ʻO ka mea kanu (inoa Latin: Larrea tridentata ) he mea maʻamau ia ma ka Desert Southwest. Hiki keʻikeʻia ke kumulāʻau mai kona mau lālā'ōmaʻomaʻo a me nā pua'ōmaʻa. ʻO kēia mau lā hope e huli ana, nā kīʻaha pīpī keʻokeʻo keʻokeʻo,ʻo ia ka hua o ka nahele. Ma Arizona, loaʻa i ka hapakolu hema o ka moku'āina no ka mea,ʻaʻole e hiki ke noho ma luna o 5,000 kapuaʻi o ke kiʻekiʻe. I ka Phoenix wahi,ʻo ia ke kumulāʻau maloʻo nui.
Hōʻikeʻiaʻo ia:ʻo kahi kai-'ah-sote.
He nui nā poʻe hou i ka wao akua e hoʻomaopopo i ka meaʻokoʻa ma ka wao nahele ma nā manawa kūikawā i ka wā e ua ai ka ua . ʻO nā poʻe e neʻe i ka Phoenix kahi e nānā pono kekahi i kekahi a nīnau, "He aha kēiaʻala?" ʻO ia keʻano o ka nahele. He meaʻokoʻa loa ia, aʻoiaiʻaʻole nui nā poʻe i mālama i ia mea, makemakeʻia kekahi e like me ia no ka mea e lawe mai ana i kahi hua'ōlelo maikaʻi - RAIN!
Ua paniʻia nā lau o ke kumu lāʻau me kahi resin e pale ai i ka naloʻana o ka wai ma ka wao akua wela. Ke hoʻomalu pū nei nō hoʻi ka lālā o ka māla i ka lāʻau mai kaʻaiʻana i nā momona a me nā'ōpala. Manaʻoʻia ua hana ka lāʻau i kahi meaʻawaʻawa no ka mālamaʻana i nā mea kanu'ē aʻe kokoke i ka uluʻana. Ua lōʻihi loa ka nohoʻana o Creosote, he nui ka hapa nui o lākou i hoʻokahi haneri mau makahiki, a hiki ke ulu i kahi kiʻekiʻe o 15 kapuaʻi. Aia kekahi mea ola i ka nahele i aneane kokoke i 12,000 mau makahiki!
ʻOiai ka nānāʻana o kekahi i kaʻala o nā lau iʻehaʻia e like me ka "mea lani o ka wao akua,"ʻo ka'ōlelo Sepania no ka mea kanu, hediondilla,ʻo ia hoʻi ka "mea pilau", e hōʻike anaʻaʻole i nā kānaka a pau ke nānā aku i nā mea kiʻekiʻe o ka lani a iʻoluʻolu paha i nā manaʻo.
He lāʻau lapaʻauʻo Creosote no Native Americans, a ua hoʻomohuʻia ka mokumahu mai nā lau e hoʻomaha i ka hau.
Ua hoʻohanaʻia hoʻi ia ma keʻano o ka lāʻau lapaʻau no ka ho'ōlaʻana i nā maʻi e like me ka maʻi, ka hanu o ka'ōpū, ka maʻi, ka lolo, ke anu, a me nā mea'ē aʻe.
ʻO ka mea kanu i nā mea maʻamau i ka moku nuiʻo Phoenix. Eʻikeʻoe i nā lāʻau o nā wahi hika, nā paka a ma nā māla nāhelehele, e like me ka Desert Botanical Garden a Boyce Thompson Arboretum .