Euphorbia haeleeleana Euphorbia haeleeleana Euphorbia haeleeleana, the Kauai spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the croton family, Euphorbiaceae, that is endemic to the islands of Kauai and Oahu in Hawaii. Like other Hawaiian spurges it is known as `akoko. It inhabits dry, coastal mesic, and mixed mesic forests from . Associated plants include ōhia lehua ("Metrosideros polymorpha"), koa ("Acacia koa"), lama ("Diospyros sandwicensis"), kukui ("Aleurites moluccanus"), aalii ("Dodonaea viscosa"), wiliwili ("Erythrina sandwicensis"), hala pepe ("Pleomele" spp.), ohe kukuluāeo ("Reynoldsia sandwicensis"), and āulu ("Sapindus oahuensis"). Kauai Spurge is a small tree, reaching a height of . It is threatened by habitat
Mauna Kea State Recreation Area. A band of ranch land on Mauna Kea's lower slopes was formerly "Acacia koa" – "Metrosideros polymorpha" (koa-ōhia) forest. Its destruction was driven by an influx of European and American settlers in the early 19th century, as extensive logging during the 1830s provided lumber for new homes. Vast swathes of the forest were burned and cleared for sugarcane plantations. Most of the houses on the island were built of koa, and those parts of the forest that survived became a source for firewood to power boilers on the sugarcane plantations and to heat homes. The once vast