MOANO

'MOANO'

Status: Held in Collections

Background Information: This name literally refers to a pale red color and figuratively means "to bloom" but is most often used to denote the red goatfish (Parupeneus multifasciatus), whose red color, so a fable told, was caused by the fish eating the lehua flowers of the ‘ōhi‘a tree. Misnomers for this cane include 'Moana' and 'Manoa.' This name is also applied to a variety of kalo ('‘Ula‘ula Moano') that has a similar red coloration on its stalk. 'Moano' is perhaps the most common backyard variety today, and is often the variety found when people say they have the "red" Hawaiian cane. 

Identifying Characteristics: Stalks are light purple with a much lighter-colored root band and growth ring. Bud furrow is very strongly marked, deep, and long. Buds are large and deltoid. Dewlap is strongly squarish deltoid. Auricle often well developed, small pointed and occurring at dewlap. 'Moano' may be confused with 'Waialua,' but distinguished by deep bud furrow, 'Uhu,' but distinguished by well-formed auricle, and 'Nānahu,' but distinguished by sheath coloration and variegation.

Stalk Color

 

The stalks are described by Moir as “maroon-red and striped with apple-green when young, and changing to purplish-red and yellow when mature”; by Fornander as “red with long white stripes”; and by Spencer as “a ribbon cane, green and purple.” Alternatively, Ka‘aiakamanu compares it to Manulele (a striped cane), and states that the stalks were “dark reddish as the p?polo liquid.”

Stalk Color

 

light red-purple to deep red, becoming very dark purple with exposure; wax bloom very sparse to light

Internode

 

cylindric with slight variations; bud furrow strongly marked, very deep, extending the length of the internode; wax band medium width, prominent, typically constricted; growth ring dark purple, red, or rarely orange; root band purple or orange-green, 2–3 rows of eyes

Bud

 

pink or purple, narrow ovate or narrow deltoid, very tall, truncate tip; sparsely pubescent with short and long hairs near the tip; bud wings purple, inserted below the middle of the bud

Leaf

 

droops near the middle, medium length, very broad width, module 14:1–18:1, green, occasional splotching of yellow or white, moderate long hairs along the edge, almost hairless behind dewlap, serration is moderate size and closely packed; upper midrib is creamy white or pale yellow; lower midrib often with a thin yellow stripe down the center; sheath greenish yellow, flushed with pink or purple, moderately waxy, very hairy down the center, thick margin of dead tissue; dewlap squarish deltoid or ascending squarish; outer auricle often slight round-pointed growth with a tuft of short hairs; inner auricle medium-pointed deltoid growth

Flesh

 

dark brown

Tassel

 

not observed

Growth

 

very erect to semi-erect, few, moderately thick stalks

 

Authored by: Noa Kekuewa Lincoln.  
Please properly cite any use of information or graphics from this page. 

Lincoln, N. (2017) Kō: An Ethnobotanical Guide to Hawaiian Sugarcane Varieties. 
Retrieved from: http://cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu/cane/Home.aspx