The name piʻiahilu (Platoma piiahilu) captures the idea of the limu becoming unusual (in color) when arising. The name connects this deep sea limu to both the upland piʻialiʻi taro (Colocasia esculenta) and the hilu (Coris spp. and Paracirrhites forsteri) reef fish. Like the brilliant piʻialiʻi and the vibrant hilu, color is an unusual characteristic of this limu. At the depths of where this is found, color is nearly absorbed, and the limu appears dull and gray. As the limu ascends (piʻi) closer to the surface, its colors change in unusual (hilu) ways. The limu sometimes appears to be hues of pink, or yellowish-brown with tinges of red, and even a near-transparent orange. Its true colors are vibrant shades of red. These are colors shared with the pink hues of the piʻialiʻi and the multi-colored hilu. Thus, the merging of the names produces piʻiahilu, marking a relationship between the Hawaiian taro, fish, and limu.
