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Erythrina sandwicensis

O.Deg. (1932)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Erythrina

wiliwili

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees up to 15 m tall, bark reddish, papery, shallowly fissured.

Stems: Trunk and branches sparsely armed with conical prickles.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound (pinnately trifoliolate). Alternate, deciduous (usually absent when flowering). Blades 4–10 cm long, 6–15 cm wide; terminal leaflet deltate to rhombic–oblate, wider than long, lateral leaflets ovate, 4–8 cm long and 4–9 cm wide. Leaves terminal leaflet apex obtuse to rounded, lateral leaflets apices acute to rounded. Base of terminal leaflet truncate or rounded, base of lateral leaflets asymmetrical (cuneate on 1 side, rounded on the other). Upper surfaces glabrous; lower surfaces densely stellate–tomentose. Leaflet margins entire. Petioles of terminal leaflet 8–15 cm long, petiolules of lateral leaflets ca. 5 mm long. Stipules subulate, ca. 5 mm long, deciduous, paired glandular stipels on petiole below terminal and lateral leaflets.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescence axis horizontal, 10–15 cm long, flowers on distal ½ only. Flowers papilionaceous, bisexual (perfect); pedicels 3–10 mm long. Calyx fusiform in bud, 1.5–2 cm long, with 5 apical knobs, splitting open on dorsal side as corolla emerges, thus becoming spathaceous and thrust beneath corolla, thin and chartaceous, densely brownish felty stellate tomentose. Corolla usually orange, sometimes yellow, white, or pale green (all colors present in some populations), standard broadly ovate to elliptic, clavate, reflexed and erect, 4–5 cm long (incl. claw) and equally wide, wings elliptic, somewhat hooded, 1.5–2 cm long, 0.8–1 cm wide, keel petals distinct, elliptic, hooded, slightly shorter than wings and about as wide. corolla standard much larger than wings and keel. Stamens 10, monadelphous, 4–5 cm long, the adaxial stamen distinct in upper ⅔, the other 9 distinct in upper ¼. Ovary superior, stipitate, 2–2.5 cm long, stellate pubescent; style filiform, glabrous, 2–2.5 cm long; stigma capitate.

Fruit: Pods pendent; subligneous; 1–3–seeded; slightly constricted between the seeds; endocarp papery. Seeds red to yellowish orange; ca. 1.5 cm long; ca. 1 cm wide; hilum black; persistent on pods long after maturity.

Ploidy: 2n = 42*

Habitat: Common in dry forest.

Elevation Range: up to 600 m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

  • Light weight wood used for surfboards (Malo 1951:21, 223), outriggers (booms & floats) (Abbott 1992:82; Malo 1951:126), and fish floats (Degener 1930:215), burnt to make paint (Abbott 1992:81); seeds for lei (Abbott 1992:125) and kupee ("hula leglets", Kamehameha Schools 1994:29).

  • The flowers of the wiliwili are used to treat venereal disease. A tea from the pounded bark is combined with nioi (chili pepper, Capsicum annuum), another herb, and ‘awa (Piper methysticum), in the morning it is followed with koali (Ipomoea spp.) (Akana 1922:74; Chun 1998:52–53).

CULTURE

  • [I] Ka wiliwili o Kaupe'a. The Wiliwili Grove of Kaupe‘a. In ‘Ewa, O‘ahu, where homeless ghosts wander among the trees. [II] Pua ka wiliwili nanahu ka mano; pua ka wahine u‘i nanahu ke kanawai. When the wiliwili blooms, the sharks bite; when a beautiful woman blossoms the law bites. A beautiful woman attracts young men, "sharks", who fight over her. The law steps in to keep the rivalry from getting out of hand (the law "bites"). It is said that the wiliwili blooms during the mating season of sharks, and that is when they will "bite". This saying is also part of the Hula Mano.

  • Three famous wiliwili trees near Puhi‘ula Cave (at Pa‘ula in Ka‘u, Hawai‘i Island). These were three sisters (see moolelo). One of the few native trees that still survives on goat- and bomb-ravaged Kaho‘olawe. Section of McCully called Wiliwili. Wiliwilinui Ridge in Wai‘alae. The Wiliwili Grove of Kaupe‘a in ‘Ewa, O‘ahu.

