Koa wilt it starts to produce microconidia, eventually clogging the xylem. Once the Koa tree dies, the fungus invades all tissues and, upon reaching the dead plant surface, sporulates profusely producing macroconidia and chlamydospores. The fungus can survive saprophytically in the soil, as either mycelium or as any of its three spore types mentioned. The chlamydospores, as the resting spores, survive the longest in the soils, usually under cold conditions. Koa trees occupy dry to mesic areas on the islands of Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi in elevations of 80 to 8,000 feet with 0 to 100 inches of rain.
Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa for "Mother and Son Brand", referring to the brand's logo) in Malaysia and Indonesia, also acronymed as OBIDA (as in "Obat Ibu dan Anak") in the latter country. The formula for "pei pa koa" was reportedly created by Dr. Ip Tin-See, a Qing Dynasty physician born about 1880. Yang Jin, a county commander, asked Doctor Ip to treat his mother's persistent cough. They were so impressed that they created a factory to mass-produce it. In 1946, the Yang family sold the business to Tse Sui-Bong, a medicine practitioner, who founded the Nin Jiom Medicine Manufactory. The company was formally incorporated