Aneityum

v. to blossom, as reeds; also "elwa"

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 77

n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3612)

Example: 1. Edible fruits when ripe and turn black – some sweet and some not – eat sweet ones. 2. Timber, firewood.

Scientific name: Syzygium clusiifolium, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. stunted tree, 1-2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3276)

Example: This is known as "woman’s kauri". The timber from this tree is used for houseposts.

Scientific name: Turrillia lutea, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. small tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4021)

Scientific name: Astronidium aneityense, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree to 4 m, dbh 10 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4928)

Example: The leaves are used for compost in the taro patch. Dig a hole, line it with the leaves of this species, cove with earth and plant taro. The leaves of this species are used to cover earth ovens.

Scientific name: Geniostoma rupestre, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. tree, 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4072)

Example: 1. The flower and bark are known to reek a foul smell.

Scientific name: Geniostoma rupestre, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3547)

Example: This plant is for medicine to treat a spiritual condition related to the coral snake that is the seawater spirit. When a woman is pregnant, some times she gets sick, so use this leaf with 2-3 other unspecified leaves and mash them together, squeeze the juice into a small cup (bamboo), wave around the woman’s body, and then put a few drops onto her head and body, then she drinks the rest. This will help heal her sickness. This treatment can be used for men who have a toothache from eating too much fish--the seawater spirit of the coral snake makes the tooth hurt. It is used in the same way as for a pregnant woman. If the pain from the toothache is really from the seawater spirit, then this will cure it; if not, it will not help.

Scientific name: Sophora tomentosa, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. plant used to make ceremonial head wreath and neck garland

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[iɲe taθwaɪn anholwas] n. crown of leaves of a particular plant; "tadwain" to put around head; "anholwas" name of particular plant

Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, April 2016.

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

n. croton plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 139

n. Artocarpus altilis

Example: shoot: Mix heated over fire and taken out during sunset. Healer clenches the package in his fist, then gently punches the patients left, then right knee, then his forehead and finally squeezes over his head, migraine and headache.

Speaker: Bradacs 2011, p. 443

n. large tree, 20 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3529)

Example: 1. The inner bark of this plant is used as a general rope; peel it and weave it into rope, and use it to tie beams in the house. 2. The wood is good to start fires by rubbing two pieces together.

Scientific name: Trichospermum inmac, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3499)

Example: This plant has an unspecified medical use. Children make slingshots out of the fork of the stem of this tree.

Scientific name: Ervatamia orientalis, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree to 5 m, dbh 8 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4855)

Example: To treat a flu that has resulted in a thick, runny nose, collect sap of this tree, drink 2-3 drops directly (not in water). This is for treating the type of flu that provokes yellow mucus coming out of the nose. Drinking the sap breaks up the stuffy nose. Use once, it tastes very sour. In 3-4 days the mucus will be expelled. Do not use too much! If a person has a new cut, and the bleeding will not stop, place the sap on the cut and the bleeding will stop. If you have a burn that is bleeding, applying the sap will stop the blood and oozing sore. If a person has a sore on their body, cover it with a layer of the sap from this plant. This will ensure that the sore will not get larger from infection, flies, etc. but stay its original size. This plant is also used for unspecified spiritual practices. To determine if a fish you have caught is poisonous, e.g. with ciguatera, take an 8’ piece of small branch from this tree, peel the bark and put it inside the fish before you cook it on the earth oven. If the stick turns black, then you know that the fish is not good to eat--it has a poison so should be thrown away.

Scientific name: Tabernaemontana anguinea, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. vine to 40 cm, flowers blue (collection: Michael J. Balick #4949)

Example: To heal cuts, select a piece of the larger part of the stem (woody) cut a 6 inch piece and blow on one end; the sap comes o ut on the other end and this can be used to cover the wound. As a pig feed, people collect the stems and leaves and feed these to the pigs.

