Pandanus or hala (hah-la) grow nicely and almost wild in Hawaii. A very useful plant in that the leaves are used for weaving table or fl...Read Moreoor mats and also woven into many useful items.
The leaves/fronds are called lauhala (lah-oo) which is the word for leaf in Hawaiian.......in other words leaf of the hala.
The people that harvest them for weaving are very particular about the fronds they choose as to uniformity and freshness. Green when fresh, they turn a soft beigy tan when dried. The weavers have learned tricks to remove the spiny edges in one strip to avoid getting pricked when working with them.
I have several square and round "boxes" with lids made with woven lauhala. Some of the designs woven into them are quite elaborate. You can find some fine specimens at the Hilo Farmer's Market.
Some people are so used to seeing items woven from lauhala they don't even appreciate them anymore.
The seed pods resemble hand granades - and some tourist mistake hala trees for "pinapple trees" when they see the seed pods, since they do resemble pineapples..... When the seed pods ripen, the pods sort of explode, scattering seeds around.
The indiviual seeds are large, toothy like and yellow with a greenish base.......they almost look like big samples of the candy corn you see around Halloween.
Some people even use them strung into lei to wear around your neck.
Can find nothing about this plant on the internet or anywhere... maybe misnamed. Labeled as such in botanical park in Hawaii which has a...Read Morebout 10 Pandanus species there. Has spineless leaves.
Pandanus or hala (hah-la) grow nicely and almost wild in Hawaii. A very useful plant in that the leaves are used for weaving table or fl...Read More
Can find nothing about this plant on the internet or anywhere... maybe misnamed. Labeled as such in botanical park in Hawaii which has a...Read More