Parts of Trees and Leaves — Nā Māhele

Knowing the names of different parts of things helps us not only describe what we see to others — e.g. the stem is red — but also helps us notice them in the first place. Learning that leaves have these things called veins, or a’a, means we look closely for these structures in leaves that we see.

In Hawaiian, these names can also give us a deeper connection and relationship with the plant. For example, the kalo leaf has a “piko” — the place where the stem meets the leaf. In Hawaiian, piko also means belly button.

From Three Mountain Alliance on Hawaii Island (the three mountains are Mauna Loa, Kīlauea, and Hualālai). Note: Their website also has a tremendous resource library of other Hawaii specific activities, educational games, and charts for native plants with both Hawaiian and scientific names.

Trees, ferns, and birds: https://threemountainalliance.org/na-mahele-activities/
Leaves: https://threemountainalliance.org/resource/na-mahele-ka-lau/

From Kauluakalana:
Parts of the banana plant – maiʻa: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8DKt85yxph/?img_index=1
Parts of the sugar cane – ko: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8V8UbCOc5P/?img_index=1

Learn about kalo (also known as taro):