Lama

The two native species of Lama are Diospyros sandwicensis, native to most of the main islands, and D. hillebrandii found on Kaua'i and O'ahu.

Lama can be a principal or minor part of the dry and mesic forests, and sometimes grows in wet forests from about 15 to 4000 feet on all of the main islands, except Ni'ihau and Kaho'olawe. On the island of Hawai'i, Lama can be found growing in open lava fields.

Female Lama bloom and produce fruits once a year. The small yellow to reddish-orange fruit are edible and are bland to mildly sweet. Leaves are thick and leathery. The colors of new growth (liko) range from vibrant shades of red, magenta, pink or orange. The beautiful dark wood is similar to ebony.

Traditional Culturaland Medicinal Uses

• Lama wood was used for the framework of houses, temple construction, and handles for stone chisels
• Lama sticks ('aukā) were used to strengthen large one-way-in-no-way-out fish traps
• The edible fruit of lama, called pi'oi, were eaten by early Hawaiians
• Lama wood was used as medicine. Huts (pupupu hale) were made in a single day of the wood during the daylight (lama) hours and the sick were placed inside them for curing
• Inside a hālau hula was an altar on which a block of Lama was placed. The wood represented the goddess of hula, Laka