ʻUki
Cladium jamaicense
These are tall, gorgeous, dark green sedges with very narrow serrated blades that gently curving back as they go up. At full growth I’ve seen this plant reach about 6 ft. tall! That’s pretty big in the sedge world. But usually in landscapes it will get about 4 ft. The plant sends out rhizomes horizontally which emerge above the surface as solitary bunches, but, they don’t run out and spread it usually maintains a single cluster. The flowers, or spikelets, are golden brown and protrude up on tall stems above the plant. This is easily one of the most attractive and striking foliage plants from the sedge family.
He pū mauʻu nui, lau uliuli wīwī a kalakala hoʻi nā lau o ka ʻuki. ʻEono kapuaʻi ka lōʻihi loa o kēia pū mauʻu. ʻO ka mea maʻamau naʻe, ʻehā kapuaʻi ka lōʻihi. Kolo nā aʻa o ka ʻuki. He mau pua ʻula ʻoiʻoi i pua i luna aʻe o ka pū.
This indigenous sedge is found on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaiʻi. Its natural habitat is usually in wet areas like marshes, ponds, and along banks of streams. Although I’ve seen them growing in much dryer habitats like coastal cliffs and coastal hanging valleys.
Ulu ka ʻuki ma Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Maui me Hawaiʻi. Ulu ma ka ʻāina wai, e laʻa nā loko, ka naele, a ma kapa kahawai. Ulu nō naʻe ma ka pali kahakai a ma kai.
These sedges look great in any water feature or any place with moist soil or regular watering. We’ve used them as accent plants before but sometimes their beauty distracts from what they are supposed to only accent. Their height and stature add great depth and texture to any landscape. Don’t let it’s natural habitat fool you, once it has become established in the ground watering can be cut back to two maybe three times a week depending on how fast your soil drains. Given this and lots of sunlight, the plant will do fine. I don’t even know of any pests that bother it either. Got a constant wet spot in your yard that won’t let anything grow? Try ‘uki.
Nani ke kanu ʻana i kahi o ka wai. E hāinu mau i ka ʻuki no ka ulu maikaʻi ʻana. Hiki ke kanu ma kahi o nā lāʻau ʻē aʻe. Ke paʻa ka ʻuki ma ka māla, ʻaʻole pono ka hāinu ʻana i kēlā me kēia lā, ʻelua a ʻekolu manawa paha o ka pule. E kanu i kahi e pā nui ai ka lā. ʻAʻohe paha mū e pilikia ai ka ʻuki. Inā pulu mau kekahi wahi o ka māla, e kanu paha i ka ʻuki.
There are several different species of native monocots called ‘uki or that have ‘uki as one of its names, for example, a different native sedge (Machaerina mariscoides) often called ‘ahanui also goes by the name ‘uki.
He mau ʻano ʻuki like ʻole ko ka pae ʻāina, a kapa ʻia lākou he ʻuki, e laʻa ka ʻahanui (Machaerina mariscoides).