Scientific name: Ipomoea, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. shrub. Growing in the village. Cultivated. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #26)

Example: 1a. To stay healthy while pregnant - grate 1 coconut with nekei leaves, about a handfull (8). And 8 inpa leaves and 8 niditau leaves. Pound all of this together and squeeze juice out and bath in this then jump into a clear river to wash it off. 1b. Handful of leaves mashed with grated coconut and put in a shell, heat stones and put in shell, then take hot liquid to rub on body of woman who have just delivered to make their bodies healthy again, back to normal – when they deliver they are in huts, then wash with this and then come out of the huts and rejoin family. 2. Symbolic plant for peace (name means peace). 3. Message plant – put small tips of leaves in hair or make hat out of it and people know you come in peace. 4. When giving a gift, put this leaf on the gift, as in a basket – people wear them they are happy and peaceful – it is symbolic of Aneityumese people – so even when the people leave the island they will grow this plant. 5. People bathe with this leaf, mixed with grated coconut and cover body and hair to smell good and be strong. 6. Mosquito repellant, build fire, put green leaves on top, smoke and aroma chases mosquito away. 7. Take top of leaf with 3 young leaves and put in hair as there is the belief that this plant symbolizes the trinity. So it protects people. If a person from the island goes elsewhere and is faced with black magic they bathe with a handful of leaves, boil them and bathe with the liquid to remove the spell. 8. Decorate people with this leaf day feasts, weddings, and other events – very sacred.

Scientific name: Euodia hortensis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree to 5 m, dbh 6 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4965)

Example: This plant is grown as an ornamental plant, and its flowers are used in the house. The stems are also cut for firewood.

Scientific name: Bauhinia, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. epiphyte on trees, growing in dense rainforest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4093)

Example: 1. Sickness blo namya. When a man accidentally has intercourse with a woman during her menstrual cycle, he can become sick. The leaves are squeezed, along with others, to produce an extraction. The dose and duration varies according to the degree of the symptoms. Further information about the preparation withheld.

Scientific name: Psilotum complanatum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. unbranched treelet, 1. 25 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3526)

Example: People use the leaves for cooking any ground up food that is cooked on a fire such as manioc or bananas, roasted or boiled in water. Fish can be cooked this way. The roots of this plant can be cooked in an earth oven. These need to be cooked for 2 days or 2 nights, lke a yam. The plant has large roots that are good to eat. Chew like a piece of surgarcane, the taste is sweet like honey. Swallow the juice and spit out the fiber. The roots, once cooked, can be stored for 6 months. In ancient times they were eaten during times when there was no food. This food is said to be able to sustain a person for one day, if eaten in the morning, the person not be hungry until sunset. Today, people eat this plant at festivals, as it is no longer a famine food.

Scientific name: Cordyline fruticosa, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub, 0. 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3616)

Example: 1. Many plants resemble this species, and are called by this name. 2. Babies who always cry – rub leaves, put them in bath where baby will bathe and this will help stop crying. 3. Ornament for around the house.

Scientific name: Pseuderanthemum longifolium, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

[intisjaŋɣe] n. flower

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. well branched tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3202)

Example: 1. Young shoots are peeled and made into grass skirts. Scrape the stem and take the green part off, tie strips together and put under stones in the sea for retting, let sit 5 days in sea, but check these on a daily basis. When the fiber becomes soft, that is the time to take it from under the stones, clean off the excess materials, and hang it in the sun to dry for 3 days--this will bleach it and give it a whitish color, at which point it can be woven into a skirt. 2. The fiber can be used to make a small rope that is tied with shells and used for custom dances. 3. When the stems of this tree are older, the wood is very hard and it can be used to make the main frame that is arched for a cyclone house. According to Reuben these houses are not made much anymore on Aneityum Island. 4. To cook the intestines of fish that are eaten, take several leaves and put them in a small pile, making a wrapping, then use a local fiber to tie this together and cook on charcoal for as long as needed to prepare the fish parts. 5. In this area, sometimes knowledge of the plants and flowering are used as a calendar to indicate the time for planting of specific crops. Reuben will provide more details on a future trip. 6a. This species is an important "message plant." If a person is not home and you are visiting from the East--e.g. an Eastern part of the Island--that person can leave a 12 inch piece of stick in front of the door of the house so that the inhabitant knows that an eastern visitor (from Anawonjei district) has come by your home. The reason that person has come to visit is to pass an important message to you--good or bad "luck". The bad luck message might be a death, and is not told directly to the person. The good luck message might be a birth, or conflict that has been resolved. These messages are communicated using sticks--each district has a different species of plant. Reuben’s is the hibiscus. 6b. Message plant for Eastern people. If someone dies, use this plant, clip it in front of hem, in front of home, they ask “who” and you can tell them. In Eastern culture you cannot tell them directly. 7. When a person is too drunk with kava, take a branch of this and brush him with it to help make the effects go away. 8. Traditional plates for food.

