Acacia koa Acacia koa Acacia koa is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, where it is the second most common tree. The highest populations are on Hawaii, Maui and Oahu. Its name in the Hawaiian language, koa, also means brave, bold, fearless, or warrior. Koa is a large tree, typically attaining a height of and a spread of . In deep volcanic ash, a koa tree can reach a height of , a circumference of , and a spread of . It is one of the fastest-growing Hawaiian trees, capable of
Lesser koa finch cattle and created ranches in the koa forests, the younger koa trees began to be trampled by the cows. The cows also stripped the leaves off the trees at a faster rate than the leaves normally fell. The older trees were too tall to be defoliated, but their roots were kicked and pulled out, causing them to grow weak and eventually die. With the loss of the native koa trees the last birds began to die off. Finally, the bird was never seen after the year 1891. It is also noted that there were only two confirmed sighting of the