Freycinetia arborea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids ʻIeʻie |
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| ʻIeʻie fruit | |
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Freycinetia arborea, known as ʻIeʻie, is a special plant. It is a strong, woody vine that climbs high. This plant is endemic to the Pacific Islands. This means it is found naturally only in these islands.
ʻIeʻie grows in moist forests. You can find it on the Hawaiian, Marquesas, Austral, Society, and Cook Islands. It uses aerial roots to attach itself to host trees. It can climb all the way into the forest canopy. Sometimes, it also grows as a tangled mess on the forest floor.
Contents
About the Ieʻie Plant
What it Looks Like
The ʻIeʻie has shiny green leaves. Their ends are pointed. The leaves are spiny on their lower side and along their edges. Each leaf can be about 40 to 80 centimeters (16 to 31 inches) long. They are about 1 to 3 centimeters (0.4 to 1.2 inches) wide. The leaves grow in a spiral pattern around the ends of the branches.
Flowers and Fruit
The Flowers of the ʻIeʻie grow on spike-like clusters. These clusters are found at the end of the branches. Some spikes have male flowers (staminate). Others have female flowers (pistillate).
Male flower spikes are yellowish-white. They can be up to 10 centimeters (4 inches) long. Female flower spikes are smaller, about 3 to 4 centimeters (1.2 to 1.6 inches). But they grow longer, up to 7.5 to 9.5 centimeters (3 to 3.7 inches), when fruit starts to grow.
Three or four spikes are surrounded by bright orange-salmon colored bracts. These are like special leaves. The fruit is about 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) long. It holds many tiny seeds, each about 1.5 millimeters (0.06 inches) long.
Its Role in Nature
The bright bracts and fruit of the ʻIeʻie were a favorite food. They were eaten by the ʻōʻū (Psittirostra psittacea). This bird was a type of Hawaiian honeycreeper. Sadly, the ʻōʻū is now extinct. It used to help spread the seeds of plants like ʻIeʻie.
The ʻIeʻie fruit is also a favorite food for the ʻalalā (Corvus hawaiiensis). This crow is currently extinct in the wild.
Uses of Ieʻie
Native Hawaiians used the ʻIeʻie plant in many ways. They used it to make special baskets. These baskets were called hīnaʻi hoʻomoe iʻa (fish baskets). They also made hīnaʻi hoʻoluʻuluʻu (fish traps). Another important use was for mahiole iʻe. These were helmets worn by chiefs.
Images for kids
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A ʻieʻie climbing on a Eucalyptus tree.
