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
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