Aneityum

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. treelet, 2 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4085)

Example: 1. The green leaves of this plant are used to cover fish, when cooking them in a fire.

Scientific name: Cordyline fruticosa, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. terrestrial plant, 60 cm tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3498)

Example: Children take a shoot of this plant and make a whistle from it. However, when children do this, they are told not to, as it will attract the rains, or a snake, that will hear the noise and come to the person. This is a folk belief. The base of the shoot of this plant is chewed and applied to fresh cuts as a styptic. Pull out top growth of plant that has not flowered and blow on it like a whistle. Ancestors used this as a whistle to attract snakes for edible – not today. Name means “balls or heaps of snakes” refer to their attraction.

Scientific name: Dianella ensifolia, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. kind of flowering plant (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4771)

Scientific name: Dianella ensifolia, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. epiphytic orchid, growing in dense rainforest. Flowers orange. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #4113)

Example: 1. Children often take the leaves of this plant and blow across the surface of a taut leaf to make a whistle sound. Older folks say this blowing invited rain.

Scientific name: Liparis condylobulbon, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. treelet, 1 m tall (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3622)

Example: People use the leaf of this plant to tie over grated banana, taro or other foods for cooking in an earth oven or boiling in a pot. The root of this species is edible. Cook it for 2-3 nights in an earth oven and then chew and squeeze the juice into your mouth, spitting out the fiber. It is a survival food.

Scientific name: Cordyline fruticosa, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. fern. Growing in a village back path. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #28)

Example: 1. To cure when the anus falls out - Pound together 1 braches worth of inpalcapnesgin leaves and of both inloptiri (2-4 leaves, any age), also take the inner bark of nekeaitimi and nakhe. Put this into your hand, or another leaf and give it to the person to use it. This should be applied to the anus whenever the anus comes out. USed to use a clam shell to extract the bark but not anymore.

Scientific name: Angiopteris evecta, Speaker: Wina Nasauman

n. terrestrial fern, growing on rocky area in secondary forest above the river. Leaves c. 3 m long. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3654)

Example: The leaf is wrapped around the head as an adornment by both men and women. If a person gets burned by a fire, scrape the petiole of this plant and squeeze juice on the wound to cool and heal it. Use as long as needed. The ancestors are said to have cooked the stump of this plant in an earth oven, over 2-3 nights, and then ate it. It is said to have no taste but was more of a famine food during periods of drought.

Scientific name: Angiopteris evecta, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. large epiphyte on dead tree, growing in open forest. (collection: Gregory M. Plunkett #3478)

Example: The wood of this plant is very hard and can be used for house posts. Because the wood is somewhat heavy, younger stems can be sharpened at one end and the pole can be used to plant dryland taro, to make holes for the tubers. For planting swamp taro, the leaves can be used to line the pit that the taro is planted in; it is a local fertilizer for the taro, and as it rots the soil becomes soft while the taro is growing. The flowers are placed behind one’s ear to enjoy the fragrance or can also be used to make a floral necklace (Intañ).

Scientific name: Fagraea berteroana, Speaker: Titiya Lalep

n. tree to 5 m, dbh 10 cm (collection: Michael J. Balick #4881)

Example: The wood of this tree is used to make house-posts, it is strong. The leaves are used as a compost for the taro patch; line the hole with the leaves of this tree, then place soil over that and plant the taro. When the fruits are ripe, local people say that the hermit crabs are "fat" and ready to collect and eat. When a person is in the forest and there is no coconut fruit fiber to start a fire with, use a dry stick, shave it and use a match to start a pile of this tinder to make a good fire. The wood is said to be "oily." This gives it a nice aroma. To perfume coconut oil, drop the dry flowers in it--use 1 handful of dried flowers added to a pot of oil boiling on the fire while making it. Strain out flowers and the oil smells good. Flowers can also be added to the oil once it is bottled to perfume it.

Scientific name: Fagraea berteroana, Speaker: Natu Kenneth

n. tree. Found in the village, usually grows in the hills. (collection: Ashley A McGuigan #16)

Example: 1. Lot of oil in the heartwood so it is good to start a fire, split it into small strips and you can light it for a fire. 2. Calendar plant – when the fruits ripen people know that this is the best season to eat the big hermit crab – meaning that they are fat.

Scientific name: Fagraea berteroana, Speaker: Wina Nasauman