169 



account : 



of the oil obtained from No. 304. The quantity Papuan Rhododendrons have, I believe, already been 



obtained was not sufficient for a very full examination. cultivated. 



The work done so far shows that it is of scientific, if There is a wealth of ferns, and some of them stand 



not commercial interest, and a further supply of the frost, for they grow at veiy high elevations. 



oil is being obtained. .Air. Jones writes a preliminary 



Medicinal Plants. 



No research has been carried out on the medicinal 

 properties of the numerous forest products of a minor 

 nature that go to the making of the countless medi- 

 cinee used by natives for real sickness. To one who has 

 had no knowledge of any of the native languages, and 

 no time to get into more than very distant relations 

 with any of the people, it was quite impossible to dis- 

 tinguish plants that were regarded as potent for good 



from a medicinal point of view from those that wrought 

 their cure through the imagination and superstition of 



the patient and hi> friends. There seems little doubt 

 that the power of suggestion to effect a cure is as 

 thoroughly recognized in Papua by the natives as it 



is in Nancy by Dr. Cone; it is unfortunate that the 

 power of suggestion to effect a death seems to be more 



commonly noticed by Europeans in Papua, so the good 

 done by the herbalist is overlooked. Of the many 

 alleged poisonous leaves, barks and fruits 1 have been 

 shown, none has been obnoxious at all. Even No. 



(< The oil consists almost exclusively of acid sub 

 stances molecular weight about 400. These appear 

 to be liquids with iodine absorption values of about 

 280. The acids form soaps with sodium hydroxide 

 solutions, and are evidently of the nature of higher 

 unsaturated acids. The oil does not contain any 

 glycerine or esters, and is somewhat of remarkable 

 nature in being exclusively acid in character. 

 Further investigation will be continued along the 

 lines of isolation and identification of the indi- 

 vidual acids (if more than one is present as seems 

 likely). " 



Ebony. 



A small trade exists in the export of a dark wood 

 that is found on Woodlark. I have not had the 

 opportunity of visiting the island, and so am unable 

 to give any particulars of the tree. The wood is very 

 dark — almost black — and is probably a true Ebenacece 

 It often carries brown streaks, which is an objection. 



Ivory Nuts. 



The seed of a species of Phytelepha* — a palm — is 

 exported from certain parts of the islands, and coming 

 as it does from wild forests, may be included among 

 minor forest products. I have seen this palm 

 growing in the British Solomons, and it seeing as 

 luxuriant as the Nipa, and might prove of value 



a plantation species. 



the 



Dye Plants. 



While I have made notes of several plants used for 

 dyeing tapa cloth, nets, &c. 1 have not personally 

 witnessed and colouring process, except the use of the 

 imported and widely cultivated Annatto (Bixa 

 orellana). This is more aft en used as face paint than 

 dye for materials, and little or no preparation is used. 

 The Indigo plant occurs, but is not used by the natives. 

 If it is thought worth while to experiment with any of 

 the Papuan colour-yielding trees 1 would suggest the 



following : 



No. 10 Afzelia bijuga 



Yellows. Wood. 



No. 4 Pterocarpus indicus "Reds. 

 No. 32 Morinda citrifolia Reds. 



Wood . 



Roots. 



I think, however, that the chemical dyes have proved 



so very satisfactory for 

 an inquiry would have 

 mercial value. 



all general purposes that such 

 more a scientific than a coin - 



Garden Plants and Shrubs. 



» 



The introduction of the more beautiful of the Papuan 

 flowers to temperate or sub-tropical regions is difficult, 

 unless the plants or shrubs come from high altitudes. 

 Fortunately it is here, to my mind, that the most 

 beautiful flowers are found, and while no great mone- 

 tary benefit would be derived by the collection and 

 export of seme of them, great pleasure would be given 

 to many nations through horticulturists acclimatizing 

 the species. While none of the orchids I have seen is 

 very striking, many are interesting enough for cultiva- 

 tion. They are mostly epiphytes on trees, though a few 

 high altitude ground orchids are pretty. 



The numerous me las torn a shrubs, which exhibit 

 every variety of leaf and flower — the Medinellas ; the 

 beautiful Hoy (is, and the resplendent A g ape t eg moor- 

 huusiana are well worth growing. The Eubiacetf o\ 

 the moss forests should thrive in a sub-tropical climate. 



as should the Impatiem of higher altitudes. The 



227 — A cforadotiypm sp., Jaruka — of the Buna 

 people, a sapctaceous tree, which was regarded 

 with such awe that the botanical material I 

 brought hack to the rest house in Embi Village 

 caused a panic in that* hamlet, appears to contain no 

 toxic properties. The fruit is not good to taste, being 

 astringent and the latex very sticky, but I do not 

 think it, or the leaves or bark, would cause more than 

 the indigestion that would follow a meal from such 

 parts of any tree. Should the examination of this tree 



for gutta percha be undertaken, it would be well to 



go into the legends that surround it before starting 



work, leel some entirely innocent natives suffer by 

 auto-suggestion, from the experiments that must be 



made with this Puri-Puri tree. Only in one instance, 



at the request of the Magistrate, did I seriously 



attempt to obtain information regarding drugs. It 



was a question of the use of certain plants as abort i- 



ficiants. I came to the conclusion that, 1 he physical 



pounding, rolling and digging that the unfortunate 

 ft male had to suffer was more likely to be the cause 

 of abortion than the alleged drugs she swallowed, or 

 the fumes of vegetable decoctions she assimilated by 

 dark age's methods. I have, of course, only been 

 shown that which natives desired to show me, and for 

 all 1 know they may have a vast store of valuable drugs, 

 as well as good simples. While recognizing the fact that 

 we to-day owe most of our common and most useful 

 drugs to herbalists, and to natives of other lands, e.g., 

 quinine, it is curious that his own " boys " will run 

 to master for a dose of epsom salts, and that these 

 people appear to have no cure for malaria, except, to 

 lie in the sun, and they always ask for quinine. 



Even should the native method of cure and the 



drugs used turn out to be all mumbo-jumbo, an in- 



vestigatiou into plants belonging to families already 

 yielding useful official drugs would be advantageous. 



In this investigation the Netherlandish Pharmacopeia 



might be of assistance. The cultivation of the quinine 

 plant — Cinchona officinalis — and Other species has not 

 been attended with success to date in Papua. In Java. 



not only is quinine grown, bui it is manufactured, and 



bottles of quinine bi-sulphate in five grain doses are 

 now obtainable in 1*011 Moresby. I have been unable 



to find out t he reason for the unprofitable nature of a 



similar venture in Papua. 



Foou Plants. 



It is extraordinary how very few palatable fruits the 

 tropical jungles yield. The best green fruits are, 

 I think, maita-maita {Eugenia sp.) and bio-bio (Gar- 



