Here’s another plant that might be useful should you find yourself doing some Hawaiian Jungle Bummin…
Location:
This plant originated in India and spread throughout Polynesia. It grows in partially shady or in sunny areas, and requires moist soil.
Description:
This plant grows to 1-2m tall, with leafy stems arising from rhizomes. The leaves are simple and lanceolate, around 15cm long, and grow alternately along the stem. The bulbous flower shoots of this perennial plant appear in summer on separate stalks and persist until the fall. The flower tops are green when immature, and red when mature; they actually look a lot like a pinecone. Mature flower tops are filled with a clear slimy liquid. Before the flowertops fully mature, white flowers pop out from between bracts (the overlapping leaves of the flower top that give it it’s scale-like pinecone appearance). This plant may be propagated by transplantation of the rhizomes.
Uses:
If you squeeze the flowering heads of this plant, you can actually drink the liquid. However, Native Hawaiians would primarily use the liquid from the flower heads as a shampoo and conditioner.
The leaves were also used to flavor food.
The rhizome of this plant was used for medicinal purposes. It would be ground up via stone mortar and pestle and used to: treat sprains by placing in a cloth and tied around area of injury, alleviate stomachaches by drinking a solution of ground rhizome and water, and ease toothaches and cavities by direct application. An extract of this plant has even be demonstrated to induce apoptosis (cell death) in cultured liver cancer cells :thumbup:.
Immature flower top and flowers:
Mature flower top:
Rhizome:
A good reason for knowing this plant:
You never know who you might run into at those secluded waterfalls....
ETA: Sorry, didn't see you posted, myright, until after I finished putting this together. I guess now there are two to vote on!
