Santalum freycinetianum


Santalum freycinetianum, the forest sandalwood, Freycinet sandalwood, or Iliahi, is a species of flowering tree in the European mistletoe family, Santalaceae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Its binomial name commemorates Henri Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet, a 19th-century French explorer. Iliahi inhabits dry, coastal mesic, mixed mesic, and wet forests on Oahu, Kauai, Lānai, Maui, and Molokai at elevations of. It grows in areas that receive of annual rainfall. Like other members of its genus, iliahi is a root hemi-parasite, deriving some of its nutrients from the host plant; common hosts include koa, koaia, and aalii.

Varieties

Non-medicinal

The laau ala of iliahi contains valuable, aromatic essential oils. Trees were harvested for export to China between 1791–1840, where the hard, yellowish-brown wood was made into carved objects, chests, and incense. The iliahi trade peaked from 1815 to 1826. Native Hawaiians used the wood to make pola, the deck on a waa kaulua. Powdered laau ala was used as a perfume and added to kapa cloth.

Medicinal

s combined leaves and bark of the iliahi with naio ashes to treat kepia o ke poo and liha o ka lauoho. Iliahi shavings mixed with awa, nioi, ahakea, and kauila was used to treat sexually transmitted diseases.