Scientific name: Hibiscus tiliaceus, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. shrub, 0. 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3562)

Example: In the past the ancestors learned to cook the leaves of this species with fish in an earth over and then eat the leaves as well as the fish. Today, fish are wrapped with small leaves and then covered with lap-lap leaf (Polyscias) and cooked in an earth oven. This plant is also a "calendar plant." When you see this plant flower you know that sea turtles are getting fat and ready to harvest. As a "message plant", if a person puts this flower behind their ear or in their hat, and looks at another person, it is an invitation to that person to go with you to the nakamal for kava

Scientific name: Wollastonia biflora, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. stoloniferous herb, 15 cm tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3561)

Example: In the past the ancestors learned to cook the leaves of this species with fish in an earth over and then eat the leaves as well as the fish. Today, fish are wrapped with small leaves and then covered with lap-lap leaf (Polyscias) and cooked in an earth oven.

Scientific name: Wedelia uniflora, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. well branched tree, 10 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4025)

Example: 1. Hardwood is used to make a fishing spear. Wire is fashioned at the point to make a spear head. 2. Young plants are used to fasten coconut leaves to the rafters, in the thatching process.

Scientific name: Arytera brackenridgei, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. yellow colored vine to 1 m tall, flower buds white (collection: Michael J. Balick #4879)

Scientific name: Cassytha filiformis, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. large tree, 15 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4051)

Example: 1. When in flower (yellow), taro is said to be ready in the garden.

Scientific name: Metrosideros collina, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. the name of a plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 90

n. Synedrella nodiflora

Example: leaf rubbed in hands for toothache

Speaker: Bradacs 2011, p. 440

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4772)

Scientific name: Cerbera manghas, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. shrub, 0. 5-0. 7 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3565)

Example: The leaves are used to feed livestock. The large timbers are used for house posts, and the small wood for other types of posts such as for fences.

Scientific name: Leucaena leucocephala, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. herb to 1 m, fruits green (collection: Michael J. Balick #4915)

Example: This plant was said to have been brought in by the early missionaries, used to starch their clothes and grown as a crop for export to England. Used as a food crop as well, the root is mashed, dried in the sun and kept until needed. To process, put the roots in a bowl, add water and soak for 1 day and night, pour off the water and keep the starch. Prepare this food like lap-lap that is cooked on a fire in a pan.

Scientific name: Tacca leontopetaloides, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. epiphyte on main trunk of large mango tree, growing in secondary forest above river. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3657)

Scientific name: Ophioderma pendula, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3488)

Example: The wood of this species is very straight and people make fishing spears out of it. The wood, being straight, is used as well for roof rafters.

Scientific name: Pavetta opulina, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4066)

Example: 1. Young saplings are used to prepare a fishing spear. First a straight sapling is chosen and sized. Then it is heated over a fire to render it pliable. After the length is straightened, it is decorticated. Once cooled, a portion of wire can be affixed to an end to aid in spearing fish.

Scientific name: Pavetta opulina, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. young vine, still erect (1 m tall) (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3551)

Example: The leaves of this plant are used as a soap. People collect the leaves and mash them and dip in fresh water and use the water to wash their bodies.

Scientific name: Colubrina asiatica, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. shrub, 1. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3217)

Example: 1a. When traveling past a community you can place these leaves in a basket or walk with it in your hand. In this way people in the community know that you are traveling in peace and will cause no harm to people in that village. 1b. Message plant – if you go to visit someone and they are not there, you leave a branch of this on the door or somewhere they can see it and they know that some relatives have come and tried to visit them.

Scientific name: Dendrolobium umbellatum, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree to 7 m, dbh 20 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4860)

Example: This is a common tree. If a person travels from one district to another on Aneityum, and you see the tree planted in that other district, a person knows they are free to come into this area. When the leaves are yellow, as in a young tree, the local name is nala’gay. If a person carries a branch of this tree into a village it is a symbol that the person is coming with peaceful intentions.

Scientific name: Dendrolobium umbellatum, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. shrub, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3490)

Example: 1. The larger stems of this plant can be used to build houses, for rafters. 2. It is also a good source of firewood. 3. Ancestors, before go to chief’s canal and want to talk about a complicated issue – a person would cut a branch and bring it to the sea and tap the water surface and would say what he wants, ask that he would want that issue to be solved and that others would follow his ideas and then go back to the meeting place and take stick, keep wind at his back, moving stick in all directions and then he will convince the people of his ideas. This is done by the chief’s spokesman. Helps convince the opposition. Helps keep power in hands of parent(??) chief rather than subchiefs who might have other ideas.

