Ke Alahou, Volume I, Number 3, 1 January 1980 — Home Gardening Introduced Mana Varieties from the South Pacific [ARTICLE]

Home Gardening

Introduced Mana Varieties from the South Pacific

There are several varieties of Mana taros were introduced in re f cent times from the South Pacific area. These varieties have been adapted by native farmers and have_been given Hawaiian names. There are several varieties from the Marquesas Islands and Samoa whieh resemble some of the native and introduced varieties of Mana taro. For instance, our Mana Lauloa seems to identical with the.Fijian Vai damu and the Samoan Fa'ele s ele. In fact, I would not plant any of these close together for fear of. not being able to i|dentify them apart. I remember sometime ago visiting a native farmer who planted a .native variety called.Mana meiemele, or at least that is what he called it. This taro resembles greatly a Mana taro from the Marquesas Islands whieh was brought here in 1968. Unfortunately*l have not been able to locate the native Mana melemele agaiix. Mana Weo: Its stalk is distinguislied from other Mana taro by its dark purplish colored edges. lts piko has a faint yellowish color. It. matures between 9 to 12 months and its flesh is a Most people use it as a table taro Qr substitute for other Mana taros. I \ Mana Uliuli: This is characterized by its dark Weenio reddish stalks, henee it wa.s called /uliuli in Hawaiian. Its piko is yellowish in color -jaaisihe flesh. Thpre is a light pink qolor near the base of Ihe stalk. ,this variety ean be used to make a sticky type of poi substitute. However, like all Mana varieties its yield in size is not as great as other taro varieties. Mana Uliuli is extremely similar to the characteristics of the Samoan variety, A'ano Samasama mumu. I Mana Kukuluhema: This variety was introduced from Samoa under the name of Manua, a plaee in Samoa. It was renamed "from the South" as loeal farm§rs adapted it. It is very similar to Mana Keokeo have more of a light white color at ! the base of the stalk. The stalk is a greenish color r with a light brown. Its piko is yellowish and its flesh is a pale white. This variety matures between 9 to 12 months. There is Mana variety called Mana okoa being grown by loeal farmers today and this seems to fit the descriptions of Kukuluhema. (next issue: ,( dry land" p}anting and plants to grow with taro.) Samoan recipe for Mana varieties of taro. see page 6.