Kauna'oa

[Ron Whitfield]

It's the yellow-ish speghetti-like ground vine seen along highways, but little is mentioned about it except for lei making and some edible aspects, the latter is what I'm interested in, I've heard it was healthy. Anybody know of ways to cook with it, it's benefits, and where to buy clean kauna'oa?

[Amati]

Re: Kauna'oa

http://data.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobo...b=d&ID=kaunaoa

Yes there is the non-medicinal use of lei making. But I could not find an "edible" reference besides a medicinal one such as this from the Bishop Museum site:

Medicines: The kauna‘oa is combined with moa holokula, moa lelo (?Psilotum nudum), and kī leaf buds (Cordyline fruticosa), ingested to induce vomitting to rid thick phlegm (chest cold) from the stomach. In addition, a liquid concoction is made of kaukao‘a lelo and water and administered to women after childbirth to discharge the placenta and remove accumulated blood

Sounds like powerful stuff. I'll watch this thread to see what edible uses show up. Interesting plant!

[lensperson]

Re: Kauna'oa

It might be a species of the morning glory family.These are a type of plant known under the file type convolvulacea.They were probably imported to the sandwich group via large ocean transversing avians .The plant has long been known to help with the arduous process called childbirth.The Huna can vouch for this.

[Kaonohi]

Re: Kauna'oa

It might be a species of the morning glory family.These are a type of plant known under the file type convolvulacea.They were probably imported to the sandwich group via large ocean transversing avians .The plant has long been known to help with the arduous process called childbirth.The Huna can vouch for this.

A little google goes a long way. Amazing!

At THIS SITE for Kauna`oa, I got the following:

Description
Cuscuta sandwichiana is a parasitic twining vine. The thin, leafless stems are yellow to yellow-orange. The 1/16 inch yellowish flowers grow in small clusters long the stems. (Bornhorst 1996; Wagner 1990) Habitat and Geographic Range
Cuscuta sandwichiana is an endemic plant. It grows in coastal areas with sandy soils at elevations ranging from sea level to 975 feet. It parasitizes a variety of other indigenous and endemic plants on all of the main Hawaiian islands except Kaua'i and Kaho'olawe. (Wagner 1990)

I wouldn't eat it.....