Did you know that thrush, a mouth disease, can be improved when the ash of burned wauke is put in the mouth?

The wauke (Broussonetia papyrifera) or paper mulberry can grow as tall as fifty feet. The top of them feels rough and the bottom of them feels soft. The leaf can measure four to six inches long and three to five inches wide. The flowers are round and about an inch in diameter. They are fuzzy and about one inch in diameter. The wauke has orange round fruit about an inch in diameter.

	There were many uses of the wauke. Many used it because the fibers were long lasting, washable, flexible, soft, and it was moth proof. One use is to make tapa (cloth made out of bark) from the bark of the wauke. It was used as bedding, for ceremonial occasions, skirts, loin cloth, hula costumes, sandals, a cape for the chiefs, and the wrapping cloth of ancestors.
The wauke could be found in moist lands such as streams, forests and taro patches. The wauke needed protection from the wind so it was likely in the shelter of trees. The ancient Hawaiians made fences around the wauke trees and planted them in wet places before rainy seasons.