Hale Pai
Pacific American-News Journal
Nowemapa/Kekemapa - November/December 1996
Volume 2 Issue 11
KO
by Lynton Dove White - Hana Maui
How paradoxical that such a graceful and sweet-tasting plant
could be controversial. Simple were the days when ko, sugar cane,
began its life here in Hawaii, brought by Polynesian settlers in
their canoes. This plant travels well, plants easily, and is a
pleasant addition to life. Only later came the days when other
settlers began to grow sugar cane commercially. Modern-day hybrid
sugar production causes concerns: to burn the fields or not, as
their heat and the pollutants released all affect to our personal
health and the local and global environment...to eat the white
sugar crystals that are processed from the original sap or not,
as the overuse of this substance can become addictive and harmful
to the health of many people...and, yet, the glorious beauty of
fields of green cane waving in the trade winds cannot be denied.
Ko, Saccharum officinarum, is a perennial grass that grows
best at low elevations, but can be cultivated up to nearly the
3000 foot level. Ko probably originated in Southeast Asia. The
unbranched stems or stalks are 1-2 inches thick and, like bamboo,
have clearly marked internodes. The stems range in color from red
to purple, and from a pale green to green with pink or with
yellow striations. The stalks are from 6 to 15-20 feet high,
forming clumps as they grow. The stalks tend to lean as they
heighten and are blown by the wind. Inside the stem is a fibrous
and pithy material filled with sugar juice in the mature plant.
The 1-2 foot long leaves are smooth and narrow with a mid-rib,
and have saw-toothed edges that can cut the skin if care is not
taken in their presence. The leaves droop and die at the lower
stem and can be pulled off. Ko matures in 12-15 months in the
lowlands, and in 18-24 months at higher elevations. After about 2
years the plant produces a silvery-rosy-lavender colored tassel
at the end of the cane stem. It is usually 1-2 feet long and
signals the plantÕs maturity. This is in the late autumn, around
November-December in Hawaii. Sometimes the tassels are cut for
decoration around the Christmas holiday season.
In earlier times, the people of Hawaii grew nearly 40
varieties of ko. Some of them were grown in clumps near their
homes. These giant grasses were also planted on the embankments
of the loÕi, taro ponds.
A few varieties were used for medicines. Ko sweetens many
medicinal concoctions, and the juice of pan-toasted sugar cane
can be used as a tonic for babies.
One of the few varieties used medicinally is kokea, white
cane, a native cane with yellowish-green stem and a thin skin
that can be easily removed or crushed. This juice is popular as
an ingredient in herbal combinations. It helps to make
bad-tasting medicine taste better. HonuaÕula, red cane, is also
considered to have particular healing properties.
Young ko shoots were used for lacerations and cuts. Along with
other plants and salt, the shoots were wrapped in ti leaves and
baked over charcoal. The juice was then squeezed and placed on a
cut.
The juices of ko are used to sweeten haupia and kulolo
desserts, made of coconut and taro, respectively. The leaves of
ko were used for inside house thatching, or for outside if pili
grass wasnÕt available. The flower stalks of sugar cane were
used to fashion a dart, sometimes used during the Makahiki games.
This plant makes an effective windbreak, and is also planted
as a hedge or border. To propagate, plant sections of the mature
upper portion of the stalk, using those pieces that have several
nodes on them. Each node will create a new stalk. Dig a trench
6-8 inches deep and plant an 8-12 inch section sideways in the
earth. Ko likes a lot of sunshine and also moisture, and whenever
possible, a rich soil. Traditionally, sugar cane was planted in
November-December.
For a treat, have a chew on a joint of your home-grown ko, the
garden variety which has a thin rind and is easy to chew because
of its soft pulp. Or, when hiking, carry a section of ko along,
to slake your thirst.
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Copyright © 1996 Hale Pai Pacific American-News Journal
Last modified: February 28, 1998
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