Kauila in Hawaiian Culture: You would not mistake the leaf from a Colubrina for the leaf of an Alphitonia. And, if I gave you a mixed bag of Colubrina and Alphitonia fruits, you could easily sort them into separate piles. Why, then, did Hawaiians give these two distinct trees the same name? It was, of course, because of the wood. The wood of both Alphitonia and Colubrina is incredibly dense and heavy. So much so that a piece of kauila wood sinks in water. And, it was kauila wood, not the fruits or leaves, Hawaiians prized. From it, they made their finest tools and weapons, kāhili, game pieces, and figurines. Sometimes, hale beams were made of kauila. And, kauila pegs were favored for repairing wooden bowls (Krauss 1993). Even kauila splinters were not discarded but fashioned into hairpins (Lamb 1981). Lastly, both medicine and a dye were made from the bark and leaves (Krauss 1993).
Collecting Seeds: Colubrina fruits ripen from late spring through early fall. However, older fruits are often visible on the tree into the winter. And, if you’re willing to spend some time, you can find good seeds littering the ground beneath a tree. The ripe fruits are greenish-brown to black, dry, hard, and about ½ inch in diameter. If the fruits are greenish-brown, place them in a paper bag or similar container for about one month to further ripen. Crack the ripe fruits open with pliers; the fruit normally separates into three capsules, each containing one brownish-black seed. Wait a day for the capsules to dry further since this will make it much easier to remove the seed from its chamber. Depending upon the source, nearly all to almost none of the seeds will contain viable embryos. Therefore, you should test the seeds before sowing or storage by placing them in water; seeds with well-developed embryos will sink, and those without will float. Colubrina seed remains viable for at least ten years if stored in the refrigerator.
Growing from Seed: Soak Colubrina seeds 1-2 days before scarring with sandpaper or a nailclipper. While soaking, some of the seeds will swell to about twice their dry-size; directly sow these without scarring. Using Method One, the seeds take 1-4 weeks to germinate. Occasionally, seeds will swell and the seedcoat will split open but the embryo does not germinate (i.e., there is no root growth). After 1-2 weeks these embryos become putrid. Why this happens is not clear. Perhaps, these embryos are genetically defective, the result of inbreeding. Or, it could be a disease that only attacks/afflicts some of the seeds in the germination tray. Very young seedlings (before true leaf development) are also susceptible to a damping-off fungus that attacks the young stem causing it to blacken, shrink, and fail (to support the cotyledons). If detected early, you can save the seedling by painting the stem with a sulfur paste; a cotton swab works well as a paintbrush. Painting seedling stems with sulfur as a preventative to this disease is also an option since the sulfur doesn’t seem to harm normal healthy seedlings. Seedling growth is good (six inches in about three months), particularly, if you use a liquid fertilizer once or twice a week. Colubrina seedlings are susceptible to broad mites; leaf loss is a common symptom. Eliminate the mites, invisible to the naked eye, with repeated treatments of sulfur (see Enemies in the Garden). I normally plant out Colubrina seedlings when they reach 8-10 inches in height.
Growing from Cuttings: I have occasionally grown Colubrina from cuttings using Method Two (mist system) but the resulting plants sometimes do not grow as straight as those grown from seed and are prone to falling over. The cuttings take 2-4 months to root.
Growth in the Garden: Planted in full sun, Colubrina grows at a moderate rate of about one foot a year. Young trees (less than ten years old) are shrub-like with many side branches while older Colubrina develop into proper-looking trees with one or two main trunks. I’ve often been tempted to prune away the side branches of a young Colubrina to discover if this would hasten vertical growth and a widening of the main truck – but I’ve always lacked the courage. Colubrina begins flowering and fruiting after only a couple of years (i.e., two to three feet in height). However, these early fruits often contain nonviable seeds.
Diseases & Pests: The greatest threat to Colubrina in the garden is the black twig borer. This pest can be fatal to young plants of two years or less. After this, the borer cannot deliver a fatal hit to the main truck but rather slows the growth of the tree by killing its numerous thinner branches; this damage also makes the tree unsightly. Several factors regulate the amount of damage caused by the black twig borer to Colubrina. First, there is the plant’s location. Expect the most damage in damp, shady, windless sites and the least in dry, sunny, windy locations. Second is the health of the tree. Occasionally watering your Colubrina to avoid drought-stress will reduce or eliminate twig borer attacks. However, do not overwater your plant or you’re likely to face new problems from unfriendly soil microbes. Third is the prompt removal of infested branches. Twigborer larvae within the dead branch take time to mature and then spread to new healthy branches. If you prune away and dispose of the infested branches quickly you can break the cycle of infestation. Disposing of the branches means taking them far offsite — don’t just toss them onto your compost pile.
Ā ā Ē ē Ī ī Ō ō Ū ū
