3S2 T's?:fi'l plants of or am. 



Taetsia tertninalis. Palm-mi.y. 



Family Liliact'ao. 

 Local XAMKs. — Hastnii do San .Tns(' (Guam); Sajinilala (Pliili"ppines); TI (Samoa, 



Raraton<ra, Taliiti); Tiii<,' (IV)iia|K'j; Ki (Hawaii); C^ni, Masawe (Fiji). 

 A plant with an erect stem bearing a t-lnster of simple leaves, often of a rtMldish 

 color, rising from a large tnberons, saccharine root, and with terminal i)anicles of 

 small flowers. Stem erect, 1.5 to 3 meters high, marked with leaf scars; leaves 

 lanceolate, 30 to (SO cm. long, 8.5 to 10 cm. broad at the middle, contracting to a 

 pet i< lie of 5 to 7.5 cm. long, with many longitudinal nerves diverging from a short rib; 

 tlowt'rs sessile on the alternating branches of the jianicle, 3-l)racted; perianth jointed 

 with the short pedicel, split to the middle into 6 e(iual lobes; stamens 6, in.serted at 

 the throat; ovary 3-ceUed, ovules numerous; style filiform, stigmas 3-lobed or nearly 

 entire; berry round, 4 to 6 mm. in diameter, often few-seeded; seeds obovoid, com- 

 pressed, often curved; testa black, shining; endiryo axilo, curved. 



This plant is widely distributed in the Pacific; l>ut it did not find its way to Guam 

 until after the discovery, and at present has no Chamorro name. Its Spanish name, 

 signifying "St. Joseph's staff," has been applied to it evidently on account of its 

 slend(^r, straight stem and its graceful terminal tuft of leaves. It is now al)undant on 

 the sides of the road leading from Agafia to Pago. In Hawaii it is held in high 

 esteem by the natives, who plant it around the tombs of their dead. The aboriginal 

 Hawaiians ma'de a fermented drink out of the fleshy, sweet roots. The modern 

 Hawaiians distill from them a highly intoxicating liquor, somewhat like rum. In 

 Samoa the natives make fringed skirts (titi) of the leaves, which they wear in fishing 

 on the reef and in rainy weather. The leaves are also much used by the Polynesians 

 for wrapping fish and other food before putting it into the native ovens to bake. The 

 leaves are free from any pronounced taste. They are excellent for fodder for animals, 

 and are often used in native feasts, together with leaves of bananas and plantains, as 

 plates or trays upon which food is spread. 

 In (iuam the natives use it only as an ornamental plant. 

 References: 



Taelsia teryninnlis (L. ) 



Asparagus (erminahs L. Sp. PI. ed. 2. 1: 450. 1762. 



Dracaena terminalls L. Syst. ed. 12. 246. 1767. 



CordyUne termmalis Kunth, Abh. Acad. Berl. 30. 1820. 

 The name Cordyline, as shown in the discussion under that name on an earlier page 

 in this work, is an untenable name for this genus, and Taetsia, proposed by Medicus 

 in 1786 and based on the species /errm, is accordingly reinstated. 



Tagete or Taguete (Guam). 



Vernacular name for a species of Ficus allied to the banyan, but without aerial 

 roots from the branches, common in the forests and growing to great size. Wood 

 used only for fuel. 



Tagoa (Guam). See Lagenaria lagenaria. 

 Tagum (Philippines). See Lidigofera anil and I. tinctoria. 

 Takan (IMiiiippines). See Pisonia excelsa. 

 Takete (Guam). See Ficus spp. 

 Talamtala (Porto Rico). See Herpetica alata. 

 Talie (Samoa). See Terminalia catappa. 

 Talisai (Guam, Philippines). See Terminalia catappa. 

 Talong (Philippines). See Solanum melongena. 

 Tamanu (Polynesia). See Calophyllum inophyllum. 

 Tamarind. See Tamarindus indica. 



