ʻAwapuhi
Zingerber zerumbet
Awesome understory or full sun specimen. Watch out, like most gingers it has the ability to take over an area. It also is deciduous meaning that it annually loses its foliage after flowering and lays dormant for about 3 months but will pop up bigger and fuller the next season!
He lāʻau nani ia e ulu i ka malu o lalo o nā mea kanu ʻē aʻe a i ka lā hoʻi kekahi. E makaʻala naʻe, e like me nā ʻawapuhi ʻē aʻe, ulu wikiwiki a lupalupa. I ka hoʻoilo i mae ai nā lau, a kupu hou nā lau ma ke kupulau.
Medicinally, for cooking (leaves wrapped and flavored meat), drinking and to make one smell better.
He lāʻau lapaʻau ia. Wahī ʻia hoʻi ka ʻiʻo i loko o nā lau ʻawapuhi. Hiki ke inu i ka wai ʻawapuhi, a he kopa lauoho hoʻi ia wai.
Anywhere in your garden but remember it dies back annually so you don’t want to put it in a high traffic area or esle it’ll look bare for a few months out of the year.
E kanu i ka ʻawapuhi i loko o ka māla e like me kou makemake. Akā, e hoʻomaopopo, mae nā lau i ka hoʻoilo. I kanu ʻia no ka hoʻonaninani ʻana i kekahi wahi, e ʻōlohelohe ana paha ia wahi no kekahi mau mahina o ka makahiki.