Ki

This picture was taken from Koa photo gallery

Hawaiian name:Ti (or Kī)
Botanical name:Cordyline terminalis

Ki
KI is also known as the good luck tree. Its original name is Ti.
The natural habitat of the Ki plant is at the edges of rain forests and in wet, and moist areas. Ki is known for its useful la‘i. Ki is found anywhere that provides the right environment. It is planted around dwellings by stem cuttings and also grows untended in the lower forests. Its leaves can grow up to 7.5 to 12.5 cm wide. It was a fast growing woody plant that reached from 3 to 12 feet in height. Its texture is broad, smooth and its color is green. Ki leaves are used to wrap laulau (a Hawaiian food of bundled pork or fish wrapped in leaves) and to cover the imu (An underground oven). The stem is thick which grows in an upward position. The width can vary from 5 to 7.5 cm.
In the old Hawaiian days, the ki was said to be found around or near taro patches, or lo'ï. Hawaiians believed that the leaves from the ki would cure fever. They would wrap a warm stone on the sore part of their back with several ki leaves. Ki was considered sacred to the Hawaiian god, Lono, and to the goddess of the hula, Laka. It was also an emblem of high rank and divine power. The kahili, in its early form, was a ki stalk with its clustered foliage of glossy, green leaves at the top. The kahuna priests in their ancient religious ceremonial rituals used the leaves as protection. Ki planted around dwellings is thought to ward off evil.

Bibliography:
Medicinal Plants. 14 March 2006<http://kalama.doe.hawaii.edu/~designz/drafts.mplant.htm>.
N_ Mea Kanu o Kamehameha. Kamehameha Middle School Koa Team Students. 15 February 2006<http://kms.kapalama.ksbe.edu/projects/2003/plants/ulu/index.html>.
The Ahupua´a. Honolulu: Kamehameha School Press, 1994.

This photo was taken from Koa photo gallery

The Ti plant bears panicles of lilac tinged flowers.

Kamehameha Schools. Life in Early Hawai‘i. The Ahupua‘a.
Honolulu, Hawaii: Kamehameha Schools Press. 1994.

Abbott, Isabella A. Canoe Plants Of Ancient Hawaii. 1992. Bishop
Museum. 21 Dec. 2005 <http://www.canoeplants.com/ki.html>.