The name Kiawe immediately brings to mind something smoke-flame-broiled flavor or a thorn that poked your foot. Our friend Justin added a few pieces of Kiawe wood after he got his fire going-burning grill. Lamb chops were enjoyed by all.
The first kiawe was planted in Hawaii in 1828; today it is a ubiquitous shade tree and invasive weed on the Hawaiian Islands, but provides firewood for heating and cooking.
Prosopis pallida (syn. Prosopis limensis) is a species of mesquite tree. It has the common names kiawe, huarango, and American carob, as well as "bayahonda" (a generic term for Prosopis) and "algarrobo blanco" (usually used for Prosopis alba). It is a thorny legume, native to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, particularly drier areas near the coast. While threatened in its native habitat, it is considered aninvasive species in many other places.
The kiawe is a spreading bush or moderately-sized tree, bearing spines, spikes of greenish-yellow flowers, and long pods filled with small brown seeds. It is a successful invasive species due to its ability to reproduce in two ways: production of large numbers of easily-dispersed seeds, and suckering to create thick monotypic stands that shade out nearby competing plants. It survives well in dry environments due to a long taproot. It is so efficient at extracting moisture from soil that it can kill nearby plants by depriving them of water. It can be found in areas where other plants do not grow, such as sandy, dry, degraded slopes, salty soils, disturbed areas, and rocky cliffs.
The tree grows quickly and can live for over a millennium. It makes a good shade tree, and its hard wood is a source of long-burning firewood and charcoal.[1] Kiawe pods can be used as livestock fodder, ground into flour, sweetened into molasses or turned into beer.[1] The light yellow flowers attract bees.
At times the tree was used to replace forest and prevent erosion, and once it was established it generally dominated the habitat. It was introduced to Puerto Rico and Hawaii as well as New South Wales and Queensland in Australia and is now considered to be naturalized in those places.
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