Kakakura Ula (Kakakura)
General characteristics: Medium in height to tall, moderately spreading, maturing within 9 to 12 months, producing very early from 6 to 12 short, thick rhizomes; distinguishable by brilliant reddish-purple coloration overlying light and dark green striping on petioles.
Petiole: 75 to 95 cm long, dark and light green-striped with strong tinge of reddish-purple almost obscuring stripes, indistinctly edged, white at base, curved at apx so that blade hangs almost vertically.
Leaf blade: 45 to 60 cm long, 30 to 35 cm wide, 35 to 50 cm from tip to base of sinus, sagittate, firm-chartaceous, dark green with bluish cast; veins reddish on lower surface; piko purple; lobes acute with shallow, wide sinus.
Corm: Flesh white with yellowish fibers; skin cream-colored to white.
Inflorescence: Penduncle striped pink and light brown; spathe 24 to 32 cm long, the lower tubular portion 4 to 5 cm long, whitish, flecked or indistinctly striped with pink and light brown, with reddish-purple margins, the upper portion orange with reddish margins, abruptly acut at apex but loosely convolute below, sometimes open near constriction at maturity; spadix 9 to 11 cm long, the sterile appendage 7 to 13 mm long, noticeably constricted, conspicuously acute.
Origin, and derivation of name: Introduced from South Seas; since four varieties were received under the name Kakakura, the descriptive suffix “ula” has been added to indicate the red Kakakura.
Distribution: Limited; the variety has done well as Pensacola Street Station under upland culture.
Use: Primarily as table taro.
Remarks: This variety is one of the most beautiful of all the taros. The predominating impression given by the plant is of the brilliant dark pinkish-red color; on closer examination almost every color of the rainbow may be found on the petiole. This taro might well be propagated as an ornamental plant.
Taken from “Taro Varieties in Hawaii” Bulletin 84 by CTAHR
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