Below is a portion of the state tree resolution. The kukui thrives in moist tropical regions. It is native to Polynesia and South Seas Islands, Malaysia, the Malay Peninsula, and the Philippines. It has also been widely introduced in areas with similar growing conditions, including the Gulf Coast of the United States. Because the kukui has the lightest foliage of all Hawaiian trees, it is very easy to see from a distance.
Kukui trunks are often twisted and sprawling on the ground.
But the trees may grow straight upward to heights of more than eighty feet when cramped in narrow gorges. The trees branch thirty feet or more above the ground. Small white flowers tinged with green blossom at the end of the branches. The flowers are often used in leis. Leis made from polished kukui nuts are also highly prized.