Ama‘u
The ‘ama‘u, is a small endemic tree fern that may often grow to about fifteen feet high. Its fronds only grow to about two to three feet long that are reddish when it’s young and green as it matures. It thrives in the rain forest and also grows on new lava flows. The tasteless starchy pith of the trunk is steamed and fed to pigs or eaten by humans in times of famine. The outer rind of the trunk is used for a reddish dye. In regions where the fern is abundant the fronds are used to thatch houses. The fronds are laid on upland taro gardens as mulch.

 

The ‘ama‘u plant thrives in the rain forest and also grows on new lava flows.

 


Life in Early Hawai‘i The Ahupua‘a. 3rd ed. Honolulu: Kamehameha Schools Press, 1994.

"Ama'U." 8 Feb. 2007 <http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hawaii?Plants.amau>.

"Ama'U Fern." Kona Naturals. 3 Feb. 2007 <http://www.konanaturals.com/hawaii_flowers_gallery_amau_fern.html>.