Santalum haleakalae, known as Haleakala sandalwood[3] or ʻIliahi in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering tree in the sandalwood family, that is endemic to the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Molokai in the Hawaiian Islands, part of the United States.

[6] This is a shrub or small tree with green, ovate leaves that are often glaucous and tinged purple, especially in var.

[6] The flowers are cream-colored to red in bud and cream to white when open, arranged in tight compound cymes.

[8] After learning of the lucrative global market in sandalwood in the late 18th century, Hawaiian nobles forced people of lower castes to harvest the wood of this and related trees, many of whom suffered or died in the process, resulting in famine due to abandoning food crops.

"[9] The trade in Hawaiian sandalwood ended around the middle of the 19th century, and while many ‘iliahi populations have recovered, large, old trees remain difficult to find.