Family: Taccaceae

Pia (Tacca leontopetaloides) is a striking herbaceous canoe plant. Pia’s large bright green leaves have many lobes and depressed veins. When ready, a flowering shoot emerges with up to 40 flowers clustered at the tip. Their flowers have dark bracts (green, purple, and brown) with characteristic whisker-like appendages. Pia goes though an annual dormancy cycle losing its foliage and reemerging from their potato-like tubers.

At one time you could find pia cultivated in lowland areas and mesic valley floors on most islands. It thrives in moist, warm, and shady to open woods habitat. Today, pia is a rare site in gardens and in the wild. To cultivate pia, plant tubers near the end of the day during the rainy season. The best time to harvest is usually in the winter time when the leaves are dry and yellowing. The plant will lose its leaves and go into dormancy until spring time when new leaf stalks emerge.

Traditionally, the starch of the white round tuber was extracted and purified to remove bitterness. Then, people could use that starch in different puddings, most notably haupia. Haupia was made by steaming, boiling, or baking the combination of pia flour, niu (milk/cream), and kō. However, many people prefer to just buy corn starch these days. The starch was used in lāʻau lapaʻau (medicine) to cure hoʻopapailua luaʻi (nausea) and luaʻi mau (continual vomiting). While the raw tuber could be utilized in treatment for diarrhea, dysentery, and hemorrhaging.

Plant Uses:

• Container plant
• Cultural significance
• Edible
• Medicinal
• Ornamental
• Specimen

Plant Dangers:

• No dangers