Scientific name: Glochidion ramiflorum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub, 3 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3502)

Example: The young stems of this tree are used to make bows and arrows. Cut the young, straight stems, dry them and use to carve the bow.

Scientific name: Rhamnella vitiensis, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4778)

Scientific name: liana, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of bush

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. shrub to 1. 5 m, flowers white. Red clay soil (collection: Michael J. Balick #4882)

Example: Use the leaves to make compost to be placed at the bottom of the hole where taro is to be planted, cover with soil and grow the taro in that hole. Serves as a fertilizer.

Scientific name: Scaevola neoebudica, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. shrub. Growing near the beach. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #4)

Example: 1. Dried branches from this plant can be used to roast vegetable crops that women eat if they have problems becoming pregnant. 2. Firewood, burns well. 3. Some people will eat the green fruit for protection against black magic. Eat 5 fruits for this. Eat it only once – will last for a year.

Scientific name: Scaevola taccada, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. small shrub, 0. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3219)

Example: 1. A stimulant plant. If a person is going to their garden early in the morning before the sun come up, break 2 top young leaves and chew and swallow the liquid, spitting out the fiber. This makes the person able to work harder and not feel tired while in the fields. It was noted that "a person can do the work of many people if they chew this." 2. The leaves are used for fertilizer for taro--put a bunch of leaves in a hole were taro is to be planted as a compost/antibiotic. This practice is said to kill all of the bad organisms such as bacttively impact the health of the taro plant. 3. This species is collected in the coastal areas, and is different from the one that looks similar to it, that grows in the forested areas. People take 4 leaves, chew leaves, swallow juice, gives energy to work hard the entire day. For fishing, take lots of ripe fruits and put in pocket, you will be able to catch a lot of fish. It brings good fortune when fishing. Roots – take one root, wash where a woman is giving birth to a newborn baby, give a drop of the juice from the root to clear the mucus in the throat.

Scientific name: Scaevola taccada, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree to 15 m, dbh 30-45 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4938)

Example: The wood is good for making paddles as well as to make canoes.

Scientific name: Adenanthera pavonina, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. sparsely branched tree, growing in open (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3477)

Example: The leaves of this plant are used in cooking, particuarly with the earth oven. Use a fire to heat stones, then when the fire burns down and the stones are hot, pile these leaves on top of the hot stones and then place the food being cooked--taro, fish, pig, cassava, banana or other foods--on top of the leaves. Then pile more of these leaves on top of the food and then place additional hot stones on top of that pile of leaves. While the food is cooking--each type of food takes a different amount of time--the leaves give off a very nice smell and help flavor the food.

Scientific name: Polyscias schmidii, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. terrestrial fern, growing in dwarf cloud-forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3268)

Example: For performing a weather magic ritual to produce fog, this plant is fermented along with another plant (nirid u numu) in a hole in a sacred stone (called "Naemoso") at a secret location on Aneityum.

Scientific name: Trichomanes, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. epiphytic fern, fallen to ground (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3494)

Example: When a dog is poisoned by cuguatera from eating a fish, the root of this species is collected, cleaned and a handful is boiled in 1-2 cups of water and given to the dog to drink. This treatment should be done 3x daily, in the morning, around noon and during the evening meal for as long as the dog is sick.

Scientific name: Aglaomorpha rigidula, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub, 1. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3538)

Example: The straight young stems of this plant are used to make bows and arrows. The larger stems are used to make house posts. Excellent for coastal areas as the wood is strong. Firewood.

Scientific name: Premna corymbosa, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. lentils

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 162

n. shrub to 3 m, flowers yellow with red outer coverings (appearing red when closed) (collection: Michael J. Balick #4957)

Example: This plant is used to fertilize fields, especially by growing it in fields that have been used for other crops for a very long time. The seeds can be cooked when dry and hard, boiled in water, or eaten directly without preparation when green and soft.

Scientific name: Cajanus cajun, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. fence-forming shrub, 1. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3206)

Example: 1a. Cultivated in gardens. Cook seeds of this species or eat them raw before they are fully ripened. The green pods can also be cooked in a fire and eaten. 1b. Cultivated plant for its edible seeds, can be prepared in a pot of bamboo. OR could take branches w/ seeds and put directly on the earth oven for cooking. 2. Planting this species adds nitrogen to the soil--grow it on soil that is said to be "tired."

