DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 275 



Fiber plants — Continued. 



Lygodium scandens. — Called "alambrillo" (Spanish for "wire") by the natives; 

 in some countries the glossy, wiry stipe is split and woven into hats, mats, etc. ; 

 not utilized in Guam. 



Musa paradisiaca and Musa sapientum.^ — Bananas and plantains yield a fiber 

 which has been used in making cordage and textiles. In Guam the natives 

 when in need of a string frequently peel off a strip from the stalk or petiole of 

 the leaf of a banana plant, which is very strong and pliable. The Caroline 

 Islanders weave fine strips from the petiole into the mats which the women 

 wear for aprons. 



*BIusa textilis. — AbacEl, or ' ' manila hemp; ' ' introduced into Guam about 1866 by 

 the Sociedad Agricola de la Concepcion; clumps of it still growing at the upper 

 end of the Ci^nega, but the natives have never learned how to extract the fiber. 



*Nypa fruticans. — A stemless palm with giant pinnate leaves growing on the 

 edge of brackish water; introduced into Guam as thatching material. In some 

 countries excellent mats are made of the leaves. 



* Fandanus tectorius. — The ' ' aggag " of the natives ; hats, bags, and mats of very 

 fine quality are made of its leaves, out of which the aborigines also made the 

 triangular sails for their wonderful "flying praos." Only one sex of this plant 

 grows on the island. The leaves are 'glaucous and are very tough. Branches 

 readily take root wherever they may happen to be placed. The leaves stripped 

 of the spiny median keel are used for lashing together the framework of houses, 

 taking the place of the coconut sennit so much used by the Polynesians. 



*Pariti tiliaceum. — The chief source of cordage in the island. 



Saguerus pinnatus. — Cabo-negro palm; yields a strong black fiber; not utilized 

 in Guam, where it is of recent introduction. 



Sida rhombifolia. — Called "escobilla" by the natives; yields a fiber suitable for 

 cordage, but utilized by the natives of Guam only for brooms for sweeping their 

 houses. 



Taetsia terminalis. — Leaves yield a fiber; stripped into shreds they are used as 

 fringe-like skirts by the Samoans; in Guam, where the plant was introduced 

 about a century ago, the plant is not utilized. The natives call it "Baston de 

 San Jos^," or St. Joseph's wand. 



Thespesia populnea. — Called " kilulu" by the natives; yields a bast-fiber. 



Trichoon roxburghii. — A marsh reed called " karriso" by the natives, growing 

 in the Ci^nega and in other wet places; woven into mats by the natives for 

 ceilings, partitions, and sides of houses, and often covered with a coat of lime 

 or mud. 



Ficus sp. Banyan. Plate viii. 



Family Moraceae. 



Local nambs. — Nunu(Guam); Nonok, Lonok,Baliti( Philippines); Aoa(Samoa; 

 Earotonga; Tahiti); Aio (Caroline Islands). 



Among the species of Ficus indigenous to Guam is a giant banyan, belonging to 

 the section Urostigma and allied to Ficus indica, Ficus benghalensis, and Ficvs religiosa. 

 Like its allies, the Guam species usually begins its life as an epiphyte from seeds 

 dropped by birds on the limbs of other trees. It sends down snake-like, aerial roots, 

 which embrace the host and ultimately strangle it. After entering the ground the 

 roots enlarge into what looks like a compound trunk. The branches also send down 

 roots, at first thread-like and swinging, but at last entering the ground and becoming 

 thick supporting props, so that a single tree often resembles a dense grove. 



These trees were considered by the ancient Chamorros sacred to the aniti, or spir- 

 its of the departed, and they are still regarded with superstitious dread by the natives. 

 It is interesting to note that the Tahitians and Samoans have the same superstitious 

 awe of the allied aoa trees of their islands, which in ancient times were sacred to 

 the aitu, or wood spirits. Even at the present time few natives of Guam will linger 

 near a nunu tree after dark. 



The latex of the nunu is astringent, and is used for stopping the fiow of blood. The 

 wood is useless. 

 Ficus spp. Wild figs. 



Two other species of Ficus are called "hoda," or "hodda," and "tagete," or 

 "takete." The hodda has prop-like branching aerial roots, growing from near the base 



