Ko

The ko is a tree native to the waterlogged mist forests of Nahele'opua in southwestern Okaluan. Ko trees can reach a massive 100 meters in height. Their roots grow above and below the hot, bubbling, sulfurous muddy water of the region, interweaving with their neighboring ko trees. Their branches likewise interweave.

Ko are leafless except for the last few feet at the canopy. Their foliage are large, seven lobed, dark purple leaves. In spring the canopy of Nahele'opua explodes in pink when the trees are in flower to be pollinated by native insects. In the summer, dark red, dart-shaped fruit develops. When ripe, the fruit falls like an arrow, plunging deep into the soft mud of the forest floor in order to germinate. These fruit are food to many of the forest’s inhabitants, including the native tua people.

Scientific Name

Rhizophora gigans

Geographic Distribution

• Nahele'opua