AUSTRALASIA 
The Paradise Palm, Kentia or (Howea) forsteriana 
has its home on Lord Howe Island in the Solomons 
of Polynesia. The seed is harvested as a community 
project and sent to nurseries in America and Eu- 
rope. Because they are so durable, Kentias in tubs 
have become our best known decorative palm. 
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A girl in the South Sea Island of Tahiti is weaving 
a sleeping mat out of Pandanus leaves. They are 
also used for baskets, fans, sandals, pillows, sails, 
hats, and for thatching of houses. Many of the 
plants and palms that furnish to these islanders the 
basic needs of life, are amongst the best of our 
decorative house plants. 
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Pandanus Palms in New Guinea are cultivated by 
natives for its seed which is ground up for food. 
Pandanus leaves are widely used since ancient times 
for the covering of houses. Their fiber is very dur- 
able and becomes soft and pliable after drying, 
bleaching in seawater and scraping. It is then woven 
into many more articles for household use. 
In Samoa, in the South Seas, as in most other tropic 
regions, Colocasia, or Taro, is cultivated in moist 
locations or along streams as a source of food. The 
tuberous root stock furnishes a nourishing vegetable 
rich in starch. 
