The state of Hawaii recognizes the Kukui Nut Tree, also known worldwide as the Candlenut Tree, as its official state tree. State symbols reflect the unique heritage, natural beauty, and historical significance of a region. The Kukui was selected to represent Hawaii because of its profound and multifaceted relationship with the islands’ traditional culture and deep connection to the history of the Hawaiian people.
Identifying the Kukui Nut Tree
The Kukui Nut Tree, scientifically named Aleurites moluccana, is a broadleaf evergreen that can reach heights of up to 80 feet with a wide, spreading canopy. It is easily distinguishable by its pale, silvery-green to whitish foliage, a result of fine, light-colored hairs on the undersides of the leaves. The large leaves are often three- or five-lobed, sometimes compared to a star or a pig’s footprint.
Small, creamy white flowers bloom in clusters at the ends of the branches, typically between April and October. These flowers are followed by a round, thick-rinded fruit containing one or two large, hard-shelled kukui nuts. The kernels are remarkably rich in oil (up to 80% content), which is the source of its “candlenut” name. The Kukui arrived in Hawaii as one of the essential “canoe plants,” species brought by early Polynesian voyagers to sustain their new settlements.
Cultural and Practical Significance
The Kukui held a position of profound utility and spiritual meaning in traditional Hawaiian society. Its name, kukui, translates to “light” or “torch,” directly referencing the most famous use of its nuts. The oily kernels were strung together on coconut leaf midribs and lit, acting as clean-burning candles or torches, with each nut providing several minutes of illumination.
The oil pressed from the nuts was used in stone lamps, served as a protective coating for fishing nets, and was applied medicinally. Traditional practitioners used the oil to soothe various skin ailments, including chapped skin, burns, and sore muscles. Beyond the oil, nearly every part of the tree was utilized; the soft wood was used for lightweight canoes, and the inner bark yielded a red-brown dye for kapa cloth.
The soot from burned kukui nuts provided a deep black pigment essential for tattooing and painting designs onto canoes and kapa. The roasted and crushed nut kernels were also mixed with salt and seaweed to create inamona, a relish still used today as a seasoning for traditional Hawaiian dishes like poke. Symbolically, the tree represents enlightenment, protection, and peace, a meaning derived from its ability to provide light and guidance.
Official Designation and Conservation Status
The Kukui Nut Tree was officially designated as the arboreal symbol of Hawaii in 1959 by the 30th Territorial Legislature, just prior to the territory achieving statehood. The legislative resolution cited the tree’s beauty and the “multiplicity of its uses” for the ancient Hawaiians. This selection honored a plant deeply intertwined with the history and daily life of the islands’ people.
The Kukui is widely distributed across the Hawaiian Islands, thriving in moist lowland forests up to about 2,000 feet in elevation. Although introduced by early Polynesian settlers as a “canoe plant,” it has since become naturalized throughout the islands. The tree is not currently considered endangered and is quite abundant, often found in valleys and on mountain slopes, easily recognizable by its unique pale foliage. Continued cultivation and use of the kukui today helps to preserve the cultural knowledge surrounding this historically significant tree.