para
1. (noun) king fern, horseshoe fern, Marattia salicina - huge, tufted native ground fern with unusually large, heavy, dark, glossy fronds, divided into long, strap-like leaflets. Stalks clasping at base, with large ear-like lobes. The underground stems were an important food.
Ka tunua ki te ahi ka maoa, ka romia, tangotango ana, ka mawhaki, ka kitea te māngaro, ka kīia kātahi te para māngaro (TP 1/1911:4). / It is cooked in the fire and when ready, it is squeezed, handled, broken open and the flouriness is discovered so the comment is made that it is floury para fern tubers.
Synonyms: parareka, paratawhiti, uwhi para
2. (noun) banded kōkopu, cockabully, Galaxias fasciatus, whitebait - small, blunt-nosed, endemic freshwater fish that is slender, lacks scales and carries a dorsal fin set far to the rear. Head and body dark brown to olive-green with narrow polar bars crossing flanks and continuous across back. Widespread in forested areas. Capable of climbing moist vertical faces. The juvenile form is called whitebait.
See also kōkopu
Synonyms: kōkopuruao, kōkopu taiwhara, kōkopu, kōpakopako, parakeke, ruao, ruwao, moruru, kōriwhariwha, kōawheawhe
3. (noun) orchid tuber - tuberous edible roots of potato orchids, Gastrodia cunninghamii, Orthoceras strictum.
