Barringtonia asiatica

Barringtonia asiatica

Barringtonia asiatica

Fish Poison Tree, contains a chemical compound called saponin that is toxic to fish and other cold blooded animals. When Onomea was a fishing village, Hawaiians would make a pulp of this plant to extract the phytochemical and stun fish in freshwater streams and tide pools for easy catching. While the level of toxicity is low, some people find they are allergic or sensitive to it while eating quinoa or other saponin-containing legumes. You can find this tree by Crab Cove.