Pleomele is a former genus of flowering plants. All its species are now placed in the genus Dracaena.[1][2][3] The Hawaiian name for plants in this genus is hala pepe, which translates to crushed or dwarfed Pandanus tectorius.[4]
Former species
edit- Pleomele angustifolia (Medik.) N.E.Br. = Dracaena angustifolia
- Pleomele atropurpurea (Roxb.) N.E.Br. = Dracaena elliptica
- Pleomele aurea H.Mann – golden hala pepe (Kauaʻi)[5]> = Dracaena aurea
- Pleomele australasica Ridl. = Dracaena angustifolia
- Pleomele auwahiensis H.St.John – Maui Nui hala pepe (Maui, Molokaʻi) = Dracaena rockii
- Pleomele elliptica (Thunb. & Dalm.) N.E.Br. = Dracaena elliptica
- Pleomele fernaldii H.St.John – Lānaʻi hala pepe (Lānaʻi) = Dracaena fernaldii
- Pleomele flexuosa (Blume) N.E.Br. = Dracaena angustifolia
- Pleomele forbesii O.Deg. – Waiʻanae hala pepe (Oʻahu) = Dracaena forbesii
- Pleomele fruticosa (K.Koch) N.E.Br. =Dracaena angustifolia
- Pleomele gracilis (Baker) N.E.Br. = Dracaena elliptica
- Pleomele halapepe H.St.John – Oʻahu hala pepe (Oʻahu) = Dracaena halapepe
- Pleomele hawaiiensis O.Deg. & I.Deg – Hawaiʻi hala pepe (Island of Hawaiʻi)[5][6] = Dracaena konaensis
Uses
editMedicinal
editNative Hawaiians combined the bark and leaves of hala pepe with the root bark of ʻuhaloa (Waltheria indica) and popolo (Solanum americanum), and a section of kō kea (Saccharum officinarum) to treat high fever and chills. Hala pepe bark, roots, and leaves were combined with ʻōhiʻa ʻai (Syzygium malaccense) bark, ʻuhaloa and popolo taproot bark, ʻalaʻala wai nui pehu (Peperomia spp.) stems, noni (Morinda citrifolia) fruit, kō kea, niu (coconuts, Cocos nucifera), and pia (Tacca leontopetaloides) to treat lung disorders.[5]
Non-medicinal
editThe soft wood of the trunk was carved by Native Hawaiians into kiʻi. Hala pepe represented the goddess Kapo on the kuahu (altar) within a hālau hula (building which hula was taught or performed). It along with ʻieʻie (Freycinetia arborea), maile (Alyxia oliviformis), ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) and palapalai (Microlepia strigosa) were the five essential plants at the hula altar.[4]
References
edit
- ^ "Pleomele Salisb". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
- ^ "Pleomele Salisb". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
- ^ "Pleomele Salisb". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
- ^ a b Medeiros, A. C.; C.F. Davenport; C.G. Chimera (1998). "Auwahi: Ethnobotany of a Hawaiian Dryland Forest" (PDF). Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. p. 19.
- ^ a b c "hala pepe, ieie, kuhaʻo, ku la". Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database. Bernice P. Bishop Museum. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Pleomele Salisb. hala pepe". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2009-11-20.