Scientific name: Cajanus cajan, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. a small water-plant

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 96

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4769)

Scientific name: Breynia disticha, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree, 8 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4125)

Example: 1. The fruits can be cooked with coconut milk and consumed. 2. Green leaves can be used to wrap fish, when they are cooked in a fire.

Scientific name: Ficus smithii, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of fern (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4780)

Scientific name: Adiantum hispidulum, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. Canarium vulgare

Example: leaf--cold maceration in coconut milk and seawater, taken internally against diarrhea or ciguatera. Cold maceration of chewed leave, spat into a cup and mixed with coconut water: taken internally against ciguatera

Speaker: Bradacs 2011, p. 440

n. Phrynium giganteum (RPV #158)

Scientific name: Phrynium giganteum, Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. herb, growing among stones and rocks at edge of river in primary forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3674)

Example: People say it can remove the power of a love potion.

Scientific name: Hemigraphis reptans, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4773)

Scientific name: Phyllanthus myrianthus, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. herb. Swamp areas. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #8)

Example: 1. Cervical pain and to return it to normal size - Get a handful of Naurakiti and boil it in a pot of water. This can also be done by rubbing the handful of leaves together and squeezing out the juice into the boiling water but the leaves do not go inside. Sit in this for 2 hours or until cold for 1 a day for a week. 2. Medicine: leaf juice put on fresh cut to stop bleeding. Stomachache, headache – use 1 handful of leaves, squeeze these, put in cup, put in some water and drink it 1x day. 3. Women menstruation that will not stop, take 1 handful of leaves into a cup of water and drink 1x day for 3 days. 4. If a person’s joints are sore, take a handful of leaves, crush them and rub on the sore joints. Some people don’t like to use it internally as it can make some people sick, especially small children, but others say it is OK to use.

Scientific name: Ageratum conyzoides, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. sedge, 0. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3610)

Scientific name: Cyperus involucratus, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. prostrate creeping vine along coastlines. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #10)

Example: 1. To cure rubbush blood - Take a handfull f leaves of any age, pound it into a cupfull of water, squeeze the juice and drink when woman feels pain in head or inside the body or when the inside of the body is hot. Drink this once a day until the pain goes away. 2. To cure excessive bleeding after giving birth - boil naojapdak leaves (2-16) in seawater until leaves are soft and the water is brown. Sit on this water. 3. To close the cervix - boil 2 naojapdak leaves in water and bath in it. 4. Medicine: Smash leaves 1 handful, into cup and add a small amount of water to treat constipation—1 cup for children; 1.5 litres for adults. 5. Stomachache: same treatment, will clear bowel. 6. For leg sores, collect whole plant, put in water – a pool of water for 1 week, then use to dip sore as on leg into it for 10-15 minutes cure the sore.

Scientific name: Vigna marina, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree to 5 m, dbh 10 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4901)

Scientific name: Plerandra tannae, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. tree, 5-6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3449)

Example: 1. Wood used for roof rafters. 2. Leaves of this plant can be used to cover an earth oven while baking food. 3. Name means bird footprint.

Scientific name: Plerandra actinostigma, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. partly fallen tree, 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4055)

Example: 1. The wood of this tree is used to make rafters of traditional homes.

Scientific name: Melicope bonwickii, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree, 8 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3214)

Example: This tree makes good wood for canoes as well as timbers that are cut for building houses. A decoration that is placed around the head, known as salu-salu is made from these leaves. If you wear it, people know you are from Aneityum. In the early 1950’s-1960’s, Aneityum was the main place for logging this species. Now it is rare and in need of replanting. A project from New Zealand planted pine trees in its place and they have thrived here. In the same way, the sandalwood tree was overharvested and is rare now. Timber, very resinous so good to start fire – branches good for fire. They are the ones that have the sap, if a person in in the bush and finds young tree – sapling – they will make headdress from the leaves to show they came from the bush. Also, this is a Kastom name.

Scientific name: Agathis macrophylla, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree, 6 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4140)

Scientific name: Pittosporum aneityense, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. tree to 4 m tall, dbh 8 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #5004)

Example: This plant is used to make fishing line, perhaps moreso in the past than today. Collect young shoots form the sides of the tree, peel off the bark, soak the stem in salt water or fresh water for 1-2 weeks to ret the stems then separate the fibers, dry in the sun and use to make string for fishing. The leaves are used for feeding pigs.

