18 Transactions. — MisceUaneouS. 



II. — Of Plants formerly Cultivated for their Textile Uses. 



1 . I will first mention the Aute = Paper-mulberry ( Bru ussonetia jiaj^yrifera j , 

 although, as far as I know, not a single vestige of tins plant is now left in 

 New Zealand ! its name remains, and that is all. Few Maoris now living 

 have ever seen it ; and yet, in ancient days, it was commonly and largely 

 cultivated throughout the country.* At the time of Cook's visit it was very 

 common, and seen by those early voyagers everywhere, both growing in 

 their plantations and worn in fillets by the chiefs in their hair ; the thin 

 white bleached paper-like bark contrasting excellently well with their ebon 

 locks ! Very many of the heads of Maoris, in the plates in both Cook's 

 Voyages and Parkinson's Journal, are drawn thus ornamented with the 

 aute. Yet though commonly cultivated, it was of small size, and never was 

 used by the Maoris for clothing purposes, as it was by many other of the 

 Polynesians. The chiefs also made ornamental paper-kites of it, which was 

 one of their great diversions in times of peace, especially among the older 

 men.f 



2. The New Zealand Flax Plants f Phornmnn tenax, and P. colensoi) in 

 some of their many prized varieties, were also largely cultivated by the 

 ancient Maori. First — they always had planted near to, if not adjoining, 

 their food cultivations and their towns and villages, the commoner sorts 

 of this useful plant, which was constantly used by them in its green state 

 for the daily making into baskets and dishes for cooked food (all such 

 woven dishes not being used a second time), and, also, for common 

 and hasty tying purposes ; but those common kinds (which grew 

 spontaneously almost everywhere, except in the deep forests,) they did 

 not make use of for making thread, cord, fishing-lines, nets, and garment- 

 weaving purposes ; these superior kinds were cultivated. Second — of the 

 varieties of New Zealand flax known (even now) to the Maoris, there are 

 more than 50.:]: I have seen old plantations of this plant (or, rather, 



* Parkinson, in his " Journal," has more particularly noticed this plaut ; he says 

 (speaking of the Bay of Islands), " Saw many plantations of Jmmara, also plantations of 

 aute, or cloth trees.'' I once saw this plant growing, in an old plantation at the head of 

 the Kawakawa river in the Bay of Islands, — that was in 1835. There was however but one 

 small tree left, which was about 6 feet high, with few branches and not many leaves on 

 them, it appeared both aged and unhealthy, and it soon after died. On my finally leaving 

 the Bay of Islands in 1844, to reside at Hawke's Bay, I heard of some aute trees still 

 living at Hokianga. I wrote to a chief of my acquaintance there (E. M. Patuone), who 

 kindly sent me several good cuttings ; saying (in a letter) that the plant there was nearly 

 totally destroyed by the cattle of the Europeans. Unfortunately, my removing was so 

 greatly hindered, in not meeting readily with a vessel, and the summer also advancing, 

 that I lost them all. 



t For proverbs concerning it see " Trans. N.Z. Inst.," Vol. XII., p. 145, 

 J See the work on Phormium tenax, by Dr. Hector. 



