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Living Plants

Makaloa (Cyperus laevigatus) is a member of the Sedge family. It UH-Mak-Plants-Good250.jpg (149019 bytes)  grows in wet areas at low elevations.

The visible part of the plant is its flowering stem which has a thin sheathing leaf at its base. The stem is responsible for photosynthesis because the leaves are flimsy and do not contain a significant amount of Photosynthetic tissue.

It has an underground stem which produces its shoot and root systems.

Makaloa stems were used to make the fine sleeping mats which were used by the ali'i. These are generally known as moena makali'i.

The finest mats had pawehe designs. BMHaleShrp300.jpg (87494 bytes)
These were produced by overlaying the woven Makaloa stems with another, darker material. This turned out to be kohekohe (Eleocharis calva or E. obtusa). The pawehe in the mat piece on the right is the symbol for hale (home) and was photographed from a display at the Bishop museum. The craft needed to make these mats was prodigious. They are reputedly the finest mats made in Polynesia (Abbott, 1992).

Unstained Cross-sections of a Makaloa Stem: Makaloa is a Monocot and its Vascular Bundles are distributed throughout its cross-sectional area. It also has prominent Air Cavities. These probably aid in gas diffusion and they are commonly found in semiaquatic plants.
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Makaloa Stem Cross-section MakUHOutStemXSTB300Lab.jpg (111140 bytes)stained with Toluidine Blue which stains Lignin Blue & unlignified tissues pink. This shows that there are two kinds of Vascular Bundles. Small circular bundles are located near the outside of the stem while larger bundles occur towards the interior. Many cells of the Vascular Bundles are Lignified (stained blue). Photosynthetic cells are associated with the smaller, peripheral vascular bundles. The internal ground tissue is unlignified (stained pink). Air Cavities are also distributed throughout the stem. These give the stems a spongy quality which may have provided some level of extra comfort in mats made from them.
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Outer part of Makaloa Stem stained with Toluidine Blue (left) and unstained (right): Makaloa has a smooth waxy cuticle which protects it and gives it a smooth feeling.  This would be a desirable trait for a sleeping mat. The Epidermal cells are Lignified which gives them strength and  resistance to decay.  The latter would also be a useful trait. Bundles of Sclerenchyma Fibers are located at intervals just beneath the Epidermis. These are Lignified and provide a lot of strength to the stem. Small Vascular Bundles with associated Photosynthetic tissue are located just beneath the Fibers. This is where photosynthesis occurs in Makaloa. Most of the cells in these Vascular Bundles are Lignified and thus contribute to the support of the stem. Parenchyma Cells fill in the rest of the space.
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Large Vascular Bundles of Makaloa Stained with Toluidine Blue (left) and Unstained (right): These Vascular Bundles are surrounded by Lignified Fibers and are thus strengthening elements. They contain well defined areas of Phloem and Xylem and are involved in long-distance transport.

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Unstained Cross-section of a
makaloa Stem and its sheathing Leaf: The Leaf completely encircles the Stem. This was taken near the base of the stem that was below  water.

 
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Unstained Cross-section through the outer part of a Makaloa stem and its sheathing Leaf: The pigmentation is natural and is associated with samples taken below the water.		 UHMakLefXSRedZoneTouch300Lab.jpg (51853 bytes)
Unstained Cross-section of a Makaloa Leaf: The red pigmentation is natural. This specimen was taken below the water. The Leaves are delicate and do not contain much chlorophyll. They have Fiber Bundles on their outer side, a ring of Vascular Bundles which alternate with Air Cavities in the center. Parenchyma cells constitute the rest of the inner tissues.

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