Kamani

Kamani

Kamani

Names

  • ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi: Kamani
  • Scientific: Calophyllum inophyllum

Species Information

Kamani is a low-branching evergreen tree with a broad crown of gnarled branches.  It is typically about 25-65 ft.  The bark is grey to dark brown.  Leaves grow opposite of one another in vertical rows on twigs.  The tree has fragrant white flowers with many stamens.  The fruits are ball-shaped and arranged in clusters.  They are light green and become yellow or brown as they ripen (Little and Skolmen, 2003).

The bark resin was useful in the treatment of ulcers in early Hawaiʻi (Rock, 1913).  The wood is used for calabashes and bowls.  The flowers, which smell like orange blossoms, were used to scent kapa (Abbott, 1992). 

Distribution

Kamani is native to tropical Asia, India, the coastal regions of east Africa, Australia and the Pacific region including Melanesia and Polynesia.  It has been introduced in tropical regions of Africa, the Americas, and the Caribbean (Friday and Okano, 2006).

Habitat

Found in coastal and low-elevation areas, most often cultivated but occasionally naturalized (Wagner et al., 1990).

Photos

Kamani

 

References & Additional Resources

  • Abbott, Isabella Aiona. Lā’au Hawai’i : Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants. Bishop Museum Press, 1992.
  • Friday, J. B., and Dana Okano. “Calophyllum inophyllum (kamani).” Species profiles for Pacific Island agroforestry 2.1 (2006): 1-17.
  • Little, E.L., Skolmen, R.G., Common forest trees of Hawaii.US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 2003.
  • Rock, Joseph F. The Indigenous Trees of the Hawaiian Islands. J.F. Rock, 1913, https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.30709.
  • Wagner, Warren L., Derral R. Herbst, and S. H. Sohmer.  Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i. University of Hawaii Press, 1990.