These are some photos of flax on the Chatham Islands. It is in full flower around New Zealand at the moment - some varieties with golden flowers, some with red. I always associate the flowering flax with Christmas - and of course also the Pohutukawa tree - some photos of that later.
Flax - which is actually a lily - is a magnificent plant and had many traditional uses to the Maori in pre European times.
Most Maori settlements had their own flax plantation. They grew different varieties - some for their strength, softness, colour and fibre content. No plant was more important to them than the flax, or harakeke as it was known.
It was used for clothing, footwear, mats, plates, baskets, ropes, bird snares, fishing lines, lashings and nets.
Other parts of the flax were used also - the tall dry flower stalks were used for floats and rafts. Nectar was used for sweetening.
Flax also had many medicinal uses. The sticky sap or gum that flax produces was applied to boils and wounds and used for toothache. Flax leaves were used in binding broken bones and matted leaves were used as dressings. Flax root juice was routinely applied to wounds as a disinfectant.
Today, flax is used in soaps, hand crèmes, shampoos and a range of other cosmetics. Flax seed oil can also be found for sale. There have even been experiments to make flax into wine!
It is still widely used by the Maori to weave into traditional kete (baskets), cloaks and pois.
6 comments:
They look like our..........................you know I just can't think of what it's called but they are plants just like that but with creamy coloured fluffy flowers and the seeds replant everywhere.
Our neighbours have one and we always get babies sprouting in our garden.
..what the heck is it called?
i suspect now that as i have followeed your blogs religiously, you don't havekscrpers over on the chatum islands
skyscrpers
skyscrapers
Hi Tismee - I would be interested to know the name - if you remember it just leave a note.
Putz - dont worry about the spelling , I always know what you mean!
I am back from the Chatham islands now, back in good old New Zealand. We do have skyscrapers here - but mostly in the big cities. And even then nothing to compare with New York or some other American cities.
Does Ephriam have a skyscraper or two?
Pampas Grass!
I remembered as soon as I got to MIL/FIL' last night and saw it in their garden.
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