Ali‘ipoe

Ali‘ipoe has narrow leaves that grow to be around three feet long. On some of the plants, the small flowers are red, but on others they are yellow. There are small black seeds that fill the fibrous seed cases. Its seeds are one of the most commonly used in natural seed jewelry. Some of the seeds are placed in ‘ulī‘ulī which are gourd rattles. They are used as musical instruments to make rattling noises. The root of this plant is known as arrow root and is ground and sold as a spice. Arrow root can also be a thickening agent in food. It is the only plant pictured in the ahupua‘a that arrived after 1778. Some thought that it was a native plant in Hawai‘i. But in fact, it has recently been reclassified as an exotic plant.

Bibliography

Canoe Plants of Old Hawai‘i.Lynton Dowe White, web manager. 1994. Ho‘okela Hawai‘i. 6 Jan. 2007<http://www.canoe plants.com>

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