Pteridium esculentum. Aruhe. Information on fernroot growth, where found.
Māori names
Māori names
Common names
Environment
From Best 1902: Tāwaha aruhe or karinga [kari nga ? Ed.] aruhe - place where fernroot was dug.
Fernroot dug when mōkehu (young growth) had reached its full height - early summer. However, in times of scarcity fernroot was dug any time
Burnt about every third year to make roots white and prevent fern being smothered by scrub. Done when hīnau and whākou (Ixerbia brexioides) in bloom. If burning left till blooming of rātā and korukoru (mistletoe), fernroot would become brownish and unfit to eat.
Pākihi means to dig for fernroot and also refers to a place where fernroot has been dug. (Pronunciation after Williams, but Best says has heard all the vowels short)
Burning off to keep down weeds and scrub and to foster growth of bracken was done when the hīnau was beginning to flower. If waited till rātā flowered, crop would be poor in appearance and quality. Best crops thought to follow fires generated from woods of supplejack and māhoe. ( Anderson 1955 ).
paetu = fernroot obtained from hard ground
kōauau = fernroot got from soft, loose, red soils.
kopure aruhe, kowao - patches of fern land in forest
Tuaeke - inferior fern land
