Myrsine lessertiana
Primulaceae or Primrose family
Synonyms: Myrsine emarginata, Myrsine fauriei, Myrsine fosbergii var. acuminata, Myrsine gaudichaudii, Myrsine gaudichaudii f. acuminata, Myrsine meziana, Rapanea emarginata, Rapanea fosbergii var. acuminata, Rapanea lessertiana, Rapanea spathulata, Suttonia cuneata, Suttonia fauriei, Suttonia flavida, Suttonia hillebrandii var. emarginata, Suttonia lessertiana, Suttonia lessertiana f. ovicarpa, Suttonia meziana, Suttonia spathulata
Kōlea lau nui
Kōlea
Natural Range & Environment
Myrsine lessertiana is endemic to all the main Hawaiian Islands except Ni‘ihau and Kaho‘olawe. It is found in a wide diversity of habitats, including: slopes, ridges, open sites, and closed forests under mesic to wet conditions; the margins of bogs; dry forests on Lāna‘i and Maui; subalpine woodland on Maui and Hawai‘i Island; and pioneer shrubland on Hawai‘i Island, from 215 to 2,200 m (705 to 7,218 ft) [Wagner et al. 1990].
Almost every feature of kōlea lau nui can vary, including: the color of its small flowers — anywhere from purple (courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 3.0 US) to off-white (in header, courtesy of Hubert Szczygieł CC BY-NC 4.0); how many flowers/fruits a tree will produce (ripe fruit closeup courtesy of Kenneth R. Wood [NTBG] CC BY-NC 4.0; hundreds of unripe fruits courtesy of Kenneth R. Wood [NTBG] CC BY-NC 4.0); its many leaf colors (green leaves with yellow midrib courtesy of ka_y_ak CC BY-NC 4.0; light green and red leaves courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 3.0; dark green mature leaves with deep red new leaves courtesy of Danielle Frohlich CC BY-NC 4.0); and its mature size (small mature tree courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 3.0; large mature trees courtesy of J.B. Friday ©). While keeping a kōlea lau nui alive in a cultivated landscape has thus far proven to be extremely difficult, propagating and growing them in pots is quite a bit easier (Photograph of many young kōlea lau nui destined to be planted in a Maui restoration site courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 3.0; a considerably larger potted kōlea lau nui shows off its new pink leaves.). The red inner bark of kōlea lau nui, here revealed by the rubbings of ungulates, was used by Hawaiians to produce a dye for kapa (Photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 3.0 US.).
Description
Tree, Small, 15 to 30
Tree, Medium, 30 to 50
Long lived (Greater than 5 years)
Leaves of kōlea lau nui are 2 to 6 inches long.
The mature leaves are glossy light or dark green, while the liko (new leaves) are bright magenta, making it a stunning plant in the landscape.
Flowers are green-tinged purple or purple.
Kōlea lau nui blooms from fall through spring. Dark purple drupes usually grow along the upper stems of the plant.
Growth Requirements
General
For the forty years I (Koebele) have been propagating and growing native Hawaiian plants, I have yet to see a native Hawaiian Myrsine (any species) persist for more than a year or two in a cultivated landscape (e.g., pubic or private garden). In contrast, I have seen hundreds of native Myrsine, primarily M. lessertiana and M. lanaiensis, successfully propagated from seed and grown in pots (sometimes to two or more feet (61 cm) in height), most ultimately finding a permanent and long-lasting home within a restoration site (i.e., wild non-cultivated landscape). These two observations present a puzzle: Why do kōlea die when planted in cultivated soil? What soil pest(s) or disease(s), or environmental condition(s) kills them?
Given the above-described situation, my advice and request to anyone wishing to grow kōlea is: keep your kōlea in a pot well above the ground if you wish to keep it alive; and, if you are willing to sacrifice your plant, help us solve the puzzle of why kōlea die in cultivated landscapes so that we might ultimately find a "cure" to this problem. You can do this by: keeping detailed notes on any kōlea you plant in the ground (e.g., when and where, regular care, growth); conducting a thorough autopsy, particularly of your plant's roots when it dies; seeking professional help to determine the exact cause of your plant's death; and, most important, sharing this information with other native Hawaiian plant enthusiasts so we can collectively improve our cultivation methods. In regard to professional help, we recommend sending samples of your dead kōlea to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center to see if they can definitively determine why it died. Lastly, so we can help you share what you discover with others, please contact us at: EickhoffandKoebele@gmail.com. The following is some additional advice based on my past horticultural and field experiences with kōlea lau nui.
