bianca's Herb Patch : Akia
This plant, grown in Hawaii, is extremely poisonous. At one time the bark,
leaves, and roots were made into a drink used to execute condemned
criminals and for suicide.
This mixture is still used to make a poison to kill fish.
The fruit is so similar in color and size to ohelo berries (the berries
are various shades of red, yellow, and blue and are small in size) that
they are easily confused. However, akia berries have only a single seed
while the edible ohelo berry has numerous small seeds. The akia is usually
a shrub or a small tree and has many small branches;
the leaves are smooth on the edges while the bark is tough;
the flowers are small, inconspicuous, and yellow, and located at the end
of branches.