Mahakea has better than average potency with nice balanced effects. It shows a little bit of all the effects. It was once said that the ‘Awa Mahakea was one of the more common cultivars in the Hawaiian Forests. It grows fast, strong, and erect. It produces a large root stump within a couple of year. In DNA testing, it was shown that the Mahakea differs genetically from the other 13 strains though it could be said that it is genetically related to the Papa Kea.