Use caution when transplanting as kōlea lau nui do not like root disturbance. [Rick Barboza, Hui Kū Maoli Ola]
Kolea lau nui can be feed with small amounts of a slow release fertilizer such as 8-8-8 every 3 to 6 months.
Full sun
Partial sun
Dry
When plant is well established, water twice a month or more during dry months.
Soil must be well drained
Pests and Diseases
Potted kōlea lau nui are attacked by numerous sap-sucking pests, including: aphids, mealybugs, scale insects, and thrips. Also, watch out for ants which often spread, farm, and protect these pests. Black twig borers can also sometimes become a problem. Refer to the Pests & Diseases page for ways to deal with each of the above-mentioned pests.
Uses
Ancient Hawaiian
Early Hawaiians used the strong wood for posts, gunwales for canoes, and beams in hale construction as well as to make anvils for beating kapa (tapa). [1,3]
The pinkish bark produces a red sap was used to make red dye and the wood charcoal to make black dye. [3]
The bark, leaves, and flowers of kōlea (Mysine spp.) were used medicinally to treat pāʻaoʻao (childhood disease, with physical weakening) and ʻea (thrush). [2]
Non Medicinal Uses: Bark for dye (Hillebrand 1888:280); wood for kapa anvils (kua kuku kapa) and charcoal/ashes for dye (Malo 1951:21); trunks and branches for posts and beams in house construction (Degener 1930:249; Lamb 1981:107); canoe gunwales (Krauss 1993:50). In the Ethnology Collection at Bishop Museum there is a post-contact example of the wood made into a bowl.
Modern
Kōlea is is still used today for wood craft. [6]
Special Features and Information
General
Myrsine is in the Primrose family or Primulaceae.
Family members include garden flowers such as shooting star (Dodecatheon spp.), and of course, primrose (Pruimula spp.). But perhaps the most recognizable member, in name at least, is the scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)--yes, a real plant, unlike the fictional character in the literature and play The Scarlet Pimpernel. Incidentally, this non-native is found in the islands and is generally considered a weed.
Kōlea lau nui (Myrsine lessertiana) is one of nineteen Myrsine spp. endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.
Other native family members include fourteen species of Lysimachia and the endemic kilioe (Embelia pacifica).
Studies have found that early Hawaiian settlements in Waimanalo, dating close to A.D. 450 [450 C.E.], have fire pits with charcoal of kōlea lau nui within them and thus indicating that these plants grew much lower in elevation than it does today. [Rick Barboza, Hui Kū Maoli Ola]
Hawaiian Name
All native Myoporum species in Hawai‘i are referred to as naio. This is also the name for a parasitic pinworm (Enterobius sp.), a type of seaweed, and an inferior kalo left in the field after harvest [Pukui & Elbert 1986].
Etymology
The etymology of Myrsine is somewhat confusing since the word is also used to describe an Attic girl in Greek mythology. Additionally, there are numerous spellings and forms of the Greek word μυρσίνη (myrsínē) referring to the myrtle plant, myrtle wreaths, and myrtle berries. The word is likely of Semitic origin but might also be pre-Greek [WikipediA;Mrysine(mythology)]. Gledhill [2008] claims Myrsine comes from Pedanius Dioscorides (c. 40–90 CE), a Greek physician, pharmacologist, and botanist who used the ancient name, mursinh, for the myrtle plant.
The species name, lessertiana, honors Jules Paul Benjamin Delessert (1773–1847), a French banker and naturalist who owned a private herbarium [The Bible of Botany].
Additional References
[1] "Plants in Hawaiian Culture" by Beatrice H. Krauss, pages 50, 325.
[2] "Native Hawaiian Medicine--Volume III" by The Rev. Kaluna M. Kaʻaiakamanu, pages 63-64.
[3] "Hawai'i's Plants and Animals--Biological Sketches of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park" by Charles P. Stone & Linda W. Pratt, page181.
[4] "Contemporary Woodworkers" by Tiffany DeEtte Shafto & Lynda McDaniel, page 206.
[5] "Common Forest Trees of Hawaii (Native and Introduced)" by Elbert L. Little Jr. and Roger G. Skolmen, page 312.
BPK