Ipomoea pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis

Description:

Phuehue, Beach morning gloryConvolvulaceae (Morning-Glory family)Indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands (All main islands to the NW Islands)Photo: OahuHabit/Habitat:www.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/46913921414/in/photolist...Early Hawaiian UseThe vines were also made into a type of bushy rope attached to each of the sticks on the bag net used in fishing. Cordage was sometimes made from the pliable stems.E k i ka phuehue, strike with the phuehue. [One hit the sea with this vine to make a rough sea for surfing, or to kill an enemy who was in the sea.] wehewehe.orgRoots and leaves were used by Hawaiians of old as famine foods. But carthartic compounds makes its use DANGEROUS!The leafy vines were used as lei.Medicinallly, even with its dangers, a few of the young leaf buds (muo) were eaten by women just prior to giving birth to hasten delivery.EtymologyThe generic name Ipomoea is derived from the Greek ips, worm, and homoios, similar to, meaning worm-like, in reference to the twining habit.The hyphenated specific epithet pes-caprae is from the Latin pes, foot, and caprae, goat, or literally "foot of a goat," in reference to the shape of the leaves similar to that of a goat's foot (hoof).The subspecies brasiliensis is in reference to the country of Brazil (Brasil), part of its pantropic range.nativeplants.hawaii.edu/index/