Scientific name: Nothocnide (?) repanda, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. kind of bush

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

[nenes] n. fiber for kava

Speaker: Ruben Nerian

n. kind of bush

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. epiphyte on main trunk of Hernandia moerenhoutiana, pendant (1. 7 m long) (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3648)

Example: Name means fish skeleton. Ornamental but needs a lot of watering.

Scientific name: Dendrobium involutum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. shrub. Uncultivated around the village disturbed areas. . (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #27)

Example: The fruits are edible when ripe--eating them turns the tongue purple. 1. To cure headaches - Someone other than the woman must prepare this. Break the top branch of netethae and remove leaves for use. Combine with the top leaves of the top branch of nelmaha. Chew the leaves and drink the juice. Do this when the sun is setting on the horizon. The woman gives the leftover fibers to the person who prepared the medicine and that person goes and throws the fibers in the direction of the setting sun. 2. Ancestors 4 top branches and chew and spit out remaining fiber will destroy the effects of a love potion that is too strong – meaning that the husband or wife will miss the other person too much so that they become mentally ill. 3. Edible fruits: eating them turns tongue black/purple.

Scientific name: Melastoma malabathricum, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. shrub, 1. 5 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3557)

Example: For treatment of a stomach ache, or if your stomach "complains", take very young stems, break off the leaves and chew the stems and swallow the juice. Use a 3-5 cm pieces of stems, chew, and then it clears your intestines and will make you go to the toilet.

Scientific name: Clerodendrum inerme, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree to 4 m tall, dbh 8 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4942)

Example: Wood is strong and light so used to build houses.

Scientific name: Melicope latifolia, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. tree, 4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3623)

Example: People use the leaf of this plant to layer on the bottom of the earth oven, and then pile food such as manioc or taro on it, then pile leaves of this species on top of that. This will help insulate the food from the high heat of the earth oven and allow it to cook better. Used especailly in feasts like weddings. Women usually collect this leaf and is used to cover very large earth ovens.

Scientific name: Cleidion javanicum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3479)

Example: The leaves of this plant are used in cooking, particuarly with the earth oven. Use a fire to heat stones, then when the fire burns down and the stones are hot, pile these leaves on top of the hot stones and then place the food being cooked--taro, fish, pig, cassava, banana or other foods--on top of the leaves. Then pile more of these leaves on top of the food and then place additional hot stones on top of that pile of leaves. While the food is cooking--each type of food takes a different amount of time--the leaves give off a very nice smell and help flavor the food. The young stems of this plant are used in home construction but as they are small and thin, they are not used for posts.

Scientific name: Cleidion javanicum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. fallen tree, growing in canopy gap in primary forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3465)

Example: When the flowers of this plant are green, it is an indication that the cool season is approaching; when the flowers are brown, the dry season is coming. The wood is used to make rafters for the roof of houses, on which to tie thatch.

Scientific name: Commersonia bartramia, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. herb, growing at edge of garden area. Flowers yellow. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3599)

Example: This is for a medicinal tea to give energy to a person who is not feeling well. Collect a handful of young stem apices and boil in 2-3 cups of water. Drink warm to help the body be strong and healthy. It is also good to treat diarrhea. When a person feels well again, stop this treatment but they can also drink this 1x daily, once before breakfast or before lunch, as a healthful tea.

Scientific name: Bidens pilosa, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. grass to 1 m tall, florets brown (collection: Michael J. Balick #4973)

Example: This grass is used to thatch the roof of a traditional house. Tie bunches of the grass on a stick ca. 2 m long, using string from Pandanus or other vines. Lay these on the roof and tie these sticks with grass on crossbars to secure them. The flowers of this grass are harvested and put in bags to make pillows. The flowers are soft and easy to gather and make a nice pillow.

Speaker: Tony Keith

[nirinɣat erefera ran] n. pandanus leaf rolled for the preparation of mats and baskets

Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, April 2016.

Speaker: Osiani Nerian

tree fern, trunk 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4102)

Example: 1. There are kinds of this plant. This is considered the white one. See GMP # 4100, textit{Cyathea sp}, which is considered the black one.

