Canoe plants
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Canoe plants are plants taken from ancient Polynesia and transplanted to several different islands in the Pacific, covering an area of about 120,000 square miles. Sometime around 1,700 years ago, Polynesian explorers reached Hawai'i, bringing a variety of plants necessary for their survival and well-being.
The following species are generally considered to be canoe plants in Hawai'i:
- Aleurites moluccana
- Alocasia macrorrhiza
- Artocarpus altilis
- Bambusa vulgaris
- Broussonetia papyrifera
- Calophyllum inophyllum
- Cocos nucifera
- Colocasia esculenta
- Cordia subcordata
- Cordyline terminalis
- Curcuma domestica
- Dioscorea alata
- Eugenia malaccensis
- Hibiscus tiliaceus
- Ipomoea batatas
- Lageneria siceraria
- Morinda citrifolia
- Musa spp.
- Pandanus odoratissimus
- Piper methysticum
- Saccharum officinarum
- Schizostachyum glaucifolium
- Tacca leontopetaloides
- Thespesia populnea
- Touchardia latifolia
- Zingiber zerumbet
Though recent studies have shown that some of the above (such as Pandanus odoratissimus and Cordia subcordata) actually predate human arrival, similar or additional varieties could also have been transported by Polynesians.