31 



sided. It is an interesting fact, however, that the almost exact 

 counterpart of our koa is found in Acacia hetcrophylla of Mau- 

 ritius, thousands of miles away from Hawaii in the Indian Ocean, 

 and that the blackwood tree, Acacia melanoxylon of Australia, 

 which closely resembles our koa, exhibits habits of growth and 

 characteristics which are strikingly like our own species. 



COMMON NAME. 



The Hawaiian name given to this tree has a variety of mean- 

 ings, some of which seem well suited to it. The word koa means 

 ''soldier" and *'bold" and "valiant," each of which might be ap- 

 plied to the upright, martial bearing of the tree. It also means 

 "a barren, fruitless plant or tree," which might well be applied 

 to the koa, which yields no edible fruit. The adjective also means 

 ''irregular in habit," which particularly suits the koa, for be- 

 sides growing straight and tall in moist situations where good soil 

 abounds, it also assumes a very sprawling habit with twisted 

 branches on situations where tree growth is not so favorable. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE TREE. 



The koa is one of the most stately of the Hawaiian forest 

 trees and is found in a variety of situations, from a few hun- 

 dred feet above sea level to 7,000 feet on the higher mountains. 

 It grows best on a well-drained soil and prefers a moderate 

 amount of moisture. When grown in the open the koa develops 

 a symmetrical crown with usually a short, thick trunk, branch- 

 ing out very often only a few feet above the ground. In such 

 situations the lower branches will frequently sprawl over the 

 ground for long distances. A maximum diameter of 10 feet 

 at the ground has been observed for the trees which have only 

 a short trunk. 



When grown closely in the wet forest on deep, rich soil, the 

 koa will attain a height of 100 feet with a clean, straight bole 

 without a branch for 40 feet above the ground, and it was such 

 trees that were utilized for canoes. 



The tree has a shallow rooted system, a flat plane of roots 

 spreading out in all directions just beneath the surface of the 

 ground. For this reason the larger top-heavy trees are easily 

 overturned by severe wind storms or when the trees are unusu- 

 ally exposed to the wind by abrupt openings in the forest. 



The koa will thrive in comparatively dry regions, but in such 

 places it assumes a rather stunted and misshapen form. It 

 usually has growing beneath Its shade the fern ground cover 

 which characterizes the ohia lehua, though, as it grows gener- 

 ally in somewhat drier situations, its undergrowth is usually not 

 so luxurious. The ie-ie vine especially is not often seen in a 

 koa forest. The koa is often found on ancient a-a lava flows 