PROPAGATION/CULTIVATION

  • Seeds of Erythrina sandwicensis are contained in woody pods. The Hawaiian name, wiliwili, means repeatedly twisted and refers to the seed pods which twist open to reveal the seeds. Pods usually contain 1 to 3 seeds, but may contain as many as 6 seeds. The seeds are red or orange and about 1/2 inch long. The seeds can easily be removed from the pods by hand.
  • Criley states that untreated seeds take as little as 5 days to germinate. However, for best germination, the seed coat should be penetrated (scarified) to allow water to enter the seed. This can be done using sandpaper, nail clippers, or by cracking with a hammer. Care must be taken to avoid damaging the inner part of the seed. Scarified seeds germinate in 3 to 14 days with close to 100% germination rate. In his germination studies, Obata found that untreated seeds of Erythrina sandwicensis had germination rates ranging from 30 to 75%.
  • Seeds of Erythrina sandwicensis can also be soaked in hot (120 degree F) water for 1 to 24 hours. Seeds should be soaked only until they swell. It is reported that hot water treated seeds take 14 days to one year to germinate.
  • The seeds can be planted up to 1/2 inch deep in sterile well-drained potting media such as 1 part perlite to 1 part sterile potting mix. Stratton's informants recommend mixtures of either 3 parts #2 perlite to 1 part Sunshine Mix #4 or 4 parts cinder to 1 part soil. They also recommend planting individual seeds in 3 inch pots to minimize root damage during transplanting. Some sources recommend that the seeds should be placed in the shade until the first true leaves appear; others suggest full sun since the seeds tend to rot if kept too moist.
  • Lilleeng-Rosenberger's notes show scarified fresh seeds generally germinate in less than 1 week. Germination percentages for these seeds ranged from 72% to 100%.
  • To store seeds of Erythrina sandwicensis, remove them from their pods and air dry them at room temperature. Place them in a paper bag or envelope in an airtight container with a desiccant. Keep them in a cool place with about 25% relative humidity or in the refrigerator. (Bornhorst 1996; Criley 1998; Criley 1999; Lilleeng-Rosenberger 1996; NTBG 1992; NTBG 1996; Stratton 1998; Obata 1967; Wagner 1990)
  • Erythrina sandwicensis can also be propagated by cuttings. This method can be used to insure that the new plants have the same flower color as the parent plant. Cuttings need to be taken when the parent plant is not in flower. Most sources recommend that large cuttings be taken with each cutting at least 1 1/2 inch in diameter and 1 1/2 to 2 feet long. Bornhorst suggests that cuttings can be as long as 6 feet. Each cutting should have at least three nodes. Stratton's article, on the other hand, suggests cuttings from 2 to 6 inches long and Rauch recommends tip cuttings.
  • If using large cuttings, plant the cuttings in one gallon pots using a well-drained medium such as 3 parts perlite to 1 part vermiculite. Keep the cuttings moist and in a shady area until they have rooted. Criley states that rooting hormone treatment would probably enhance speed of rooting, but no studies have been published on this. Weissich states that strong rooting hormone and intermittent mist improve results, but no specifics are given. (Bornhorst 1996; Criley 1999; NTBG 1992; Rauch 1997; Stratton 1998; Weissich 1995)
  • Erythrina sandwicensis can also be propagated by air layering. Criley states that rooting hormone treatment would probably enhance air layer rooting, but there are no published information on this. (Criley 1999; Rauch 1997; Stratton 1998) [Data from Herring, E. C., & Criley, R. A. (2003). The Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Web Site: Developing a Webbased Information Resource. HortTechnology, 13(3), 545-548. https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hawnprop/]

Natural History

Statewide Status

Endemic

Island Status

Ni'ihau(Incl. Lehua) Endemic
Kaua'i Endemic
O'ahu Endemic
Molokai Endemic
Lana'i Endemic
Kaho'olawe Endemic
Maui Endemic
Hawai'i Endemic

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Notes

  • Description digitized by Rafael Domingo
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • also known as wiliwili, wood used for outriggers, seeds for lei
  • not mentioned
  • up to 600 m

Bibliography

Name Published In: Fl. Hawaiiensis 169c: s.p. (1932)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:672 (Ni, K, O, Mo, L, M, Ka, H); Staples & Herbst 2005:300, 315 (KEY), 316 (DESCR)

Occurrences (2436)

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