''Myoporum sandwicense'', commonly known as ''naio'', bastard sandalwood or false sandalwood is a species of

flowering A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

plant in the figwort

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Scrophulariaceae The Scrophulariaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the figwort family. The plants are annual and perennial herbs, as well as shrubs. Flowers have bilateral (zygomorphic) or rarely radial (actinomorphic) symmetry. The Scr ...

. It is a

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

or shrub highly variable in its form, the size and shape of its leaves, in the number of flowers in a group and in the shape of its fruit. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

Description

''Myoporum sandwicense'' grows as either a small tree, large tree, or dwarf shrub, depending on the elevation and conditions. As a small tree, it reaches a height of with a trunk diameter of . The largest naio have a height of and a trunk diameter of . At the

tree line The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snow ...

, naio grows as a shrub. The bark on older specimens is often dark, rough and furrowed. The leaves are arranged alternately, often crowded near the ends of the stems, mostly long, wide, elliptic to lance-shaped and with a distinct mid-vein on the lower surface.

Flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are present all year and are arranged in groups of 2 to 6 in leaf axils on stalks long. They are a tubular bell shape with a fragrant odor and there are 5 lance-shaped

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s and 5 petals forming the tube. The tube is generally white or pink with darker blotches at the base of the lobes and the tube is usually long with lobes about the same length. The fruit is a waxy white drupe that is in diameter, juicy, and bitter to taste. The fruit usually dry out and remain attached to the branch.

Taxonomy

''Myoporum sandwicense'' was first formally described in 1866 by Asa Gray and the description was published in ''

Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences ''Dædalus'' is an academic journal founded in 1955 to replace the ''Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences'', the volume and numbering system of which it continues. In 1958, it began quarterly publication as ''The Journal of the ...

''. The specific epithet ''sandwicense'' refers to the Sandwich Islands, the name given by James Cook to the Hawaiian Islands, where the type specimen was collected. There are two subspecies: *''Myoporum sandwicense''

A.Gray Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. His '' Darwiniana'' was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessarily mutually exc ...

subsp. ''sandwicense'' which occurs on all the Hawaiian Islands and has fruit which is oval to almost spherical; *''Myoporum sandwicense'' subsp. ''lanaiensis'' (

G.L.Webster Grady Linder Webster (1927–2005) was a plant systematist and taxonomist. He was the recipient of a number of awards and appointed to fellowships of botanical institutions in the United States of America. Webster's research included study of the di ...

) Chinnock which is only found on Lanai and has fruit which is cone-shaped to lens-shaped. In 1951

Grady Webster Grady Linder Webster (1927–2005) was a plant systematist and taxonomist. He was the recipient of a number of awards and appointed to fellowships of botanical institutions in the United States of America. Webster's research included study of the di ...

included a form found in the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

as ''Myoporum sandwicense'' subsp. ''wilderi'' but it is now known as ''

Myoporum wilderi ''Myoporum wilderi'', commonly known as Cook Islands myoporum or ngaio, is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the islands of Mangaia and Mitiaro in the Cook Islands. It is similar to '' Myoporum stokesii'' and '' ...

'' Skottsb. Some sources describe varieties including ''degeneri'' Webster, ''fauriei'' (Levl.) Kraenzlin, ''st.-johnii'' Webster, and ''stellatum'' Webster. In addition, a prostrate, shrubby variety known as ''naio papa'' ("flat ''naio''") grows only at South Point on the

island of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of , it has 63% of th ...

and is characterized by its similarities to creeping shrubs.

Distribution and habitat

The distribution of ''M. sandwicense'' in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

is limited to the state of

. Within the state, it is found on all of the major islands at elevations from sea level to . ''Naio'' can be found in a variety of habitats, including low shrublands,

dry forests The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...

, mesic forests, and wet forests, but is most common in subalpine shrublands.

Uses

Indigenous uses

The finely-textured wood of ''M. sandwicense'' is hard and has a

specific gravity Relative density, or specific gravity, is the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density of a given reference material. Specific gravity for liquids is nearly always measured with respect to water at its densest ...

of 0.55. Native Hawaiians, who called the wood ''aaka'', used it to make ''manu'' (bow and stern ornamental end pieces) and ''pale'' (

gunwale The gunwale () is the top edge of the hull of a ship or boat. Originally the structure was the "gun wale" on a sailing warship, a horizontal reinforcing band added at and above the level of a gun deck to offset the stresses created by firin ...

s) for ''waa'' (

outrigger canoe Outrigger boats are various watercraft featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull. They can range from small dugout canoes to large plank-built vessels. Outrigger ...

s), ''pou'' (house posts), ''haha ka upena'' (

fishing net A fishing net is a Net (device), net used for fishing. Nets are devices made from fibers woven in a grid-like structure. Some fishing nets are also called fish traps, for example #Fyke nets, fyke nets. Fishing nets are usually meshes formed by ...

spacers), and ''lamalama'' (long-burning torches for night

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

). The

oily An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

wood was also used as a substitute for ''iliahi'' (''

Santalum ''Santalum'' is a genus of woody flowering plants in the Santalaceae family, the best known and commercially valuable of which is the Indian sandalwood tree, '' S. album''. Members of the genus are trees or shrubs. Most are root parasites w ...

'' spp.) due to the similarity in smell when burned.

Horticulture

''M. sandwicense'' can be cultivated using

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s separated from the

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

- the average germination time varies by reports but is most commonly noted as taking between six and eighteen months. Propagation by

cutting Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. Implements commonly used for wikt:cut, cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the scal ...

s and air layering is also possible.

Other uses

For a short time in the 19th century after most ''Iliahi'' ''(

Santalum freycinetianum ''Santalum freycinetianum'', the forest sandalwood, Freycinet sandalwood, or ''Iliahi'', is a species of flowering tree in the European mistletoe family, Santalaceae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Its binomial name commemorates Henr ...

)'' had been harvested, ''naio'' was exported to China, where it was made into

incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also b ...

and burned in

Joss house Chinese temple architecture refer to a type of structures used as place of worship of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism or Chinese folk religion, where people revere ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors. They can be classified as: * '' miào'' () or '' ...

s. ''See also

Thrum's Hawaiian Annual ''Thrum's Hawaiian Annual'' (fully ''Thrum's Hawaiian Annual and Standard Guide''; alternatively ''All About Hawaii'') is a statistical compendium of Hawaiiana ranging from Hawaiian mythology to Hawaiian language to sites of interest in Hawaii, ...

References

External links

*
''Myoporum sandwicense'' (naio) information
from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR)
''Myoporum sandwicense'' (naio) images
from Forest & Kim Starr {{Taxonbar, from=Q3331467 sandwicense Endemic flora of Hawaii Trees of Hawaii Biota of Hawaii (island) Biota of Kauai Biota of Maui Biota of Molokai Biota of Oahu