Everything about Acacia Koa totally explained
The
koa (
Acacia koa; Family
Fabaceae) is a large tree
endemic to the
Hawaiian Islands, primarily
Hawaii,
Maui and
Oahu.
Description
The koa tree is somewhat unusual in that the leaves produced early in the growth of the plant are compound leaves typical of the pea family. However, the adult koa has thick sickle-shaped "leaves" that are not compound. These are phyllodes, blades that develop as an expansion of the leaf
petiole. The vertically flattened orientation of the phyllodes allows sunlight to pass to lower levels of the tree.
It is one of the fastest-growing Hawaiian trees, capable of reaching over 20 feet in five years, but still requires 50 years or more to reach the size required by most users, making
farming of koa difficult.
Uses
Its trunk was used by the ancient
Hawaiians to build
dugout canoes. The reddish wood is highly prized for use in
wood carving,
musical instruments, and furniture. Koa is also a
tonewood, often used in the construction of
ukuleles,
acoustic guitars, the
Weissenborn-style Hawaiian
steel guitar and longboards.
Relation to other species
The relationships of koa are not clear. Among other
Pacific Islands of volcanic (non-continental) origin, only
Vanuatu has native
Acacia species.
Acacia heterophylla, from distant
Réunion, is very similar and has been suggested to be the closest relative of koa, but this is far from certain.
A closely related species, koaia or koaie (
Acacia koaia), is found in dry areas. It is most easily distinguished by having the seeds end-to-end in the pod, rather than side-by-side. The phyllodes are also usually straighter, though this character is variable in both species. The wood has a different structure, and is harder than koa. Koaia has been much more heavily impacted by cattle and is now rare, but can be seen on
ranch land in
North Kohala.
Conservation
The koa population has suffered from grazing and
logging. Many wet forest areas, where the largest koa grow, have been logged out, and it now comes largely from dead or dying trees or farms on private lands. Although formerly used for canoes, there are few koa remaining which are both large and straight enough to do so today. In areas where
cattle are present, koa regeneration is almost completely suppressed. However, if the cattle are removed, koa are among the few native Hawaiian plants able to germinate in grassland, and can be instrumental in restoring native forest. Experiments at the
Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge have shown that
ōhia lehua, the dominant tree in most Hawaiian
forests, survives best in
pasture when planted under koa. The seeds of koa are hard and dry, and capable of surviving dormant for decades. It is often possible to begin
reforestation in a pasture by running a
bulldozer or other heavy equipment over the ground, as this scarifies the seeds in the soil and causes
germination of large numbers of koa.
Gallery
Image:Starr 070205 4082 acacia koa2.jpg
Image:Starr 060325 6745 acacia koa.jpg
Image:Acacia koa planting.jpg
Image:Acacia koa young old.jpg
Image:Starr 051122 5288 acacia koa.jpg
Image:Acacia koa sapling.jpg
Image:Acacia koa forest.jpg
Image:Starr 040220 0316 acacia koa.jpg
Image:Acacia koa.jpg
Image:Starr 030405 0136 acacia koa.jpg
Image:Starr 041113 0733 acacia koa.jpg
Image:Acacia koa bark.jpg
Image:Acacia koa wood.jpg
Image:Acacia koa with phyllode between the branch and the compound leaves.JPG|Acacia koa with phyllode between the branch and the compound leaves
Further Information
Get more info on 'Acacia Koa'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://acacia_koa.totallyexplained.com">Acacia koa Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
