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Kūmū ‘ele‘ele

Taxonomy  Colocasia esculenta var. esculenta

Other names (synonyms)

Habit   Medium in height, slender, erect, producing 2-5 ‘ohā.

Corm   Flesh white with lilac at apex, fibers yellowish; cortex lilac-pink, often dark purple along leaf-scar rings.

Petiole   Narrow reddish edges, greenish at apex, light pink above the base, a dark pink ring at the base (kōhina).

Leaf blade   Saggitate, drooping, thin, dark with bluish cast; margins slightly undulate; piko small, purple; lobes obtuse to slightly acute with medium-cut to deep, narrow sinus.

Origin   Hawaiian variety.

Cultivation   Dryland cultivation; matures in 9-12 months.

Uses   Table taro.

Comments   Kūmū refers to the dark pink tinge of the corm, similar to the adult Hawaiian Goatfish (Parupeneus porphyreus); ‘ele‘ele refers to the black color of the petiole. Many other Kūmū varieties named in the historical times (see Pukui)?


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