Scientific name: Cyathea

large tree, 13 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4052)

Example: 1. Considered to be a relative of textit{Morinda citrifolia}.

Scientific name: Neuburgia corynocarpa

n. corn

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 138

n. kind of plant, grass, or fern

Speaker: Inglis 1882, p. 120

n. tree, 3-4 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3571)

Example: As a medicinal plant, take the ripe fruits, put it in a dish or bucket, squeeze out the juice and save it for drinking. The dose is 1 tablespoon, morning and afternoon if a person feels tired. This treatment will help give energy to a person. The leaves are placed on the bottom and top of an earth oven to help cook the food. The leaves are also used to wrap shellfish for cooking over a fire. When chewing kava root to prepare it for drinking, put the piles of chewed root on top of this leaf to keep it clean. Some men cut the green fruit in half and rub it against the skin of their face after shaving to protect the skin from rashes and irritations.

Scientific name: Morinda citrifolia, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4794)

Scientific name: Rivina humilis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4753)

Scientific name: Arytera neoebudensis, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. manioc

Example: Photo by K. David Harrison, April 2016.

Speaker: Romario Yaufati

n. vine, growing in open disturbed area. Flowers white. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3589)

Example: To build a cyclone house, take the vine of this species to tie pieces of the house. To prepare the vine for use as rope, collect many feet of it, put it in a fire, roll it in a figure 8, wait until it softens and then use for tying. This vine is hard and needs to be heated to a high temperature in the fire to make it soft; the person preparing this must use gloves to tie it to the posts and rafters while it is still warm. When it cools, it is very strong. Rope made from this vine will last a long time--perhaps 10-15 years. It can also be used to make a regular house.

Scientific name: Jasminum didymum, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. liana, climbing on fallen tree (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3500)

Example: 1. When the stems of this plant are older, and it is a vine, is used to tie thatch on roof rafters as it bends well. 2. Burned leaves and rubbed on fishing line and spear to increase catch – used with other unspecified leaves, that are forageable. When you are fishing and if you set a basket or mat it means danger and you have to return to shore – the spirit is telling you that it is enough fishing.

Scientific name: Durandea pentagyna, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. cultivated anthropogenic landscape (lawn and planted trees). (collection: Keith E. Clancy #6655)

Scientific name: Carpoxylon macrospermum

n. fallen tree, 15 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3609)

Example: The leaves of this palm are used for thatch. Split trunks for house walls. Middle fiber of pinnae for broom. Seed is carved – handcrafts.

Scientific name: Metroxylon warburgii, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree fern to 5 m tall, fronds 2. 5 m long (collection: Michael J. Balick #5014)

Example: Trunk of this plant is used to make food. Cut the stem in 2-3 foot pieces, peel the outer stem, put the peeled stems in an earth oven to cook for the afternoon through the night--about 12 hours. It will be ready the next day. Peel off any remaining fibrous tissue, slice the stems and eat. They are said to taste like sweet potato. The young fronds are boiled for 5 minutes and coconut milk is added, this mixture is then eaten. It is important to collect only the inrolled fronds that have not yet fully opened. The fronds are used to make temporary houses when camping in the bush. They are used to make a roof. To make a cassava grater, take 2-3 pieces of the frond stype, connect them together by piercing them on the sides with a piece of bamboo or any stick such that they are held together in parallel fashion, and use this to grate uncooked cassava to make lap-lap and to grate banana or any food that needs to be processed in this way. The thorny part of the stipe grates the food.

Scientific name: Sphaeropteris lunulata, Speaker: Tony Keith

n. Carica papaya

Example: flower ovary taken internally against ciguatera

Speaker: Bradacs 2011, p. 441

n. unidentified species

Example: Fresh leaves: special Kastom ceremony used to treat severe abdominal pain during pregnancy

Speaker: Bradacs 2011, p. 445

n. herb 1 m tall, flowers pink (collection: Michael J. Balick #4923)

Example: Collect the yellow leaves, the mature ones, roll it between one’s hands, squeezing it, and dry it in the sun for a day and hang it in the kitchen near the place where fires are made, and within a week it will turn black. It is ready to be smoked--roll paper around it and smoke it. Take 6-10 leaves, roll them up and squeeze them into a bucket of water mixing the juice with the water until it turns somewhat green. Use this water to wash crops such as legumes and other garden plants to kill insects that might be attacking them.

Scientific name: Nicotiana tabacum, Speaker: Natu Kenneth