Diospyros sandwicensis ("Curcuma longa"), was placed on the "kuahu" (altar) inside of a "hālau hula" (building in which "hula" was performed). This block represented Laka, goddess of hula. The "pioi" (berries) are edible. Diospyros sandwicensis Diospyros sandwicensis is a species of flowering tree in the ebony family, Ebenaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It belongs to the same genus as both persimmons and ebony. Its common name, lama, also means enlightenment in Hawaiian. "Lama" is a small to medium-sized tree, with a height of and a trunk diameter of . It can be found in dry, coastal mesic, mixed mesic, and wet
Diospyros ovalifolia canopy layer of the forest, they are known as canopy trees. The plant is known as: Flowering and fruiting is usually in between March–August. Diospyros ovalifolia Diospyros ovalifolia, known as bastard ebony, is a tree in the family, Ebenaceae (Ebony family), endemic to the leeward side of South Sahyadri of Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka. Full grown trees usually stand 12m tall. Young branches are sparse-adpressed hairy. Leaves are simple, alternate, and distichous. Petiole is 0.5-1.0 cm long, canaliculate and glabrous. Lamina is 5-13 x 1.5–5 cm, usually narrow obovate. The leaf is coriaceous and glabrous with entire