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Glossary of kalo terms

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Taro plant

‘a‘a‘a: Vascular bundles, or fibers in the taro corm (kalo).

a‘a lau: Midrib and veins of the taro leaf.

‘ala: Fragrant, sweet-smelling, perfumed.

‘ao lū‘au: Unexpanded leaf blade of taro.

‘api‘i: ruffled, curly; kalo variety with crinkles under the leaf.

‘apo wale: To grasp needlessly.

‘apu: Coconut shell cup; to drink; a general name for medical potions made from taro; a taro variety.

blade: Broad part of a leaf.

corm: Bulb-like underground modified stem with rings of leaf scars on the surface.

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‘eka‘eka: Dirty; red color of soil.

‘ele‘ele: Dark-colored; black.

‘elepaio: A Hawaiian species of flycatcher (bird); a variety of taro with mottled leaves.

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: Petiole; leaf stalk.

hāloa: long petiole; name for Lauloa taro; name of a son of Wākea, the mythical ancestor of all Hawaiians.

hinu: Oily, greasy, smooth & polished.

huli: Taro top or shoot; planting material consisting of a large central bud cut from the apex of the corm; 30-60 mm of corm attached to 15-30 cm of the basal portion of the petiole.

huluhulu: Adventitious roots arising from the corm; lit. hair, hairy.

‘ili kalo : Skin, rind, outer surface of the taro corm.

‘i‘o kalo : Flesh of the taro corm.

ka‘e lau: Margin or edge of the taro leaf.

kahuna: Priest.

kāī: The name of a group of taro varieties, possibly tolerant of saline conditions? (kai - salt water)

kalalau: Wanderer; name of a valley on Kaua‘i.

kalo: Taro (Colocasia esculenta), whole taro plant; parent corm (kalo-makua).

kalo malo‘o: Dry or upland taro.

kalo wai: Wetland taro.

kea: Light-colored, white.

ke‘oke‘o: White or whitish, very light colored.

kōhina: Part of the taro where the corm is cut away from the top.

kūlolo: Hawaiian pudding prepared from baked or steamed grated taro and coconut milk or cream.

kūmū: A red-colored goatfish (Parupeneus porphyreus); a variety of taro.

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lau: Leaf, leaves.

lauloa: Long leaf.

laulau: Wrapping, packages of taro leaves containingpork, beef, salted fish or taro tops, baked in the ground oven (imu), steamed or broiled.

leaf: An expanded, photosynthetic (green) organ of a plant (lau, lū‘au).

lehua: A group of taro varieties making red poi.

le‘o: Lofty, tall, high; influence arising from station; a taro variety.

lihi māwae: Edge, rim, margin (lihi) of the petiole groove (māwae).

liko: Leaf bud; newly opened leaf; the first leaf of a taro plant.

loa: Long, tall.

lo‘i: An irrigated terrace for growing taro.

lola: Drooping leaf.

lū‘au: Young taro tops; young, delicate inner leaves baked with cocnut cream and chicken or octopus; Hawaiian feast.

maea: Strong or bad smelling.

mahae: To tear or split; leaf sinus or indentation.

mahola: To spread out; unexpanded leaf blade.

mākoko: Reddish.

makua: Parent; mature; main stalk of a taro plant.

mana: To branch; group of taro varieties characterised by branching of parent corm at apex.

mane‘o: Itch, itchy; smarting of the throat after eating raw taro or greens.

manini: A common striped reef surgeonfish (Acanthurus triostegus), commonly called 'convict tang'; a variety of taro with striped petioles.

maoli: Native; indigenous; genuine.

maturity: Time at which corm reaches full size and ready for harvest; can be indicated by yellow color of senescent leaves, shortness of petioles, and decrease in size of leaves. ref

māwae: Crack, crevice; petiole groove.

moana: Broad, wide.

moano: Pale red; the color of the moano fish, a goatfish (Parupeneus multifasciatus).

moi: A threadfish (Polydactylus sexfilis); a taro variety.

nāwao: A domesticated taro that has gone wild in the forest (wao).

‘oene: Small sized taro; last taro taken from a crop; a taro variety.

‘ohā: Corms (cormlets), suckers or shoots produced from the parent corm.

‘ohe: Hawaiian bamboo.

‘oko‘a: Different, urelated, another.

‘ōma‘o: Green.

‘o‘opukai: A taro variety having petioles with a color similar to the salt water (kai) ‘o‘opu (Species name?).

‘ōpelu: A fish (mackeral).

‘owali: Weak, sickly.

‘owene: Small sized taro; last taro taken from a crop.

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pa‘i ‘ai: Hard pounded but undiluted taro.

pākē: China, Chinese.

pala: Soft, ripe, mellow, soft, rotten, to yellow.

papa: Native born; a stratum, layer, or foundation..

pele: Lava flow, volcano, eruption; the volcano goddess, Pele.

petiole: Leaf stalk or stem (hā).

piko: Navel; upper surface of a leaf blade at the point of junction with the petiole; group of taro varieties characterised by the blade cut to the sinus.

poi: Pasty mass made by pounding or grinding cooked taro corms, with sufficient water added to obtain proper consistency.

pololū: Long spear; valley on Hawai‘i.

poni: Royal; purple.

pua: Flower or blossum.

pu‘u: Secondary cormlets, too small to cook and not yet producing leaves (lit. a protuberance).

saggitate: Arrow-head shaped.

sinus: Cleft, depression or recess between the two lobes of the taro leaf.

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uaua: Tough, elastic, viscid, glutinous, leathery, not easily broken.

‘ula‘ula: Red, rosy, scarlet (‘ula).

uliuli: Dark or dusky color (uli).

‘ulu: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis).

wai: Water, liquid.

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