XXVIII POLYNESIAN WEEDS - 415 



the taros, the breadfruits, and the bananas in later ages all over 

 the Pacific islands cannot here be dealt with. My readers will 

 already know that a very ancient cultivation is in each case 

 indicated by the occurrence of a great number of varieties. Much 

 has been written upon this matter, and amongst the recent 

 contributions to the subject may be reckoned Mr. Cheeseman's 

 interesting paper published in the Transactions and Proceedings of 

 the New Zeala7td Institute (vol. xxxiii). 



I may here mention in connection with the Sweet Potato 

 (Batatas edulis), a plant that may have an American origin, though 

 much mystery surrounds its home, that it rarely seeds in Fiji 

 except when it is grown in poor, sandy soil, and in dry, rocky 

 situations. The Fijians were quite incredulous as to its maturing 

 seed ; but after much searching I found a solitary plant in seed and 

 removed their doubts. 



The Polynesian Weeds 



Some curious questions are raised in connection with the weeds 

 of this region. Polynesia, says Dr. Seemann, presents a most in- 

 teresting problem with regard to its weeds. It is, however, necessary 

 to point out that these plants arrange themselves into two groups, 

 the aboriginal weeds comprising those existing in the islands at 

 the time of Captain Cook's expeditions in the latter half of the 

 eighteenth century, and the white man's weeds that have been since 

 introduced. 



As concerning the Fijian Islands, Dr. Seemann remarked that 

 although the majority of the non-endemic plants of the flora is 

 Asiatic, " the bulk of the weeds is of American origin, or, at all 

 events, is now found in America." His principal point was to show 

 that American weeds displayed a greater disposition than Asiatic 

 weeds to spread in Fiji, because Fiji was to American plants alto- 

 gether virgin ground. This is a purely botanical matter, and we 

 are not in a position to oppose a conclusion formed by such a care- 

 ful observer of plant life. But to the ethnologist it is a very 

 different matter whether most of the Fijian weeds are of American 

 origin or merely now exist in America, His interest lies entirely 

 in the aboriginal weeds. To the student of plant-dispersal this 

 distinction is also a very important one ; and his interest again is 

 all on the side of the aboriginal weeds. 



Dr. Seemann enumerates 64 Fijian weeds, of which at least 37 

 were in the Pacific islands when Captain Cook's botanists made 



