Limu, otherwise known as rimu or imu (from

Proto-Austronesian Proto-Austronesian (commonly abbreviated as PAN or PAn) is a proto-language. It is the reconstructed ancestor of the Austronesian languages, one of the world's major language families. Proto-Austronesian is assumed to have begun to diversify 3 ...

*''limut'') is a general Polynesian term for edible plants living underwater, such as

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

, or plants living near water, like

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

. In Hawaii, there are approximately one hundred names for kinds of limu, sixty of which can be matched with scientific names. Hundreds of species or marine algae were once found in Hawaii. Many limu are edible, and used in the cuisine throughout most of

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

Uses

Several species of limu are used as food throughout Polynesia and is typically eaten raw as accompaniment to meals, usually fish. In Hawaii, limu was seen as a major component of the Hawaiian diet alongside fish and poi. Hawaiians cultivated several varieties of seaweed for food as well as to feed fish farmed within fish ponds. As many as 75 types of limu were used for food, more than the 35 used in

Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and other ...

, which is also well known for its use of seaweed. In modern times, limu is often used as a condiment, typically in raw fish dishes such as

poke Poke may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Poke (''Ender's Game''), a fictional character * Poke (game), a two-player card game * Poke, a fictional bar owner in the television series '' Treme'' * The Poke, a British satirical website Fo ...

. Limu was used in ''

hoʻoponopono Hooponopono () is a traditional Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness. The Hawaiian word translates into English simply as ''correction'', with the synonyms ''manage'' or ''supervise''. Similar forgiveness practices are performed on ...

'', the ancient Hawaiian process of conflict resolution. Injured and accused parties gathered to pray, seek forgiveness and eat leaves as a symbol of reconciliation. It is also used in traditional

hula Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form accompanied by chant (oli) or song (Mele (Hawaiian language), mele). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of t ...

attire and as medicine. Due to the shape of its foliage, the Maori also applied the name to the native tree ''

Dacrydium cupressinum ''Dacrydium cupressinum'', commonly known as rimu, is a large evergreen coniferous tree endemic to the forests of New Zealand. It is a member of the southern conifer group, the podocarps. The Māori name ''rimu'' comes from the Polynesian t ...

''.

Types

''Limu'' comes from multiple

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

Easter Island

* ('' Dictyopteris australis'') * ('' Sargassum obtusifolium'')

French Polynesia

*''Konini'' (''

Caulerpa racemosa ''Caulerpa racemosa'' is a species of edible green alga, a seaweed in the family Caulerpaceae. It is commonly known as sea grapes (along with the related ''Caulerpa lentillifera'') and is found in many areas of shallow sea around the world. There ...

'') (Rapa Iti) * (''

'') (Tahiti) * (''

Ulva lactuca ''Ulva lactuca'', also known by the common name sea lettuce, is an edible green alga in the family Ulvaceae. It is the type species of the genus ''Ulva''. A synonym is ''U. fenestrata'', referring to its "windowed" or "holed" appearance. Descrip ...

'') (Tahiti)

Hawaii

* ''( Ulva prolifera'') * ('' Sargassum aquifolium'') – employed during . * – "dry or hard" * ''(

Asparagopsis taxiformis ''Asparagopsis taxiformis'', (red sea plume or limu kohu) formerly ''A. sanfordiana'', is a species of red algae, with cosmopolitan distribution in tropical to warm temperate waters. Researchers have demonstrated that feeding ruminants a diet c ...

'') – most popular * ''( Grateloupia filicina'' or "pubic hair") – favorite of

Liliʻuokalani Liliʻuokalani (; Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha; September 2, 1838 – November 11, 1917) was the only queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling from January 29, 1891, until the overthrow of the Haw ...

. * (''

Hypnea ''Hypnea'' is a genus of red algae, and a well known carrageenophyte (plant producing polysaccharide carrageenan). Taxonomy and Nomenclature ''Hypnea'' is a genus of red seaweed under class Florideophyceae, order Gigartinales, and family Cys ...

sp.'') * ('' Dictyopteris plagiogramma'') – once found in almost continuous beds around

O‘ahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O’ ...

. Disappeared from

Waikiki Beach Waikiki (; haw, Waikīkī; ; also known as Waikiki Beach) is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the south shore of the island of Oahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Waikiki is most famous for Waikiki Beach, which is one of six beaches in the district ...

in the 1960s, crowded out by pollution and the invasive ''

Gracilaria salicornia ''Gracilaria'' is a genus of red algae (Rhodophyta) notable for its economic importance as an agarophyte, as well as its use as a food for humans and various species of shellfish. Various species within the genus are cultivated among Asia, South ...

''. * (''

Gymnogongrus ''Gymnogongrus'' is a genus of red algae belonging to the family Phyllophoraceae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the ...

'' long or slender) * ''(

Gracilaria coronopifolia ''Gracilaria coronopifolia'', also known as limu manauea in Hawaiian, or ogo in Japanese, is a species of edible red algae (Rhodophyta Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), are one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta also com ...

'', apanese – cooked with meats to form a savory jelly. Later diced raw with poke, mixed with chili and salt. * (''

'') – used in

* (genus ''

Codium ''Codium'' is a genus of seaweed in the Chlorophyta of the order Bryopsidales. Paul Silva was an expert on the genus ''Codium'' taxonomy at the University of California, Berkeley. There are about 50 species worldwide. Description The genus h ...

