Best. — Food Products of Tuhoeland. 59 



portion of the trunk. The main part of the trunk and the 

 curled undeveloped fronds were not eaten. Koata is a term 

 applied to the upper part of acrogenous plants, and from 

 which the leaves or fronds grow. This section is cut off 

 and then the hard outer part is chipped off, a stone axe 

 being formerly used for these purposes. The soft interior 

 part is then cooked in a steam-oven for forty-eight hours, 

 but the food is always eaten cold. 



The koata of the nikau was also eaten, the circular butts 

 of the leaves being stripped off (Jcoere) until the soft, white, 

 edible inner part is reached. " Mehemea ka koeretia te rati o 

 te nikau, ka rard te waha " (when a leaf of the 'nikau is torn 

 off its voice shrieks), said my informant, alluding to the 

 peculiar sound caused by tearing off these leaf-bases. We 

 have already seen that the koata of the Cordylinc are used 

 in a similar manner. 



I am informed that a species of harakeke (Phormium 

 tenax) formerly grew, or was cultivated, here at Eua-tahuna 

 of which the bases of the leaves were cooked and eaten. 

 It must surely be very different to any harakeke I wot of. 

 The leaves were dark-coloured (pango), with brownish (ivhero) 

 edges. 



We will now give a list of small plants of which the leaves 

 were eaten as we use greens, and which therefore come under 

 the generic term of pmvha with these people, and of various 

 other plants of which the berries, &c, were eaten. 



Baupeti, a Solan urn : Leaves eaten as greens. 



Poniu : Leaves eaten. 



Pohue : A climbing plant, a convolvulus. The leaves are 

 eaten here, but among some tribes the roots are eaten. There 

 appear to be two kinds here. One, bearing a white flower, is 

 found growing among fern and scrub ; the other, which has 

 a pink flower, is seen in swamps. 



Pikopiko : This name is applied to the young, curled, un- 

 developed fronds of Asplenium bulbifcrum. A favourite kinaki 

 for potatoes. 



Bereft : A fern ; the young fronds eaten. 



Paraharaha : A fern ; the young fronds eaten. 



Pbrbrua : The leaves were used to wrap round kiore and 

 kokopu when being cooked. The wrapper (kopaki) was then 

 eaten with the food it enclosed. 



All the above were cooked in steam-oven and eaten as 

 greens. 



Pukatea ( Gnaphalium (?) luteo-album) : The young leaves 

 were chewed by children. 



Panakenake : A kind of chickweed. Cooked as greens. 



Kohukohu : A kind of chickweed. Cooked as greens. 



Tohetaka (the introduced dandelion) : Leaves eaten. 



