`Awapuhi `ula`ula

Also known as Red ginger, `Awapuhi `ula`ula was introduced to the isles from Southeast Asia. In the Hawaiian language, `awapuhi refers to the wild ginger and `ula is the reduplication of the term for the color red.

`Awapuhi `ula`ula is a leafy perennial that can grow more than 9' tall in the wild. The dark green elliptical leaves run from 1'-3' in length. A long sheath encircles each of the thick stems. After planted, in about five months, the stem of the `Awapuhi `ula`ula will bear a red or pink inflorescence that is conical in shape and covered with bracts. The small white flowers at the tip of the awapuhi are the real flowers.

Traditional Cultural and Medicinal Usages

• Lei made of the red bracts were used by Hawaiian royalty on important occasions
• The powdered rhizomes (root bulb) were used for stomach discomforts and headaches
• Leaves were used to obtain cream colored dyes
• Flowers used for coughs (Venezuela)