Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 7, 1 July 2022 — Loulu Lelo [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Loulu Lelo

<NĀ MEAKANU 'ĀPA'AKUMA O HAWAI'I NEI < ENDEMIC PLANTS OF HAWAI'I

( Pritchardia hillebrandii) By Bobby Camara

Left: Rot-free moku li'ili'i Huelo, embroced by loe Leinoopopio ond Kūko'iwo'o, just eost of Koloupopo. It's copped by loulu lelo ond mony other rore endemics. Center: Blooming loulu lelo otop neighboring Mōkopu. Right: Loulu lelo forest on Huelo. - Photos: Ken Wooh, Nahonal īwpieal Botanical Gaiden

Our pae aina is home to 19 different species of loulu, a palm with fan-shaped fronds. [Note the laek of 'okina or kahakō: loulu, rather than lo'ulu]. All vary in general height: size, shape, and details of lau; fruit color and size; as well as fuzziness (or smoothness) of fronds. Vast loulu forests grew near the shore, until 'iole arrived. Hāwane, the edible fruits of loulu, are best eaten when immature. The fruits of loulu lelo, whose home is Moloka'i, are yellowish to reddish brown, and it's said their hāwane are the tastiest. 'Iole agree, and aren't picky. They devour hāwane of all species, making it impossible for the palm to regenerate. ■

Author's note: Auē! I erred when I chose kou as the meakanu forApril.Kou is a laau kamaāina, native to these shores. It is not 'āpaakuma (endemic - only found naturally in Hawai'i). My passionfor lei and all things kou blinded me. E kala mai!

At Kūlōhuipua'ū, lsland of Hawai'i, P. maideniana blooms. - Photo: Alan Ciesslet

Non-native, though often planted in landscapes, perhaps because of their relatively fast growth. Left: P. paeihea with dark green lau, from Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa. Right: P. thurstonii from Fiji with pendant flower dusters. - Photos: David Eickhoff