Proto Eastern Polynesian: *Pōhue
REFLEXES OF PEPN *Pōhue IN SOME EASTERN POLYNESIAN LANGUAGES:
(Pōhue or pōhuehue is also a generic term along the lines of its Proto-Polynesian source, as well as commonly referring explicitly to the species listed, in most of these languages.)
Mangareva: Po'ue (Ipomoea pes-caprae, "Beach morning glory ", Convolvulaceaceae);
Marquesan: Pōhue (Ipomoea pes-caprae; Pōhue vao, Cyrtandra ootensis, Gesneriaceae);
Hawaiian: Pōhue (Lagenaria siceraria, "Bottle gourd", Cucurbitaceae); Pōhuehue (Ipomoea pes-caprae, "Beach morning glory" Convolvulaceae); Pōhuehue uka (Cardiospermum halicacabum, Sapindaceae);
Tahitian: Pōhue (Meremmia peltata, and Ipomoea alba, Convolvulaceae);
Tuamotuan: Pōhue (Ipomoea alba and Ipomoea violacea, Convolvulaceae [R&W]); Stimson defines this term as "a variety of gourd-bearing creeper and climbing vine or plant, Convolvulus" and links it to the term tūtae-fatitiri; this is discussed further below);
Rarotongan: Pō'ue (Vigna marina "Beach pea"; Fabaceae, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Convolvulaceae; and Luffa cylindrica, "Loofah gourd" Cucurbitaceae);
Maori: Pōhue, Pōhuehue (Calystegia sepium & C. soldanella, "Bindweed", Convolvulaceae; Clematis forsteri (et. al.) Ranunculaceae; Passiflora tetranda, Passifloraceae; Muehlenbeckia complexa & M. axillaris, Polygonaceae; Sicyos australis & S. mawhai, Cucurbitaceae). |
*Fue, *Hue and *Pōhue.
This page is one of four interlinked pages dealing with the plants that have come to be designated by terms ultimately derived from the Proto-Polynesian word *Fue. This page looks at the reflexes in tropical Polynesia of the Proto-Eastern Polynesian word *Pōhue, derived from *fue with the addition of the prefix pō- to distinguish it from Proto-Eastern Polynesian *hue, the direct reflex of the Proto-Polynesian word. The reflexes of *pōhue in Aotearoa are discussed on a separate page. The other two pages look at the direct reflexes of Proto Eastern Polynesian *hue (hue and 'ue in modern Eastern Polynesian languages), and the reflexes of Proto-Polynesian *fue in other Polynesian languages, respectively.
In most Eastern Polynesian languages, a word cognate with Māori pōhue or the reduplicated form pōhuehue is a generic term for beach creepers and other vines associated with coastal habitats, especially but by no means exclusively species of Convolvulus, Ipomoea and other members of the convolvulus family. These words replace hue, also derived from the older, Proto Polynesian *fue (and in turn from Proto Oceanic *puRe), in those contexts. In Eastern Polynesia, the direct reflexes of *fue refer primarily to the bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria.
In Hawaiian, however, the reflexes of Central Eastern Polynesian *pōhue also refer to the vine of the hue (bottle gourd), although in Hawaiian ipu is the word used more commonly in that context. Elsewhere in Polynesia ipu generally refers to a gourd shaped like or used as a narrow-necked calabash for storing water. Stimson's note about the meaning of pōhue in the Tuamotus, quoted in the list of reflexes, is intriguing because it is difficult to determine what specific plant he is referring to in his mention of the "gourd-bearing creeper". The generic meaning of the word is implied, and the "Convolvulus" would be Ipomoea pes-caprae, I. violacea and their relatives. However a specific "gourd-like plant" is mentioned. The cross-reference to tūtae-fatitiri "lightning deposit" gives the extra information that the gourd-like plant has "round berries", from which "the kernels are used to prepare a medicine for swellings and nodules". The most likely candidate would be the wax gourd, Benincasa hispida, which has small round fruit, the seeds of which may share the anti-inflamatory properties of the Asian variety of this species. The edible Asian variety of that plant has many medicinal uses, but I have not seen any reports of the very much smaller inedible Polynesian strain being accorded medicinal uses. See the page for *hue for more information about the Polynesian wax gourd.
