Dodonaea viscosa

PLANT NAME: Dodonaea viscosa Jacq.

COMMON NAMES: ‘A’ali’i, ‘a’ali’i kü makani (“‘a’ali’i upright in the wind”) [Hawai’i]; ake, akeake, akerantangi [Nz]; alipata [Philipines (Tagalog)]; ‘apiri [Tahiti]; bandari [India]; calapinai [Philipines (Tagalog)]; candlewood, dogwood [Bahamas]; chacataya [Bolivia]; chamana [Ecuador, Peru]; chamiso [Argentina]; chanamo, hayuelo [Colombia]; chapuliztle, cuerco de calva, granadina [Mexico]; chulita [Guatemala]; florida hopbush, hopshrub [England]; gansies [Afrikan]; gelampaya, serengan laut [Malaya]; gitaran [Puerto Rico]; granadillo, hayo [Venezuela]; hopbush, native hop [Australia]; hopwood [England]; kabunda [Congo]; kankerbos [Afrikan]; kayu berthi. letup letup [Malaya]; kayu mesen, kisig, mesen [Java]; kharata [India]; mai pek [Thailand]; manglier petites feuilles [Haiti]; mukusao, umusasa [Congo]; native birch, native lignum vitae [Tasmania]; sanatha [Pakistan]; sanatta [Sanskrit]; switch sorrel [Jamaica]; vassoura vermelha [Brazil]; vrali [Spain]; walaytinahndi [Hindi]; yxichapulin [Aztec].

FAMILY: Sapindaceae.

TOXICITY: Mildly Toxic. Dodonaea contains small amounts of cyanogenic toxins: plant materials that can cause cyanide poisoning.

RANGE: Tropics and subtropical areas world-wide.

HABITAT: Sandy and rocky soil from coastal regions up to 8200′. Likes it sunny, hot and dry. Wind, pruning, and drought tolerant. By Hawaiian standards, ‘a’ali’i is “one tough buggah.”‘A’ali’i is one of the few native Hawaiian plants that responds well to fire. It will reintroduce itself to an area quickly after a fire, and, along with ‘öhi’a (Metrosideros polymorpha) and kupukupu (Nephrolepis multiflora), is a frequent volunteer on recent lava flows

NOTES ‘N QUOTES
The first written record of use in Hawai’i was 1922.
There are 65 species in the genus Dodonaea, 59 of which are endemic to Australia.