Pollen used as aphrodisiacs. Limbs of the male tree were hallowed out and used for irrigating taro patches. Limbs of the female tree were used for house timber. Description - Widely branching tree or shrub with a twisted look. Leaves long, thin, tough and durable.
Female trees produce pineapple like fruits.
The fruit turns yellow, orange or red on ripening. The fruit of hala can float for long periods of time and that's how hala spread from island to island throughout the Pacific. Twisted look to trunk trunk and limbs. Common on aa lava fields, usually 1K to 2K elevation. Hawaiian uses - Rarely cultivated due to the wood being soft and unstable wood.