diff --git a/opal/mca/mpool/memkind/configure.m4 b/opal/mca/mpool/memkind/configure.m4
index bc6e5a32863..0f9186bf9ac 100644
--- a/opal/mca/mpool/memkind/configure.m4
+++ b/opal/mca/mpool/memkind/configure.m4
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # -*- shell-script -*-
 #
-# Copyright (c) 2013-2014 Los Alamos National Security, LLC. All rights
+# Copyright (c) 2013-2018 Los Alamos National Security, LLC. All rights
 #                         reserved.
 # $COPYRIGHT$
 #
@@ -24,7 +24,11 @@ AC_DEFUN([MCA_opal_mpool_memkind_CONFIG],[
 	        opal_check_memkind_dir=$with_memkind
 	    fi
 
-	    OPAL_CHECK_PACKAGE([mpool_memkind], [memkind.h], [memkind], [memkind_malloc], [ -lnuma],
+            #
+            # look specifically for memkind_get_kind_by_partition since
+            # this branch of Open MPI uses this now deprecated API.
+            #
+	    OPAL_CHECK_PACKAGE([mpool_memkind], [memkind.h], [memkind], [memkind_get_kind_by_partition], [ -lnuma],
 	        [$opal_check_memkind_dir], [], [opal_mpool_memkind_happy="yes"], [])
 
 	    if test "$opal_mpool_memkind_happy" != "yes" -a -n "$with_memkind" ; then