Hāpuʻu
Cibotium glaucum
Beautiful tree ferns with large fronds that have bluish green undersides and soft “pulu” at the base of the fronds and on new frond fiddle heads.
Lōʻihi nō nā oho o ka hāpuʻu, he oho uliuli. Kupu mai nā pepeʻe o ka hāpuʻu mai ka piko o ka hāpuʻu. Ma laila e loaʻa ai ka pulu o ka hāpuʻu.
Hapuu are found on all of the main islands except for Kahoʻolawe where it was probably found in the past in wet forests.
Ulu ka hāpuʻu ma nā mokupuni nui a pau o ka pae ʻāina, koe ʻo Kahoʻolawe. Ma ka wā kahiko, ulu nō paha ka hāpuʻu ma Kahoʻolawe ma ka wao maʻukele.
The starch within the trunk was cooked and eaten in times of famine while the pulu is used in burial ceremonies and to aid in cleaning out digestive tracts.
I ka wā wī, ʻai ʻia ke kumu o ka hāpuʻu. Hoʻohana ʻia ka pulu o ka hāpuʻu no nā kupapaʻu, a no ka lāʻau hoʻonahā kekahi.
If you have a lot of rain then this is the plant for you, it rocks! If not then definitely consider moving to a rainy place, learning a rain dance or installing some good irrigation that goes off pretty regularly. Ideally its best to water both the fronds as well as the apex of the fern where all the new shoots emerge. That being said its pretty easy to grow, you don’t have to do much but be patient since this fern grows really slow. Also, leave room for this plant to grow since its fronds can reach out over 10 ft.
Hauʻoli ka hāpuʻu i nā ʻāina i heleleʻi nui ai ka ua. Paʻakikī ke kanu ʻana i ka hāpuʻu ma ka ʻāina maloʻo. Ke kanu ʻia ma ka ʻāina maloʻo, e aho e hāinu mau. No ka hāinu ʻana i ka hāpuʻu, e hoʻopuehu i ka wai mai ke kumu a i ka wēlau o nā oho. Ma waho o ka hāinu nui ʻana i ka hāpuʻu, ʻano maʻalahi ka mālama ʻana. Ulu lohi naʻe ka hāpuʻu. A no ke kanu ʻana, e waiho he kōwā ma kahi o ke kumu, ʻoiai, ʻumi paha kapuaʻi ka nui o nā oho.
The hapu’u is often referred to as the mother of the forest since the seeds and spores of many other native plants will germinate, grow and possibly take over the hapu’u.
ʻO ka hāpuʻu, kapa ʻia ʻo ka makuahine o ka nahele, ʻoiai, heleleʻi iho a kupu mai nā ʻanoʻano o nā lāʻau ʻē aʻe ma ka pulu o ka hāpuʻu.