 In Māori pōhue has a specific referent , the native bindweed Calystegia sepium subsp. roseata (illustrated on the left), while the reduplicated form pōhuehue is a more general term denoting vigorously climbing plants from several botanically quite different plant families (there is more about them on the linked page). Other members of the convolvulus family grouped under these headings are Ipomoea alba, Ipomoea violacea, and Operculina turpethum. These are all pan-tropical plants, which have become even more widely distributed over the last two centuries. Ipomoea alba, the "moon flower", a denizen of swampy places, with runners up to 6 metres long, some with short, soft prickles, is probably native to Mexico. It is known as koali pehu (kūmara-like morning glory -- pehu is a variety of uwala (kūmara)) in Hawai'i, and pōhue in the Tuamotus and Tahiti. Ipomoea violacea, like I. alba, has a flower with a long, slender tube, but it does not have prickles on its stems. Operculina turpethum is another widespread tropical vine, possibly originating in India, but also apparently native (i.e. having arrived without human agency) to many Pacific islands. Like most members of the convolvulus family, it has purgative or laxitive properties and various medicinal uses in different parts of its range, but its roots and leaves should be ingested with extreme caution, if at all!
 In Hawaii and Rarotonga, leguminous vines such as Canavalia sericea and C. rosea (illustrated on the left), which have similar habits of growth and similar habitats to the convolvulus relatives are also refered to as pōhue and pō'ue respectively, despite the differences in the appearance of their flowers. Canavalia rosea, C. pubescens, and Vigna marina are other leguminous plants in this category, although it should be noted that C. pubescens, a climber found occasionally on lava fields and in dry forests, is endemic to Hawai'i, where it is generally known as 'āwikiwiki or puakauhi. The deciding criteria for the grouping together of the various species which share the designation pōhue or pōhuehue seem to be habit of growth, and links with the shoreline or coastal environments. Flower-size and shape seems to be irrelevant; leaf colour or shape may play a part -- many have heart-shaped leaves, but this may be simply coincidence. Hoyas and climbing members of the pepper family also are included in this category -- Hoya australis and Piper graeffei are two of these plants which are described and illustrated along with others on the page for Proto Polynesian *fue. The shrub Cyrtandra ootensis is given the name pōhue vao "forest pōhue" in the Marquesas, where it is endemic. This is the "odd man out" in this collection, as it is a slender shrub, rather than a vine. This species is endemic to the Marquesas; other species of Cyrtandra are found throughout the Pacific: Hawai'i alone has 53 endemic species of this genus, mostly known locally as hahala.
 The Lagenaria gourd was everywhere a carefully cultivated and economically important plant. Its runners are termed pōhue in Hawai'i and the Tuamotus. In Rarotonga a much more recently introduced member of the Cucurbitaceae, the Loofah gourd, Luffa cylindrica, shares this designation (pō'ue). Most other other plants sharing the names derived from *pōhue are wild plants, many of which, like the New Zealand Calystegia, despite the beauty of their flowers no doubt become weeds and are treated as pests when they appear on cultivated land or new habitats.
A prime example of this, but without the showy flowers, and with three-lobed rather than heart-shaped leaves, is the pan-tropical Cardiospermum halicacabum,
called
pōhuehue
uka (inland pōhuehue) in Hawai'i, and
listed as an invasive pest species in many countries, including Aotearoa, although it is a sacred plant in Southern India.
This is a rather attractive species of "balloon vine", with the stems growing up to 3 metres high. It has small, papery inflated fruits about 2 cm in diameter (illustrated on the left), with three compartments containing black seeds within. There are a pair of tendrils to each flower cluster -- the greenish-white flowers are less than half a centimetre across. The reason for its "pest" status is that, like many vines growing where they are not wanted, it can envelop and smother other plants if left unchecked.
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