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 ebonasea sets have dark streaks. The overall coloring is similar to ziricote, with black and dark gray colors highlighted by subtle reddish brown and/or green hues. Diospyros ebonasea Malaysian blackwood (Diospyros ebonasea), is a species of flowering tree in the family Ebenaceae that is endemic to the forests of Malaysia. Malaysian blackwood is a nickname of this wood, but actually this wood is one of the ebony family in the world. Malaysian blackwood is a premium tonewood that is well suited for all sorts of guitars. It has become a favorite of several well-known high-end luthiers, and its popularity is growing.