THE BANANAS OF HAWAII 5 



Ko-a'c. A variety easily recognized by the white striping on the leaves and 

 fruit; probably Musa sapientum var. vitata. The petioles are striped with white, 

 and there are blotches of white on the blade; the fruit is striped longitudinally 

 with white. The varietal name fancifully compares these markings with those of 

 the tropic bird, ko-a'e. The plant is 14 to 18 feet high. The fruit is of fair quality 

 when cooked. This variety is most abundant in moist parts of the islands, as the 

 Hilo region of Hawaii; windward Maui, and eastern Molokai. It is also called 

 Ae-ae and A'e. 



Lele. A very tall variety belonging to the Iho-lena group. The plant is 18 

 to 24 feet tall, with a robust stem and a large crown of heavy foliage. The stem 

 is blacker than that of the Ha'a. The petioles, and the leaf-sheaths at the upper 

 part of the stem, are of a very light green; this is a conspicuous character. The 

 new leaf-blades show bronze tints on their under-surfaces, but not as conspicu- 

 ously as Iho-lena. The bunch is hung on a very long scape. The fruits very 

 closely resemble those of the Iho-lena, and are arranged on the bunch in the same 

 way. The flesh is pink, and excellent in quality. The Lele occurs on all the 

 islands, from Nii-hau to Hawaii, 



Loha. A peculiar variet}-, possessing the characteristics of both the Maoli 

 and the Iho-lena types. The feature which distinguishes it from all the other 

 native bananas is that in the Loha bunch the individual fruits hang doivnwards 

 toward the ground, instead of being semi-erect. The plant is quite tall, 14 to 18 

 feet, — the leaves resemble the Lele. The fruit, if not bruised, is very good, but a 

 slight bruising, even while green, destroys the texture and begins decay. This 

 variety is known only from the island of Molokai. 



Ma-nae-ula. A variety belonging to the Maoli group. The upper part of the 

 stem or trunk has a conspicuously reddish or purple color, which extends out 

 more or less into the petioles and midribs of the leaves. The most striking and 

 distinctive peculiarity, however, is the very dark red color of the immature fruits 

 or ovaries of the flowers when they first appear. As the fruits increase in size 

 this color gradually disappears, and they assume the dark green shade character- 

 istic of the Maoli group. This variey occurs on Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai; and 

 probably on the other islands. It is sometimes called Ma-lai-ula. 



Maoli. This is the commonest variety of the group of cooking bananas to 

 which it gives its name. The stem is very tall, 18 to 25 feet; when young it is 

 light green with faint tints of pink or purple; when mature it is dark green. The 

 fruit bunch is long and large. The fruits are quite long, and round in cross- 

 section. Thej' are conspicuously blunt or rounded at the apex, and are turned 

 more or less upwards. When immature the fruit is dark green; when ripe it be- 

 comes orange yellow; the flavor is excellent. Together with several closely-re- 

 lated forms, it furnishes most of the cooking bananas sold in the Honolulu mar- 

 kets. The other members of the Maoli group are: Puhi, Ma-nae-ula, Kana-lua, 

 Hai, Ko-a'e, Poni, Loha, and Hinu-pua'a. The Maoli is also sometimes called 

 Ka-hiki, — both of these names are suggestive of the South Sea ancestry of the 

 Hawaiian people and their economic plants. 



Moa. A variety belonging to the Po-po-ulu group. The stem is very tall, 16 

 to 22 feet. The bunches are small, having only a few rows of fruit, and not un- 

 commonly only two or three fruits. The fruit is large, egg-shaped (whence the 

 name moa), and with a rough skin. According to Higgins this variety is undoubt- 



