Despite the prominance of coconut trees (niu) in our resorts and other (mostly) coastal areas, this large palm tree is an early Polynesian introduction.

Compare the large coconut next to the bench with the young one in the u‘ala pu‘e patch across the trail. Palm trunks do not start growing in height until the final width of the trunk is reached, which accounts for the fact that palm trunks are of the same diameter from just above the base to the crown.

The Hawaiians had a variety of uses of most parts of this plant. The trunk was made into house posts, small canoes, and drums. The fronds were used in basket weaving and as thatch; the midrib of the leaflets used to string kukui nuts to burn as torches. The fruit is especially useful, providing water and food for long canoe voyages; the husks were burned as a fuel or the separated fibers used to make sennit—a braided cordage—or as a strainer for kawa and other liquids. The hard interior shell can be a cup or a scooper.