Kukuihana

Kukuihana
Information
Found In:	Bahija
Type:	Flowers
Uses:	Ceremonial flowers, ceremonial drinks

Kukuihana grows in the Bahija area and is food for the local Giant Hummingbird as well as ceremonial flowers used in festivals and in temples.

Growth Cycle

Sprouting happens in the spring and the Kukuihana are flowering shrubs or vines. They grow quickly and are hardy plants that flower three times a year. The petals that grow on this plant are tubular in shape and at the bottom of each tube there is a capsule that contains the sugary nectar and that nectar replenishes itself with each flowering. Spring, summer and Autumn.

Regional Information

These flowers are used in ceremonial events in the Bahija, the people of the area use them in rituals and during the festival of flowers; Pua Ho'olaule'a, the bloom is used in a headdress by women that dance during the rituals.

Cultivation

These flowers are grown specifically in the gardens of temples in the country of Bahija, they are grown because of their ceremonial uses to the people. The plants grow wild as well and are tended carefully when they are found on people's property. Land that is home to the blooming vines is rarely ever disturbed.

Uses

The flowers of these plants are used for ceremonial purposes, for rituals and headdresses, the nectar is used as well in rituals mixed with water or wine for drinking in ceremonies of purification. These flowers also act as a food for the Giant Hummingbird.