Kou
Names
- ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi: Kou
- Scientific: Cordia subcordata
Growing Needs
- Full sun
- Moderate moisture
- Can grow 15-40 feet tall
Species Information
Kou is a canoe plant brought by Native Hawaiians and spread across the Hawaiian Islands. This species was valued as a carving wood due to the beauty of its grain and ease of cutting and carving. Medicinally, Kou was used to treat ‘ea (thrush). This tree can be distinguished by showy orange flowers that are one to two inches in diameter. Its flowers are used in lei.
Kou thrives in sunny, sandy, and salty shoreline habitats, providing shade and attracting pollinators.
It is sometimes confused with the Florida Cordia sebestena (Geiger tree), but kou’s flowers are softer orange (Geiger’s are bright red-orange), and its wood is lighter and smoother. Kou is native and non-invasive, while the Geiger tree is an introduced species.
Distribution
Inidgenous to Niʻihau, Lehua, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui, Hawaiʻi Island (Bishop Museum)
Habitat
Dry forests, coastal lowlands, lava flows, arid ridges
References & Additional Resources
- Cordia subcordata, Plants of Hawaiʻi Database, Bishop Museum
- Cordia subcordata, University of Hawaiʻi
