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 leucomelas Diospyros leucomelas Diospyros leucomelas (marble ebony, bois d'ebene marbre or bois d'ebene a veines) is a species of tree endemic to Mauritius. This low, multi-stemmed tree species resembles the related species "Diospyros egrettarum" (and less so "Diospyros revaughanii") in its dark, rectangular, leathery leaves, rounded leaf-base, very short petiole, and short fruits. "Diospyros leucomelas" can be distinguished by the red midribs of its leaves though, which remain into adulthood and become especially prominent on the leaf undersides. Like the coastal "Diospyros egrettarum" it was most common along the eastern coast of Mauritius. However "D.leucomelas" usually grew at mid altitudes, slightly