Toa
Toa – Saccharum officinarum
Perennial plant, with a solid stem, which can measure up to 6 meters in height, and 2 to 8 cm in diameter. The stem has two different parts: a spongy and sweet tissue in the central part and a peripheral part rich in fiber. The flower is a panicle-shaped inflorescence of small, long, hairy, silky spikes.
Importance
It was planted in agricultural enclosures or manavai. It was grown in the Rano Kau crater. Its pleasant juice partly supplied the water needs of the population. The juice was also used as an adhesive by which the various pigments were fixed on the body or face and on surfaces. Its leaves were used to cover the old homes.
Propagation
It reproduces by sowing pieces of stem, always in very sunny spaces.
Ecology
Subspontaneous and uncommon in the natural environment. Still present in Rano Kau and some other sites on the island. Also, grown in some private enclosures.
Conservation
Classified as Vulnerable by the Chilean Ministry of the Environment (Wild Species Classification Regulations).
Distribution
Probably native to New Guinea, it is cultivated throughout tropical regions.
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