Endemic Indigenous Polynesian
Introduced Introduced *endangered
species
Kalama
Garden Keawe
Garden Whole
Plant Flowers Leaves
Pili grass can be found
at Kalama Garden, as well as the garden outside of the
girls dorms, near Keawe gym.
Pili grass' natural
habitat is dry land up on cliffs and ledges in 700m elevation.
It can also be found on rocky slopes, they also require
summertime moisture.
Pili grass is indigenous
to Hawaii, and was used to thatch the old Hawaiian's
hale. It was also used for black dye. Pili means to stick
together, it was named pili because of the way it sticks
to the neighbors as it grows. Pili grass is rapidly diminishing
on Oahu and Molokai.
This site will show you
information on the tangle head plant, including general
description, seedlings, mature plant, roots, florets,
etc. By viewing this web page,
you are able to view pictures of the uses of pili grass. Heteropogon
contortus(Black speargrass) This site shows a more
detailed description on pili grass.
Carlson, Norman K.
"Three Grasses' Struggle for Supremacy on the Island of
Molokai." Journal of Range Movement: The American Society
of Range Management. January 1952. March 2003. <http://jrm.library.arizona.edu/data/1952/051/3carl.pdf>. Gustafson, Sohmer R.
Plants and Flowers of Hawai'i. Hawai'i: University
of Hawaii Press, 1987. Information on California's
Noxious Weeds. Bob Roberson, Branch Chief. 22 Feb.
2001. University of California. 19 March 2003 <pi.cdfa.gov/weedinfo/HETEROPO2.html>. Krauss, Beatrice H.
Plants in Hawaiian Culture. Hawaii: University
of Hawaii Press, 1993. Lamoureux, Charles
H. Trailside Plants of Hawaii's National Parks.
Hawaii: Hawaii Natural History Association,
1976. Plants Database.
USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/topics.cgi).
National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490
USA. March 9, 2003. Stone, Charles P.,
Linda W. Pratt. Hawai'i's Plants and Animals. Hawai'i:
University of Hawaii Press. 1994. Wagner, Warren L.,
and Deral R. Hervst. Flowering Plants of Hawai'i.
Vol. 2. Hawaii: Bishop Museum Press, 1990. Whistler, Arthur. Wayside
Plants of the Island. Hong Kong: Everbest Printing
Company. 1995.
Tanglehead
Pili
Heteropogon contortus
Reproduction:
Cultivation:
Web page created by Kamehameha Middle School Koa Team Students: Rachel and Stephanie |
© Kamehameha Schools. All rights reserved. Statements of Privacy, Copyright, and Disclaimer. |