552 THE BOTANY OF FUNAFUTI, ELLICE GROUP, 



PANDAKACEa:. 



Pandanus (1). — " Fala vac." " Laufala " of Samoa. 



Probably Wyatt Gill's " Thatch-tree." This is the wild plant. 

 The leaves are used for making house mats and for thatching, 

 and the orange-coloured drupes are chewed and much esteemed. 



Pandanus timber, though spongy and very inferior, is used for 

 posts and rafters and building purposes generally; it is said to 

 have a life of five to seven years under cover. 



Pandanus (2).— "Fala kai.'= Probably Wyatt Gill's "Mat- 

 tree." The cultivated plant. The head of fruits ("cone") is 

 larger than that of the preceding, and the fruits more succulent. 

 The kernels (" almonds ") of Pandanus are not eaten on Funafuti, 

 as better food is more readily available. 



The specimens brought to Sydney are insufficient to identify 

 the species with certainty, but according to Wyatt Gill {op. cit. 

 p. 183, &c ) "fala vao" is probably P. odoi^atissimus, while "Fala 

 kai" is P. utilis. To this work we would recommend reference 

 for further particulars in regard to these Pandani. To Guppj^'s 

 work we would also recommend reference ; it contains much 

 information on the subject. 



PALMACEJE. 

 Cocos NUCIFERA, Linn. 



The well known Coco-nut is very plentiful, but I received no 

 specimens. 



AROIDE^. 



CoLOCASiA ANTiQUORUM, Schott. — (See Bot. Mag. t. 7364). 



There are perhaps six cultivated varieties on Funafuti, of 

 which the names of three are Taro, Ikaluoi and Pulaka. 



A spathe brought to Sydney by Mrs. David belongs to the 

 variety called " Pulaka"; the lower part is striped longitudinally 

 with purple. 



In Samoa this well-known food-plant is called "Taro" or 

 " Talo." There are many varieties of land and water Taro and 

 wild Taro. Among wild ones are Pula'a, Pula' u, Pula-fui, Pula, 

 &c. 



