HUI KU MAOLI OLA
Hawaiians used the fanlike leaves of loulu for thatching.
Latin name: Pritchardia In the garden:
LouluBy Rick Barboza
Many people mispronounce this plant as "lo'ulu." There is no okina (') indicating a pause in pronunciation between the o and u; it's just loulu. (Lo'ulu is a type of fern.)
In Hawaiian culture, the seeds of loulu were eaten and the trunks were used in construction. The leaves were used for thatching and also for a cliff jumping/gliding game.
There are other, non-native species of Pritchardia being grown, and conscious effort should be made to grow native species. They should be island-specific as much as possible, since members of this genus easily hybridize. We must keep the gene pool clean.
Loulu is available in most garden shops, including Home Depot.
Description: Native fan palms grow from 4 to 100 feet high, depending on the species, with large fanlike leaves, singular trunk, and fruit ranging from grape size to golf-ball size.
Distribution: Nineteen species are found throughout the Hawaiian islands, including Nihoa, in various vegetative zones from coastal to high wet forests as well as cliffs.
Landscape uses and care: Loulu are beautiful palms that can be used in any sunny location.
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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