Ka `ili hau pa kai o `Alio.
(The hau bark, wet by the sea sprays of `Alio.)
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Other Hawaiian name:
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Vau, Fau
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English name:
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Hibiscus
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Family name:
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Malvaceae (Mallow family)
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Scientific name:
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Hibiscus tiliaceus
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Introduced By:
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Polynesian introduction
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Origin:
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The Old World
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HABITAT
The hau is common near the sea in many tropical countries. It is a typical strand plant, although it thrives anywhere from sea level to 2000 ft. elevation.
CHARACTERISTICS
Stem: Hau is a perennial tree that can grow either as an erect, bushy, with horizontally spreading crown or gnarled, crooked tree of medium or low height. It can form a creeping jungle of impenetrable network of trunks and branches. Long stems can recline and form roots when they touch the ground.
Leaves: The leaves are rounded heart-shaped, from 2-12 inches in diameter, leathery with straight or scalloped edges, nearly smooth top and the under surface is white with matted hairs.
Flower: It produces hibiscus-looking flowers that are yellow with dark red centers at the ends of branches. As the day progresses, the color changes to dull orange and by night to dull red.
Fruit: An ovoid fruit in capsule about 1 inch long with five valves and three smooth seeds.
ECONOMIC VALUES
Hau yields a light-weight, tough white wood that was highly valued in traditional Hawaii. To cut the tree, a permission from the village chief was necessary. The hau branches were piled on the shoreline to indicate a fishing kapu, especially when spawning was ongoing in that area. The pith of the stem was soft and can be used to make fire. Since the wood is buoyant in water, it was used for fish net floats, as well as light-weight practice spears, massage sticks, brooms and cross-beams for kites.
When the inner bark is retted, a hau cordage (`ili hau) can be extracted which had many uses to the Polynesians. In Tahiti, where the plant is called fau or purau, the bark yields fiber and the leaves are used for plates and oven covers. In Samoa, the bark is used for straining kava and the fibers are made into siva skirts. In Mexico, the wood is used for cork; the bark for cordage; and the flowers, roots and bark were used medicinally. In Hawaii, the slimy sap of the flower bud was used as a mild laxative.
Hawaiian legends tell of hau as the visible form of Manoa wind and Hina's sister was changed into a hau tree. Tahitian legend say that the hau is the grandchild of heaven & earth.
Niu maka o nola`ela`e.
(Green coconuts for clear vision.)
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English name: |
Coconut
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Family name:
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Arecaceae (Palm family)
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Scientific name:
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Cocos nucifera
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Introduced by:
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Polynesian introduction
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Origin:
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The West Pacific and Indian Ocean Islands, was brought here by early migrations or by water currents.
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HABITAT
The niu thrives best in sandy soil along the shores of the tropics. It is very common in Polynesia, Malaysia, India and northern Australia. Sri Lanka is said to have about 14% of the world's acreage of coconuts.
CHARACTERISTICS
Stem: Niu has a tall, slender, gracefully leaning ringed trunk that can grow to 100 feet tall. The trunk is thickest at the base. There are some horticultural varieties that are short-trunked.
Leaves: The leaves are clustered at the top of the trunk, about 6-18 feet long, consist of many narrow leaflets that are about 1-3 feet long.
Flowers: There are many small male flowers on long branches and several female flowers at the base of each branch.
Fruit: When the female flowers are fertilized, they develop into a drupe (1-seeded fleshy fruit). In the case of niu, asmooth thick husk surrounds the hard, thin-shelled nut. Inside the fruit is a layer of thin solid endosperm or meat (oily, edible pulp) and a single embryo directly behind the soft pore of shell. The water proof husk and shell keep the embryo alive up till 4 months of floating in salt water.
ECONOMIC VALUES
Coconut is said to be the most useful tree in Asia as every part of the plant is of some economic use to humans. The fruit has been nicknamed "monkey's face" because of the two eyes and a mouth on the coconut shell. The sun-dried endosperm becomes "copra" that is the main source of oil for many industrial uses. The husk is used as a fiber called sennit or coir. The custard-like flesh of young nuts is good food for babies and can be substituted for cow's milk. When the meat matures it can be grated and produce coconut milk.
The hard wood of the tree trunk was used for fish spears, posts, furniture and construction. The terminal leaf buds and pith of trees are eaten raw. The flower stalk can be cut and its sap collected to yield sugar, wine, arrack (distilled from wine) and vinegar. The alcoholic beverage is about 8% alcohol content and is called "toddy" in India, 'tuba" in Philippines and "tuwak" in Indonesia. Niu is high in saturated fat (90%). There are many myths associated with niu (Samoan, Tahitian, Chinese, Indian and Hawaiian myths). It can also be used as medicinal for constipation, sorethroat, toothaches, etc.
He kukahi au, he wauke no Kuloli.
(I stand alone, for I am a wauke plant of Kuloli.)
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English name:
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Paper Mulberry
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Family name:
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Moraceae
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Scientific name:
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Broussonetia papyrifera
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Introduced by
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Polynesian Introduction
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Origin:
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Eastern Asia
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HABITAT
Thrives well in places along streams, in woods, hollows or uneven grounds, in dry taro patches, in moist land where water flows. It is a species of the Hawaiian wet forests.
CHARACTERISTICS
Leaves: It is a tree or shrub up to 50 ft. tall, with heart-shaped and finely serrated lobed leaves with long petioles (stalks). Mature leaves of wauke are coarse and thick, with a texture like sandpaper. Hawaiians recognize a form called po`a`aha that has softer mature leaves , with velvety texture and rounded form.
Flowers: Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. The female flowers form round heads, about 1 inch in diameter, fuzzy with long stigmas and hairy bracts.
Fruit: Fruit is 1 inch in diameter, round and orange.
ECONOMIC VALUES
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In Hawaii, tapa (kapa) was made from wauke which was their primary clothing (skirts, capes, loin cloths, sandals) and for bed clothes, (being washable, warm, flexiblre durable and resistant to water). The bark cloth (kapa) that was made by Hawaiians bore unique features. First, the Hawaiians beat the fibers with beaters that had designs carved into them, this would leave a watermark on the cloth. Second, they used colors not found on other kapa, reds, blues, pink, green, and yellow. Most other cultures focused on just brown and black. Finally, the Hawaiians used very uniform geometric designs with the bamboo printers.
The sap is used medicinally as laxative. Ashes from burned tapa was used as medicine for `ea (thrush). Strips of coarse tapa were worn around a nursing mother's neck for milk flow. A Hawaiian legend about Hina and her tapa making. The sun always hurried across and did not allow Hina's tapa to dry. So her son, Maui went to sunrise and caught the sun's first ray and broke it off. Ever since the sun has traveled slowly allowing Hina's tapa to dry. Today, tapa making that uses wauke, is a thriving industry in Samoa, where tapa is known as siapo. In Hawaii, wauke is rare and the tapa industry is almost non existent.
