Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_acacia_koaia
Dwarf koa
Acacia koaia
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About Dwarf koa
Dwarf koa (Acacia koaia) is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and recorded on Kauaʻi. Small tree about 4.5–9 m tall with a canopy that may spread about 6 m.
Kauaʻi evidence
Accepted status, Kauaʻi occurrence, nativity, growth form, and names were audited against the 2026 Smithsonian checklist and linked habit source. No scientific synonym was listed in the reviewed census source. The 1918–1959 Kauaʻi reforestation working register records 1,831 plants under Acacia koaia across 3 entries dated 1930–1933. These are recorded planting quantities, not counts of surviving trees, and they do not by themselves establish current persistence, naturalization, or ecological impact. Source: Kauaʻi Reforestation Plantings 1918–1959 working register (user-supplied; reconciled 6 October 2026).
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Acacia koaia
- Common names
- Dwarf koa
- Hawaiian names
- Koa ʻohā · Koaiʻa · Koaiʻe
- Other names
- Acacia koaia · Dwarf koa · Koa ʻohā · Koaiʻa · Koaiʻe
- Record type
- Species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Recorded on Kauaʻi
- Origin
- Endemic
- Conservation status
- Smithsonian checklist assessment: Vulnerable; U.S. status: No Status
- Evidence date
- 2026-10-05
- Evidence limits
- Island-level occurrence is retained; finer locality is intentionally withheld
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Dry native forest · Mesic native forest
- Food and resource needs
- Light, water, nutrients, and suitable native-forest substrate
- Reproduction
- Viable flowers or seed and suitable establishment conditions; species-specific reproductive review remains open
- Shelter
- Suitable native vegetation structure and substrate
- Growth form
- Tree
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Species-specific threat review pending; no fine-location evidence is published in this card
- Conservation actions
- Protect native habitat and verify species-specific actions against current conservation sources
- Monitoring
- Taxonomic identity, population condition, recruitment, and locally documented pressures; exact locations withheld
- Data gaps
- Species-specific ecology and threat citations · Reproductive phenology · Fine-scale habitat information intentionally not published
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Not assessed
- Seasonal description
- Dwarf koa (Acacia koaia) is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and recorded on Kauaʻi. Small tree about 4.5–9 m tall with a canopy that may spread about 6 m.