parareka
1. (noun) king fern, horseshoe fern, Marattia salicin - 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.
See also para
Synonyms: para, paratawhiti, uwhi para
2. (noun) potato (Eastern dialect), Solanum tuberosum - a general term for potato but also refers to a specific oval-shaped cultivar with pink-and-yellow mottled skin and white floury flesh.
Ka riro taua whare hei kītini mahinga kai, muri iho ka noho hei pākoro parareka, paukena hoki (TP 10/1905:10). / That building was used as a kitchen to prepare food, and later it became a storehouse for potatoes and pumpkins.
See also taewa
