What's with the Noni?

[Guest]

What’s with the Noni[?]
There is Noni growing all over Puna, alongside the public highway, in subdivisions on common ground areas, and even in undeveloped lots. I see people picking the Noni and bagging it up, I assume that it is for sale. Who do they sell it to and how much money do they get for it? I know that if you buy a bottle of processed Noni it can be quite expensive.

I approached a picker one day to ask and before I got there he said, “hey, I’m picking these trees” before I said a word. So I walked away without asking. Is it a first come service or what? Do these people claim territory as their own “picking” areas? I don’t want to be rude to anyone I just want to know what’s up.

The Lack

[Guest]

It's really a long story from what I've heard.

About 15 - 20 years ago... a dude came over from Asia and saw a bunch of Noni. He knew of medicinal purposes about it... and was paying $10-15 bucks a bucket for just the fruit to be sent to wherever he was processing it. (he even paid for all the buckets and shipping at first)

Word caught on about the value of Noni... and soon people started processing locally.

Word got out... 3 - 5 years later everyone was growing it and still is.

It is known for it's medicinal purposes... a google search will show many uses for it.

Prices fluxuate... but have dropped over the years from those first early years.

Tastes like an explecitive.

I'd be cautious that you aren't picking on private property. Many people own land that they don't live on, however, it's unmarked and looks like it's just public land.

About a year ago... had a bad disease that spread through a lot of Noni crops in puna.

Interestingly enough... Hawaiians have used it much longer then anyone else for medicinal value... and not retail value.

I'm sure there are other stories about it... but this is what I was told... Then again, I was told Manapua had cat meat in it!

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My Blog

[kani-lehua]

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Originally posted by Damon

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Prices fluxuate...

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meaning? they get acid (re)flux? too much gas? []

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I'm sure there are other stories about it... but this is what I was told... Then again, I was told Manapua had cat meat in it!

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was told to call it road kill. whatever it's called, i'm going to eat them tasty morsels.[]





"chaos reigns within.
reflect, repent and reboot.
order shall return."

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[Laughing_girl]

It's also invasive.

[gtill]

It's also a native Hawaiian species, who's invasive? Interesting, the price has dropped a lot on it, and it seems there's a market for it. Many people rave about it's bemefits, it's one of the few sucessful ag enterprises on the island. More power to them.

[Chuysmom]

Tony just pulled a huge one out of our back yard...we don't really use it and could use the room for other produce. It can be smelly, too.

Carrie Rojo

"The sun and moon collide. Isn't gravity a funny thing? The universe explodes apart. All the children sing..." Todd Rundgren

[Mitzi M]

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It's also invasive.

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It's also a native Hawaiian species, who's invasive?

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Actually noni is a non-native canoe plant which was brought here by the Polynesians. It is naturalized, meaning it grows and spreads happily by itself...But is it invasive? I say no because even though it does spread here in the Puna lowlands it doesn't really get out of control, make huge monotypic stands and displace native trees. Where I live, it even lives in partial shade as an understory plant in native 'ohi'a forest, replacing some of the native understory that has been lost. I think kukui, another canoe plant, is a much more invasive tree.

Last winter, after it rained for 2 months straight, the noni where I live started to look really bad all of a sudden. I found out it's a fungus called "noni black flag" which causes the leaves to turn black and droop (like flags) and rots out the fruit. According to CTAHR, it was first found at a noni farm somewhere near Opihikao and has spread as far as Kalapana. I saw it in the forest near Kapoho as well. It weakens but does not kill the trees and lives on in dormancy in the fallen leaves to emerge when it's really wet again. If you get it, you can remove all the diseased leaf litter and fruit and lessen your chances of future infestation, but I confess I did none of this and the nonis look good again.

In my neck of the woods there are people who regularly come around and gather the nonis. I know that at least one group of them have gotten permission to harvest from several of the landowners, even some on vacant lots.

I agree thay do taste like...your choice of very bad words, and it really stinks to step on the rotten fruit. But, they do make a handsome, if wrangly hedge or shrub and a useful medicinal plant.

[gtill]

I believe I did say Hawaiian introduced plant, brought here because of it's medicinal value. Please show me another introduction which is being shared outside with the same usefulness and market value. The common guava is the most nutricous fruit of all, but not being sexy it is also not appreciated.