Ti

Food and health uses

•  In Hawaii, tī rhizomes are fermented and distilled to make okolehao, a liquor.

• The baked roots are an emergency famine food and have been eaten as a confection. 

• Parts of the plants were used for various medicinal purposes. 

• Ti leaves are used as food wrappers for cooking food in an imu (a Hawaiian underground pit oven used to cook food for luaus). 

• Leaves were used to make items of clothing as well as in lei making.

More information

• Purdue University

• Wikipedia

• University of Hawaii

• National Tropical Botanical Garden

• Hawaiian Plants and Tropical Flowers