Takaiapu
Cultivar No | 49 | |
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Source | Hawke's Bay. | |
Description | Tall, rather bendy, medium green leaves |
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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. |
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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 |