Lauloa Eleele mao & Ulaula Km

Description:

Kalo or Taro (Colocasia esculenta)Lauloa Eleele mao (Hawaiian variety)Family: AraceaeOahu, Hawaii (Cultivated)Lauloa Eleele mao (left) & Ulaula Km (right)Early Hawaiians were often very specific in their descriptions of plants and varieties they encountered or cultivated. These kalo or taro are classic examples:Lauloa means a "long wave" or "long leaved" in Hawaiian. Eleele is "black" and refers to the purplish-black color of the h (petiole). mao is "green" and refers to the light green edges of the stem. For the kalo on the left, Ulaula Km, ulaula means "red, red" and km refers to the ocean fish km or red goatfish (Parupeneus porphyreus).Early Hawaiians use this kalo, and others in this group, for medicinal purposes, primarily in pulmonary disorders. Today, it is used as a table taro and for poi.nativeplants.hawaii.edu/