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.