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 virginiana to vary in the character and quality of its fruit, in size this varies from that of a large cherry to a small apple. Some trees in the south produce fruit that is delicious without the action of the frost, while adjoining trees produce fruit that never becomes edible. It was brought to England before 1629 and is cultivated, but rarely if ever ripens its fruit. It is easily raised from seed and can also be propagated from stolons, which are often produced in great quantity. The tree is hardy in the south of England and in the Channel Islands.