Takaiapu
| Cultivar No |  |
49 |
|---|---|---|
| Source | |
Hawke's Bay. |
| Description | |
Tall, rather bendy, medium green leaves |
| Uses | |
Good all purpose harakeke. Good whāriki variety. May be used for piupiu although para adheres slightly. Dries very hard and strong. Medium quantity of fibre. Dries to greenish-fawn when boiled for one minute and a deeper shade unboiled. Kelly, one of the Flax Commissioners in Taranaki (1870), said its very strong fibre was used for fishing lines. |
| Muka extraction |  |
Only small amount of muka extracts. Rest of fibre embedded in lower layers of leaf and cannot be extracted. Para sticks. Fibre weak and keeps breaking off. |
| Raranga - unboiled | |
Whenu feel strong and are of good length and even thickness. A good flax for kete, whāriki and pīkau. Whenu soften well and are pliable. |
Information sources:
| Rene Orchiston |
Katarina Tawiri |
 Rob Smissen |
 Sue Scheele |