96 Foreign Notices : - — Polynesia, 



on being cut, yields a quantity of purplish-coloured juice: I collected some 

 quantity of it during my visit to the Island of Tahiti, in October, 1829. 



A Species of Urania, On the elevated land, I found a species of Urania 

 in flower. 



An Aroideous Plant. There is a plant, abundant at the Polynesian 

 Islands, as well as in the Eastern Archipelago, with a long rough petiole 

 terminating in a pinnatifid umbellated leaf: it resembles much an A^Yum 

 in growth, and is probably a species of Calddium; it is named shoa 

 at this island (and teve at the Island of Tahiti). The roots possess very 

 acrid properties. A young chief (Iraf ), when I gathered a specimen at 

 Rotuma, which he thought I intended to eat, observed, " No good, you 

 eat it make mouth sore." 



JMardnta artmdindceay Tacca pinnatijida, ^-c, siijyjyly the Arrow-root of 

 Commerce. The farina or flour from the roots of various tribes of plants 

 constitutes the arrow-root of commerce. In India it is prepared from the 

 Maranta arundinacea, and at Tahiti and other of the Polynesian Islands 

 from the Tdcca pinnatifida : this latter plant is seen growing in a dry soil, 

 on low land, and sometimes also on the declivities of the mountains. The 

 leaves arise from the root by petioles, which are from 1 ft. to li ft. in 

 length ; they are pinnatifid, umbellated, broad, and of a light green colour; 

 from the centre of the foliage arises a tall, erect, naked, flowering stem, 

 bearing flowers of a greenish colour, which are almost unbellated, with 

 some pedunculate, others almost sessile ; the peduncles are capillary, in- 

 termixed with long hanging filaments ; the involucre is composed of several 

 large sessile leaflets, sheathing at their base, longer than the flowers. The 

 fruit is an oval berry, narrowed at both extremities ; and, when ripe, of 

 a gr^nish yellow colour, has six longitudinal ribbed marks externally, 

 and contains numerous small light brown seeds, striated longitudinally, and 

 embedded in a watery pulp. The roots are roundish, of a reddish colour ; 

 and, in an unprepared state, are possessed of acrid properties. At Tahiti 

 and the Sandwich Islands, this plant and the farina produced from it is 

 named pia ; at the Island of Rotuma, mara ; at the Island of Tongatabu, 

 maa-euah; and at the Island of Tucopia, massoa. When the leaves 

 perish, which occurs annually, the roots are dug up, and are prepared, at 

 this as well as the other Polynesian Islands, in the following manner: — The 

 roots are washed, and grated on a piece of coral into a large bowl of 

 water; the grated portion is afterwards strained through a sieve (generally 

 made from the fibrous net-like covering found at the base of the frond of 

 the cocoa-nut tree) ; and the farina or flour settles at the bottom of the 

 vessel : the water is renewed daily, until the farina assumes a very white 

 appearance ; and by this process the acridity of the root is also removed : 

 the farina, when taken out, is found formed into a solid mass : it is then 

 broken into pieces, and well dried in the sun. Formerly, the natives of 

 Tahiti formed the farina into large balls. These the sun not being able to 

 penetrate, the interior was usually moist and damaged, which occasioned it 

 to get into disrepute as an article of commerce : they now adopt a better 

 method. This farina or flour is found excellent for bread, when mixed 

 with one half of wheaten flower, and is used by the missionaries at Ta- 

 hiti in that manner, as their supplies of flour are very precarious ; it is 

 also used as a starch for linen, &c. 



Bonnets of the Native Females. The native females at the Island of 

 Tahiti prepare the stalk of this plant in the following manner, and, plaiting 

 it, use it in the manufacture of bonnets (they also use a kind of grass in 

 the manufacture of bonnets). The stalk of the Tdcca pinnatifida is split 

 down, and, the inner substance having been scraped away with a shell, is 

 frequently again scraped, with the addition of water, until it is well cleaned; 

 the outer green epidermis is then removed, in a similar manner, from the 

 other side, which seems to be the most difficult part of the process : after 

 this has been done, a fine shining white thin substance remains, which, 



