twig borer, black coffee borer, black coffee twig borer and tea stem borer. The adult beetle is dark brown or black and inconspicuous; it bores ...

'') caused a catastrophic collapse of the species. Today, populations only exist in the northwestern part of

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

, the Waianae Range on Oahu, the southwestern slopes of Haleakalā on

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

, and the Big Island's

Kona coast Kona is a ''moku'' or district on the Hawaii (island), Big Island of Hawaii in the State of Hawaii, known for its Kona coffee and the location of the Ironman World Championship Triathlon. In the current system of administration of Hawaii County ...

. Nearly all living individuals exist as basal shoots from older trees where the main trunk has died, or are outplanted saplings. Because of the extreme durability of the wood and its easily recognized fluted pattern, many dead trunks can still be found.

References

External links

* neowawraea Critically endangered plants Plants described in 1987 Trees of Hawaii Endemic flora of Hawaii Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{rosid-tree-stub