KOA: Considered the monarch of all Hawaiian indigenouse wood, it is the most prized of all the native trees & was used in making of fleets of canoes and great voyaging vessels. In the ancient times, a kings' power was directly related to his control over the Koa forests. During the Hawaiian monarch, European furniture makers treasured the wood for its exquisite beauty in the art of fine furniture making. Today it only grows on the Big Island and Maui and is treasured worldwide for its beautiful character and various colors.
NORFOLK ISLAND PINE: This tree, native to Norfolk Island, is a simple yet beautiful species. It consists of a wood with a lustrous straw color, also having reddish knots circling through out. It can also have dark gray streaks running through the grain, creating a very distinctive pattern adding to the luster of the finished piece of art.
MILO: This seaside tree, used to make poi calabash and other containers was revered by the ancient Hawaiians because of its beautiful coloring and extreme hardness of the wood. It is brown with dark streaks running throughout the wood and has contrasting cream-colored sapwood. Milo is also very rare due to its growth near the ocean and the over development of the Hawaiian shoreline.
MANGO: The tree, native to India and well known for its sweet fruit, has a beautiful light-colored wood with curly patterns. Its commonly stained naturally by bacteria during its drying process, producing hues of gray, vibrant yellow, outlandish pink, bright orange, and contrasing green.
LYCHEE: Introduced to Hawaii in 1876 from SE China, its fruit is a favorite of the local people. Its wood is also prized for its has many different shades of color that run along its grown rings and grain, which gives its unique "calico" look. Very dense in nature, it is difficult to work with, though the end results brings about a work of truly exquisite art.
KAMANI: Introduced by the native Hawaiians, this beautiful oceanside tree grows into magnificent specimens of 60' or more. Hawaiians used the wood for calabash bowls and extracted medicinal oil from the seeds. The wood being reddish brown in hue, also has a pronounced figure on tangential faces imparted by tissue and interlocked grain, creating a truly unique look.
OHIA: As the first tree to appear on new lava flows, Hawaiians believed the trees were sacred to Pele, Volcano Goddess. The wood is heavy, very hard and strong. It was used for the carving of statues, spears & mallet's because of the durable fine-grained texture of the wood. The sapwood is pale brown, progresssing to reddish-brown & grayish heartwood, and on rare occassions displaying beautiful figure.
MULANG: Also called Won-lan or Orange Champak, this tree Michelia Champaca is esteemed by Hindu and buddists and is often planted on temple grounds.
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