The name ahuʻawakua references two things:
First the similarity of this flatsedge to the common and familiar ahuʻawa (Cyperus javanicus), a native species which is in the same genus as ʻahuʻawakua.
We felt that the function of ahuʻawakua in its habitat is the same as the common ahuʻawa found in the main Hawaiian Islands. It felt appropriate to keep the name ahuʻawa as a part of its name.
The suffix “kua” can refer to many things but is often a reference to individuals or things which provide support - the backbone (kua), parents (mākua), deities (akua), older siblings (kaikuaʻana), and so forth. Because ahuʻawakua grows at Kamole in Papahānaumokuākea (the elder islands of our paeʻāina), it felt appropriate to add this manaʻo to the name.
