ARACEiE 485 



abundance in 1884 in the Bay of Islands. It is truly naturalised in 

 many places in Taranaki and Wellington as far south as Cook Strait ; 

 in the South Island it is mostly a garden escape. 



Colocasia antiquorum, Schott. Taro 



This plant was cultivated by the Maoris at the time of Captain 

 Cook's visit to New Zealand, and Banks refers to it under the name 

 of Cocos. According to Cheeseman it still lingers in many deserted 

 plantations. It is extensively cultivated in several tropical regions, and 

 there is no doubt the Maoris brought it with them from Polynesia. 



Mr Elsdon Best informs me that "tradition says that one Roau 

 came in the Nukutere canoe, landing at Waiaua near Opotiki; and 

 brought with him the Karaka, the Ti and the Taro. The two latter 

 are known as Te Huri a Roau." This was about twenty generations 

 or five hundred years ago. 



Mr S. Percy Smith says: "the strong probability is that it was 

 introduced after the times of Toi" (circa 1150 a.d.) "and probably 

 by most of the canoes subsequent to his time." 



Polack, writing of 1831-37, says: 



Various species of Taro are planted in the island, especially southward. 

 The taro oia or soldier taro has a blue cast, within a thin atramentous skin. 

 Another species (espece) has a remarkable, lotus-like leaf, and thrives 

 best in a swampy soil. 



Canon Walsh states that Maori whalers in the early part of the 

 19th century introduced the taro hoia, a large coarse variety ; evidently 

 the one referred to by Polack. 



According to Mr Best, the taro is now (1917) found growing 

 in water courses in the Bay of Islands district, near old native cultiva- 

 tions. 



Mr A. E. Pickmere of Te Aroha describes the flowering of the 

 Taro, as does Miss Coutts of Onehunga, in June, 1910. The former 

 thinks the plant seldom flowers in New Zealand. Mr Cheeseman 

 says it occasionally flowers, but the natives regularly multipUed it by 

 root-division^. 



* In Hooker's list of introduced plants in the Auckland district published in 

 1864, he gives Alocasia indica ((?) A. macrorkiza, Schott, and (?) Calocasia 

 macrorhiza, Schott) as recently introduced by the natives. Kirk in 1869 reported 

 that he had not seen specimens. 



In Buchanan's list of naturalised plants occurring on Kawau in 1876, he gives 

 Caladium esculentum, Willd., but, apparently by a slip records it under Cucurbitaceae. 



