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Glite Dictionary
🌳 A Hawaiian tree 🪵 Light wood
wiliwili

wiliwili

1 9.9
A small Hawaiian tree that grows in dry forests and has bright orange seeds
  • noun
  • /ˌwiːliˈwiːli/
  • US
: wiliwili
  • The wiliwili tree produces bright red seeds that can be found scattered across the dry forests of Hawaii.

Examples

  • Here, students participate in projects like caring for worms inside the vermiculture bin and collecting more than 30,000 seeds from the native wiliwili trees, which are threatened by a parasitic wasp.

    Academic text (2006)

  • After a hike, we spotted a grove of native wiliwili trees known for their vibrant leaves and unique seeds.

  • Local artisans often use the lightweight wood of the wiliwili tree for delicate carvings and crafts.

Surface Forms

wiliwili singular
wiliwilis plural

Etymology

The word wiliwili comes from the Hawaiian name for this small tree, and the part wili means 'to twist', which fits the tree's twisted branches and bright orange seeds, so the name helps you remember the tree.