Kalo

In the Hawaiian creation chant, the Kumulipo, Kalo is mentioned as the plant from which the Hawaiians came into being. There are more than 200 species of Kalo. Otherwise known as taro, Kalo was brought to Hawai`i centuries ago by the migrating Polynesians as their main staple food. Poi is prepared from pounded Kalo tubers. This plant is also known as: Ndalo (Fiji), Talo (Samoa), Gabi (Philippines, Sato imo (Japanese), Khoai mon (Vietnamese) and Aro (Spain).

The plant has large elongated heart-shaped leaves that can grow up to 3' in length and 2' in width. The leaves grow on succulent petioles which are attached to the edible starchy tuber below the ground. The light brown skin of the tuber (also called a corm) is rough with thin protruding roots. Some Kalo corms can weigh up to 8 pounds.

There are wet-land and dry-land types of Kalo. The wet-land type is best known for it being planted in marshy grounds or in special irrigated terraces known as lo`i.

Traditional Cultural and Medicinal Usages

• All parts of Kalo, except for the stem is edible. The plant is known for its hypoallergenic qualities and easy digestibility
• Kalo had a prominent place in Hawaiian mythology and religious rituals
• Some varieties were used to make dye, while others were used for gluing kapa together
• Kalo was also used as bait for `opelu, a type of island mackerel