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Sophora chrysophylla, known as māmane in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family, Fabaceae, that is Endemism to Hawaii. It is highly polymorphic, growing as a shrub or tree, and able to reach a height of in tree form. Yellow are produced in winter and spring.
The tree blooms in winter and spring. The height of the flowering season is in mid-spring. Māmane wood is dense, hard and durable. Legume are persistent, and remain on the tree for most of the year. They are twisted, brown to brownish-gray, have four wings and are long and usually wide. Seedpods are tightly constricted around the yellow-orange or brown to grayish-black , which are long. Untreated, the seeds have germination rates of less than 5%. The tree is Perennial plant and highly polymorphic.
In Herbalism, the are used as an astringent. The wood was also used in religious to ward off evil. A Kahuna (high priest) would wrap a piece of māmane wood in a dark kapa cloth and hold it up to symbolize authority.
To other animals, māmane seeds are highly poisonous. die within minutes after eating the seeds. The māmane employs a two-layered biochemical defence system: The seed coats contain some 4% natural phenol compounds, which give them a vile taste. They are also somewhat Toxicity and have a high Dietary fiber content. Seed predation trying to eat the seeds will probably not be killed but at least have a nasty experience. Should a predator be able to penetrate the seed coat, the embryo contains deadly quantities (>4% of dry weight) of quinolizidine alkaloids. For example cytisine, anagyrine, Dehydrolupanine, lupanine, Methylcytisine, and baptifoline (Banko et al. 2002). The palila and the moths, however, have Evolution the ability to deal with the poisonous compounds. The palila, for example, can deal with dozens of times the dose of cytisine that would kill a laboratory mouse. Both seed predators seem to be able to recognize and avoid the most poisonous trees. Cydia caterpillars are able to break up the toxic compounds. They do not sequester the alkaloids for their own use, but are found to contain about as much phenolic compounds as the seed coats do. This seems not to be sufficient to deter predators however as they are also crypsis colored. The palila is apparently impervious to the phenolic aroma (as they eat Cydia caterpillars which would smell and taste like the plant), discarding the seed coats due to their low nutritional value. How the palila deals with the toxins is not known.(Banko et al. 2002)
and Domestic sheep voraciously eat the seedpods of the plant, negatively impacting the tree's population. Toxicity of the leaves is unknown; it is notable that Uresiphita polygonalis virescens caterpillars which feed on the leaves have Aposematism coloration. Clearly, this issue requires further study. Ranch cattle can kill trees through stomping on the . Wildfire has also destroyed some of the trees, though it is generally resistant to fire, and can grow quickly after one occurs. As regards plant disease, the canker Ascomycota Botryosphaeria mamane causes witch's broom disease, which kills heavily-infected trees (Gardner 1997). Māmane grows well in areas where there are no sheep or goats, and cattle populations are limited. The plant is being reforestation in order to increase the population of both the tree itself and the palila, and revive the indigenous ecosystem.
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