,'' species '' Codium edule'') * (''

'' and '' Monostroma oxyspermum)'' – named after a shark god who was swaddled in its silken leaves. * – shawl of the goddess

Hina Hina may refer to: People and deities * Hina (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Hina (chiefess), a name given to several noble ladies who lived in ancient Hawaii * Hina (goddess), the name assigned to ...

. Shares its name with a native butterfly and a family of

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to matc ...

New Zealand

* (''

Gracilaria chilensis ''Gracilaria'' is a genus of red algae ( Rhodophyta) notable for its economic importance as an agarophyte, as well as its use as a food for humans and various species of shellfish. Various species within the genus are cultivated among Asia, Sout ...

'') * (''

Pyropia ''Pyropia'' is a genus of red algae eaweedin the family Bangiaceae. It is found around the world in intertidal zones and shallow water. The genus has folding frond-like blades which are either red, brown or green. Some ''Pyropia'' species are u ...

'' sp.) * (''

Zostera ''Zostera'' is a small genus of widely distributed seagrasses, commonly called marine eelgrass, or simply seagrass or eelgrass, and also known as seaweed by some fishermen and recreational boaters including yachtsmen. The genus ''Zostera'' con ...

'' sp.) * ('' Gigartina'' sp.) * (''

Durvillaea antarctica ''Durvillaea antarctica'', also known as ' and ', is a large, robust species of southern bull kelp found on the coasts of Chile, southern New Zealand, and Macquarie Island.Smith, J.M.B. and Bayliss-Smith, T.P. (1998). Kelp-plucking: coastal eros ...

'') * ('' Caulerpa brownii'') * (''

Polysiphonia ''Polysiphonia'' is a genus of filamentous red algae with about 19 species on the coasts of the British Isles and about 200 species worldwide, including Crete in Greece, Antarctica and Greenland. Its members are known by a number of common names. ...

'' sp.) * (''

Sargassum ''Sargassum'' is a genus of brown (class Phaeophyceae) macroalgae (seaweed) in the order Fucales. Numerous species are distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world, where they generally inhabit shallow water and coral re ...

'' sp.) * (''

'') * ('' Hydroclathrus'' sp.) * ('' Turbinaria'' sp.)

Niue

* (''

'') * (''

Caulerpa cupressoides ''Caulerpa cupressoides'', commonly known as cactus tree alga, is a species of seaweed in the '' Caulerpaceae'' family. Green alge of ''Caulerpa'' genus are salty and pungent in style and are consumed by several marine cultures around the world. ...

'')

Samoa

* ('' Halymenia'' sp.) * (''

'') * (''

Gracilaria ''Gracilaria'' is a genus of red algae (Rhodophyta) notable for its economic importance as an agarophyte, as well as its use as a food for humans and various species of shellfish. Various species within the genus are cultivated among Asia, South ...

'' sp.) * ('' Turbinaria'' sp.) * (''

'' sp.)

Tonga

* ('' Caulerpa peltata'') * ('' Caulerpa serrulata''/''

'') * ('' Hypnea charoides'') * ('' Caulerpa sertularoides'') * ('' Caulerpa scalpeliformis'') * (''

Cladosiphon ''Cladosiphon'' is a genus of brown algae belonging to the family Chordariaceae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution. Species: *'' Cladosiphon cylindricus'' *'' Cladosiphon erythraeus'' *'' Cladosiphon irregularis'' *'' Cladosiphon lub ...

'' sp.) * (''

'')

Threats

Limu has become increasingly difficult to find because of over-picking, pollution, and urban development, especially construction in

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

s. Many important kinds of ''limu'' grow best in

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

water where fresh water empties into the sea. Another threat to ''limu'' is the spread of marine alien

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

, such as members of the genus ''

Kappaphycus ''Kappaphycus'' is a genus of red algae. Species are distributed in the waters of East Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hainan Island, the Philippines, and Micronesia.Guiry, M. D. In: Guiry, M. D. & G. M. Guiry. 2013''Kappaphycus''.AlgaeBase. Nationa ...

(''smothering seaweed), ''Gracilaria salicornia'' (gorilla ogo), ''Avrainvillea amadelpha'' (leather mudweed), ''

Hypnea musciformis ''Hypnea'' is a genus of Rhodophyta, red algae, and a well known carrageenophyte (plant producing polysaccharide carrageenan). Taxonomy and Nomenclature ''Hypnea'' is a genus of red seaweed under class Florideophyceae, order Gigartinales, and ...

'' (hook weed) and '' Acanthophora spicifera'' (prickly seaweed).

References

External links

* * {{portal bar, Food Edible seaweeds Hawaiian cuisine Niuean cuisine Samoan cuisine Tokelauan cuisine Tongan cuisine Tuvaluan cuisine Wallis and Futuna cuisine Algae of Hawaii Polynesian cuisine Oceanian cuisine

Uses

Types

Easter Island

French Polynesia

Hawaii

New Zealand

Niue

Samoa

Tonga

Threats

See also

Further reading

References

External links