HUI KU MAOLI OLA
'Uki'uki leaves are used as cordage thatched houses, such as the pili grass house at the Bishop Museum.
Latin name: Dianella sandwicensis In The Garden
By Rick Barboza
The leaves of the 'uki'uki are used to make cordage for building thatched houses. An example can be seen at the Bishop Museum, where a pili grass house is thatched together with 'uki'uki cordage. Leaves are also used to decorate mahiole (feather helmets) and supply a blue dye used to color kapa.
Description: A native member of the lily family, this plant has a short stem, long narrow leaves and a cluster of white or bluish flowers. The attractive fruits are a brilliant blue and, though nontoxic, are inedible.
Distribution: 'Uki'uki is a plant indigenous to Hawaii and the Marquesas, as well as other locations in the Pacific. It grows in open and partially shaded locations of mixed forests and dry shrub land from about 100 to 6,500 feet above sea level on all the main islands.
Landscape uses: Makes an excellent ground cover or specimen plant in full sun or partially shaded areas. Once it starts bearing flowers, the 'uki'uki will produce bright blue fruits continuously. Thrives in moderately wet to dry conditions.
Rick Barboza co-owns Hui Ku Maoli Ola, a native Hawaiian plant nursery, with Matt Schirman. "In the Garden" is a Friday feature about flora written by field experts.
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