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
Hawaiian colicwood
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 (mature green leaves with yellow midrib courtesy of ka_y_ak CC BY-NC 4.0; light green mature and new pink leaves courtesy of Joel Lau ©; 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
Myrsine lessertiana is a morphologically and ecologically variable species, as evident by its numerous synonyms. I (Koebele) have tried to illustrate some of this variability in the photographs above.
Myrsine lessertiana is a small to medium-sized tree (up to 60 ft [18 m] tall) with a smooth to finely fissured light gray outer bark and a dark red inner bark. Its moderately hard wood is pinkish yellow with reddish brown rays. Smaller branches and stems typically have small but prominent bumps or knobs, the remains of flower/fruit attachments [Little & Skolmen 1989].
The leaves of Myrsine lessertiana are hairless, often shiny, elliptical to egg-shaped, and large (about 4 in [10 cm] long) when compared to many other Hawaiian Myrsine species such as M. sandwicensis. They are alternately arranged on the stem but are normally crowded near the stem's tip. Mature leaf color can range from light to dark green, often with a prominent yellow or red midrib; small veins are usually inconspicuous. New leaves, an attractive and prominent feature of Myrsine, develop as a tight cluster at the stem tip and range in color from light green (rare) to pink (common) to dark red (rare).
Myrsine lessertiana has small, off-white (with yellow) to light green to purple, four- to six-petaled, apparently perfect (bisexual) but possibly sometimes unisexual flowers (in which case plants are dioecious) [Wagner et al. 1990]. Flowers develop on short woody knobs. Based on a survey of available photographs, peak flowering of wild plants occurs during the winter and spring.
Pollinated flowers develop into small round green drupes that turn purplish black and soft when ripe (often in the summer). Within each fruit is one seed enclosed in a woody endocarp.
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), with 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), disease(s), or environmental condition(s) are killing them?
Given the above-described situation, my advice and request to anyone wishing to grow kōlea is: (1) keep your kōlea in a pot well above the ground if you wish to keep it alive; and, (2) if you are willing to sacrifice your plant, help us solve the puzzle of why kōlea die in cultivated landscapes so we might ultimately find a solution to this problem. You can do this by: (1) keeping detailed notes on any kōlea you plant in the ground (e.g., when and where, regular care, growth); (2) conducting a thorough autopsy, particularly of your plant's roots when it dies; (3) seeking professional help to determine the exact cause of your plant's death; and, (4) 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.
If possible, determine the natural habitat of the type of kōlea lau nui you are trying to grow. This can be important because kōlea lau nui are found in a wide range of very different habitats (see Natural Range & Environment above). Most of the kōlea lau nui that have been successfully propagated and grown to date are dry forest types which would likely fare better in most urban locations than a subalpine or bog type.
Wild kōlea lau nui have a wide range of acceptable light levels all the way from full sunlight to the understory shading of a closed forest. Therefore, again try to match the light level experienced by your kōlea lau nui to that of its parent, but also temper this by adjusting for the temperature and humidity of your location. For example, you should increase the shading for a plant kept in a hot and dry site.
When it comes to watering, I've always kept the media (or soil) surrounding the roots of my kōlea lau nui moist. However, as with most native Hawaiian plants, the media (or soil) should also quickly drain excess water. The media mixes I've used for my kōlea always had at least 33% black cinders or perlite.
Potted kōlea lau nui grow at a slow to moderate pace with a one-year-old seedling being about a foot (30 cm) or less in height. In my attempts to speed growth, I have applied either a balanced controlled-release fertilizer every six months or used a foliar fertilizer every couple of months. However, I truly don't know if this helped, since I never grew my kōlea without some type of fertilization.
Lastly, Rick Barboza, co-owner of Hui Ku Maoli Ola, says "be careful when transplanting because it doesn’t like it when its roots are bothered too much" [Hui Ku Maoli Ola].
Pests and Diseases
Kōlea lau nui are attacked by numerous sap-sucking pests, including: aphids, mealybugs, scale insects, spider mites, 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
Medeiros et al. [1998] provides an excellent review of the ancient uses of kōlea found in the literature, along with references. Here, I paraphrase their review, adding a few new supportive references and one possible medicinal use.
Hawaiians used kōlea logs for the posts and beams of hale (houses) as well as for kua kuku (the anvil on which kapa was beaten) [Degener 1973]. The wood was also fashioned into lā‘au kahi olonā or papa olonā, the boards used to scrape olonā for cordage [Summer 1990; He Make‘e Wa‘a], and manu (the bow and stern end pieces) and mo‘o (gunwales) of wa‘a (canoes) [Holmes 1981].
Hawaiian extracted a red dye from kōlea bark [Hillebrand 1888], and made a black dye from kōlea charcoal [Malo 1898/1903]. These were used to dye kapa.
Ka‘aiakamanu [2003] claims the bark, leaves, and flowers of kōlea were used medicinally.
Modern
According to the State of Hawai‘i DLNR, "Kōlea wood is still used today for woodcraft." However, Little & Skolmen [1989] contradict this, at least for Myrsine lessertiana, stating the wood "is moderately hard, easily worked and polished, and suitable for cabinetwork but not used at present." The only example of post-contact (i.e., after 1778) use I could find was a bowl in the Ethnology Collection at Bishop Museum [Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database].
Special Features and Information
General
The Primrose family or Primulaceae has a long and disputed taxonomic history involving the demotion and merger of former plant families such as Myrsinaceae. Today, most taxonomists think there are about 2,600 species in the family. Primulaceae has a worldwide distribution and includes both herbaceous and woody plants, including popular garden plants and wild flowers [Britannica].
There are about 20 formally-recognized species of native Myrsine in Hawai‘i, with a little more than half only found on Kaua‘i. Other native Primulaceae include: the endemic kilioe (Embelia pacifica); and about fifteen species of Lysimachia, with all but L. mauritiana considered to be endemic to Hawai‘i [Flora of the Hawaiian Islands].
Hawaiian Name
There are about 20 formally-recognized species of native Myrsine in Hawai‘i, with a little more than half only found on Kaua‘i. Only three Hawaiian Myrsine have species-specific names; ‘ōliko for M. helleri, kōlea lau nui for M. lessertiana, and kōlea lau li‘i for M. sandwicensis; while all the other native Myrsine are (today) referred to by the more generic name, kōlea.
Kōlea lau nui translates as "large leaf kōlea" [Pukui & Elbert 1986]. Unfortunately, this is not a very exclusive name, since several other Hawaiian Myrsine also have large leaves.
In addition to being the name for all the native Hawaiian Myrsine species, the word kōlea has other means, including:
the name for the Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis fulva) which winters on Hawaiʻi's main islands between August and May before migrating to Siberia and Alaska.
being used figuratively as a boast or a scornful reference to foreigners or a false friend.
a stepparent.
the name of a snail, the mottled periwinkle, probably Littorina pintado.
more recently, the Hawaiian word for Korea or Korean.
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 large private herbarium [The Bible of Botany].
BPK