Taro or kalo

Description:

This patch of taro was part of a planting representing how ancient Hawaiians grew these plants. They were commonly cultivated in lo‘i (ponds) which have occasionally persisted after fields were abandonned. The Taro plant is a perennial herb with clusters of long heart- or arrowhead-shaped leaves that point earthward.

Habitat:

Lo'i or pond on mountainside at Kualoa Ranch.

Notes:

Taro was brought to Hawai'i by the earliest Polynesian settlers in their canoes and has been cultivated as a staple from ancient times in the tropical and subtropical latitudinal band around the earth. In Ancient Hawaii, before 1778, about 300 named varieties of Taro were grown. Subsequently, Hawaiians cultivated Taro inter-cropped with other species, such as Erythrina, banana, papaya, coconut, green peas, which ensure the maintenance of the health of Taro species. The 20th century brought the monoculture technique, which made Taro very much susceptible to diseases. Now, in the 21st century there are only 7 to 12 varieties cultivated in Hawaii. Diseases, such as fungal disease and pocket rot, and the introduced apple snails have severely impacted Taro cultivation in Hawaii. Early Hawaiians invested more time and labor into growing taro than any other crop. It was the single most important crop. They developed hundreds of varieties of taro, adapted to suit every type of terrain. To provide optimal growing conditions – ponds of slowly circulating water – Hawaiians engineered and built ditches that fed stream water to staggered terraces. Once harvested, taro was baked, eaten whole or pounded into a paste called pa`i `ai. In this form, it could be kept for an almost unlimited period of time. Water was added to pa`i `ai to create poi. Taro was allso used in religious rituals, as medicine, as bait for 'opelu fishing, for gluing kapa pieces together, & as a red dye for kapa. The young leaves of Taro are rich in vitamin C and similar to spinach in taste. The roots are rich in a starch composed of amylase (28%) and amylopectin (72%). But before any part of Taro can be eaten, all parts must be cooked, in order to break down the needle-like calcium oxalate crystals present in the leaves, stem and corm. Mud from the Taro patch was used as a black dye for lauhala and kapa cloth, while some leaf-stem juice yielded red dye. Also, diluted poi was used as a paste to glue together pieces of kapa cloth.