#ti leaf

Lauʻī pekepeke – Short-leaved ti plant -ʻŌlelo Noʻeau: An insult applied to the kauwā (outcasts). Like small-leaved ti, they werenʻt of much use. Longer leaves were better liked because they were useful as food wrappers.

This summer, nine students from Maui High, King Kekaulike and Baldwin high schools participated in Mahi Pono’s paid summer internship program, where they propagated nearly 2,000 culturally significant plants for residents who lost their home gardens that included cherished lei plants during the 2023 wildfires.

Donations of ti leaves, and finished ti-leaf lei, measuring 16 inches before tied, are urgently needed to pay tribute to 4,000 fallen veterans during Memorial Day ceremonies on Monday, May 29 at Maui Veterans Cemetery in Makawao.