Wehewehe Wikiwiki Hawaiian language dictionaries

1. n., Wild ginger (Zingiber zerumbet 🌐), a forest herb with narrow leaves arranged along a stalk 30 to 60 cm high, bearing on a separate stalk small yellowish flowers in an oblong head, and having aromatic underground stems; a native of India.

• Examples:
  • ʻA wapuhi lau pala wale, ginger leaves yellow quickly [of things that pass too soon].
• Related:
  • The root was used to scent and dye tapa.
  • Also: ʻawapuhi kuahiwi, ʻōpuhi.
  • Varieties include ʻawapuhi melemele, ʻawapuhi Pākē, ʻawapuhi ʻai.
• References:
  • Neal 257.
  • PNP kawapui , kawapusi .

2. n., A variety of sweet potato.

3. n., A type of taro (no data).

• References:
  • For. 5.683.

Wild ginger (Zingiber zerumbet), a forest herb found in the lower parts of damp forests. A native of India, it also is distributed throughout Polynesia. The plant forms a continuous ground cover and has large, aromatic, underground stems, formerly used to scent kapa. A sudsy juice, squeezed out of mature flower heads, was used for shampooing and as a thirst quencher in earlier times. Also called ʻawapuhi kuahiwi. (NEAL 257.)