Kou Tree Planting ~ Friday , Feb. 7, 2020 @ 3pm

Join us for a volunteer farm day this Friday at 3pm at The Seeking Root farm in Waikapū until sun down to get our Kou trees in the ground! They have outgrown their pots, and really needing to spread their roots. More than a dozen of these beautiful trees were gifted to us by dear friend and mentor James Simpliciano, and we want to make sure they continue to thrive.

Please let me know if you are able to join us with a comment confirmation below. Should you need to get a hold of me, my cell phone is (808) 866-0629. Matthew, and I look forward to spending an Aloha Friday with you doing good things for our planet, and community.

"Crodia subcordata, known as Kou in Hawaiian, has distinctive orange flowers and large tan fruit. This tree originated in Africa and Madagascar. They are wide spread through the tropics. There is a close relative from tropical Americas on also the islands. It has darker orange flowers, fuzzy leaves, and white fleshy fruit. The Hawaiians used the flowers for lei and medicine, and the leaves for dye.

Early Hawaiians certainly brought kou with them as one of the canoe plants since it is such a highly esteemed wood. They used the aged leaves for a warm brown to red dye for kapa.

Wooden food bowls, cups, dishes and calabashes were made from the preferred kou wood which did notimpart a resinous flavor to the food such as koa and most other native woods.

The flowers were used for lei and young girls especially were fond of lei kou.The tasteless seeds were eaten in times of famine or occasionally by hungry children. The leaves were used to stain fishing lines a light tan color.

Hawaiians considered kou as one of the best woods for carvings along with the natives koa and milo, and the Polynesian introduced kamani."

Source: https://mauiculturallands.org/kou