Description
Taro (Kalo) Lihilihi molina – rare native Hawaiian variety! Organically grown – no chemicals. Watered with dechlorinated, filtered water! Do you know YOUR variety of Taro?! This one you will! 🙂
Lihilihi mōlina was once considered lost.
Its name refers to the curve of eyelashes and a crescent moon. It is the only bicolored kalo that Native Hawaiians grew. It reputedly was the favorite variety of Queen Emma, wife of King Kamehameha IV.
Use: Primarily as a table taro, a staple food, source of energy. Taro leaf is traditionally used to wrap other food like fish or pork i.e. lau lau. Taro was also used medicinally in old Hawaii.
Taro is Kalo in the Hawaiian language. It’s one of the original Polynesian Canoe Plants! Kalo was brought to Hawaii by ancient Polynesians in their canoes for a sustainable, healthy, delicious, and FREE source of food!
Poi is made from Taro. Poi Taro was staple food in ancient Hawaii. Poi is still popular in Hawaii today at home and especially at luau’s (get togethers, celebrations, reunions, parties, cultural events, etc.)
All parts are eatable after prolonged cooking to break down the naturally occurring crystals that will irritate in raw form.
EASY to care for! Just plant it in good garden soil or eventually in a bigger pot and keep it moist. Full Sun or part Sun/part shade OK. Remember it’s a tropical plant, so it will need continuous warm weather. You can experiment with green houses in cooler climates.
Once Taro grows it will start producing ‘babies’ like crazy! These baby Taro plants can be separated and transplanted away from the parent plant. (See diagram picture I attached). So you get an unlimited supply of FREE, homegrown, delicious, organic, cultural, real food!!
$10/ea. *organic* Taro Lihilihi mōlina (rare Native Hawaiian variety).
Mahalo!
P.S. visit our Organic Shop if you like useful and rare plants like we do 🙂
Further description of Taro (Kalo) Lihilihi molina – excerpt from book “Taro Varieties in Hawaii” by LEO D. WHITNEY, Assistant Agronomist F. A. 1. BOWERS, Principal Agricultural Aide M. TAKAHASHI, Junior Agronomist
78. Lihilihimolina General characteristics: Short to medium in height, well spreading, producing a few aha; easily identified by the unusual coloring of the corm flesh lilac-purple in the center, surrounded by white. This is the only taro having bicolored corm flesh. Petiole: 55 to 70 cm. long, rather drooping, yellowish-green flecked with reddish-brown near base, a faint, pale pink ring at base with white for 3 to 5 cm. above. Leaf blade: 35 to 45 cm. long, 25 to 35 Clll. wide, 30 to 3S cm. from tip to base of sinus, sagittate, thin in texture, smooth and regular in outline; lobes acute with wide sinus. Corm: Conspicuously lilac-purple at center and white outside; skin white with purple along leaf-scar rings. Distribution: Found only occasionally under upland culture on the island of Hawaii.
