Kalo
Colocasia esculenta
There are numerous varieties of kalo in Hawaiʻi. Some records report over 300 different types of cultivars! So although these plants are listed as Polynesian introductions each cultivar is unique to Hawaiʻi. Size varies anywhere from two to five feet or more depending on how rich the soil is and how lucky you can get, colors and patterns vary greatly as well with some plants having just plain green leaves like your typical lehua variety to some having variegated green and white patterns like the ‘elepaio variety or even purple and green patterns like the ‘uahiapele variety. Stem color varies as well with anything from white, pink, red, green, black or even black with green stripes! Even leaf shape varies between cultivars, all have a general heart shape to them but some have deeper cleavage than others (piko varieties) and some are even cupped up like a bowl (‘apuwai).
Nui nā ʻano kalo Hawaiʻi; ʻōlelo ʻia he 300 ʻano a ʻoi paha. Lawe ʻia mai ke kalo e nā kanaka ma luna o nā waʻa, akā ʻo kēia mau ʻano kalo, he ʻano kalo no kēia pae ʻāina. He mau ʻano ʻokoʻa o ka lau me ke kalo. Eia kekahi o nā kalo i kaulana i kēia wā: lehua, ʻelepaio (he mau kiko keʻokeʻo ko ka lau), ʻuahiapele (he lau kohu uahi), ʻapuwai (kohu ʻapu nā lau), me nā ʻano piko (he mahae nui ko ka lau hele i ka piko).
A Polynesian introduction at one time found on all the main islands wherever people inhabited. Sometimes entire valleys were terraced with lo’i (Taro Patches) to support the cultivation of kalo.
Kanu ʻia ke kalo i ka loʻi a me ka māla mai ʻō a ʻō ma kēia pae ʻāina. ʻO ia ka ʻai makemake nui ʻia e nā kānaka.
Probably the single most important plant in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi culture. All parts of the plant except for the stem are eaten. The leaves can be steamed and cooked for making lau lau and lu’au, while the corm is cooked for making table kalo (cooked corm cut into bite sized chunks and kulolo (a ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi desert made with cooked kalo, coconut milk and sugar) or painstakingly pounded into poi which is the main staple of the ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi diet. It had a prominent place in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi mythology and religious rituals. Some varieties made dye while others were used for gluing kapa together. It was also used as bait for ‘opelu a type of island mackerel.
He mau mamo kākou na Hāloa; i ka nohona Hawaiʻi he mea nui nō ke kalo. ʻAi ʻia ke kalo holoʻokoʻa, mai ka ʻiʻo a ka lau. Hākui ʻia ka lau no ka laulau me ka lūʻau. A moʻa hoʻi ke kalo no ka ʻai; he ʻai paʻa, a i ʻole kuʻi ʻia i poi. Waʻu ʻia hoʻi ke kalo no ka hana ʻana i ke kūlolo. He ʻano waihoʻoluʻu ko kekahi ʻano kalo, a he maunu kekahi ʻano kalu no ka ʻōpelu.
All varieties make great accents and are very ornamental. You can even make your own kalo patch in your yard to harvest from. When you initially plant kalo you will notice that the plant will become very large and stay that way for a couple of months but then slowly start to shrink, this means that the corm is ready to be harvested, which is usually anywhere from 8-12 months after planting. You should even be able to see the corm emerging up from the ground with little ‘keiki’ coming out the sides. Its important to harvest the plant every 8-12 months, cut off about 7/8ths of the corm and the the leaves then stick the remaining stem with the 1/8 corm back in the ground to start the growing cycle all over again.
E aho e kanu i ke kalo i ka māla. I ke kanu ʻana i ke kalo, ulu nui nā lau i kekahi mau mahina, a ma hope e miki iho ana nā lau o ke kalo. Ke miki iho ke kalo, ʻo ia ka wā e nui ai ka ʻiʻo o ke kalo. Mai poina ka huki ʻana i ke kalo ke mākaukau i ʻole ai e loli. E ʻai i ke kalo a kanu hou i ka huli. Ke kanu ʻia i ka loʻi, ʻewalu a ʻumikūmālua mahina ka lōʻihi o kēia mahi ʻana, ke kanu ʻia i ka māla, ʻelima a ʻewalu mahina ka lōʻihi o ia mahi ʻana. Mai poina e kanu hohonu i ke kalo no ka hua nui ʻana mai.
The kalo plant is often referred to as the brother of all ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻis since it sprouted out of the grave of Haloa.