What's Happening in Hawaii
During the 3rd Week in April:
'Ākala, a Hawaiian relative of the raspberry, (Rubus hawaiensis) is coming into fruit and may be found until July at elevations above 4000 feet. 'Ākala plants may have prickles but lack the sharp thorns that protect most mainland berries from their predators. Don't confuse it with the blackberry, a thorny foreign competitor that may also be found during summer months.
'Ākala bush
Photo by Forest and Kim Starr
Like other native plants and animals, 'ākala was linked by its name both with its own principal traits and with its uses. Thus 'ākala means "pink" and also signifies kapa (tapa) of this color and dye made from the juice of the berries.
'Ākala berries
Photo by Forest and Kim Starr
In addition, the name contains the verb kala, meaning "to free or loosen," and kahuna lā'au lapa'au, practitioners of herbal medicine, prescribed raspberries and two linguistically related plants - pua kala (the prickly poppy, Argemone glauca) and limu kala (a brown seaweed) - to relieve pain, ceremonially drive away illness, or obtain forgiveness.
Prickly poppy (pua kala)
Photo by Forest and Kim Starr
Text and image from "Hawaii: A Calendar of Natural Events"
published by Bishop Museum and Kamehameha Schools in 1989
So how does it taste? And regardless, should we refrain from eating it anyway, to ensure that the existing stocks can produce keiki?
ReplyDeleteGood question! I've never tasted one before, but Maui Magazine has this to say about the 'Akala:
ReplyDelete"Summer is a good time to see this fairly common native in full foliage; in winter ‘akala sheds its leaves. Tall, straight, light-brown canes distinguish it from nonnative raspberry or blackberry plants—which have rambling, whitish or green canes and are far more aggressive. The native berries range from dark red to yellow and are tart and juicy. They are much larger than a typical black or raspberry, but not as sweet. In the past, Hawaiians used vibrant ‘akala berry juice to dye kapa (barkcloth). Today the fruits are used in jams and pies."
To read the whole article, visit: http://www.mauimagazine.net/Maui-Magazine/May-June-2008/We-Give-You-the-Raspberry/
Thanks for your comment!