The Other Polynesian Gourd1

W. ARTHUR WHISTLER 2

ABSTRACT: A review of botanical specimens and ethnographic literature indicates that a small calabash used as a vessel for scented coconut oil in Polynesia before European contact belongs to Benin casa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn., the wax gourd, rather than to Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) StandI., the bottle gourd. Current literature does not mention any use ofthe edible wax gourd fruit as a calabash. It was also determined that there is no verifiable record of the bottle gourd having been present in western Polynesia before 1965, suggesting that the known occurrence of this species in eastern Polynesia before European contact may be attributed to dispersal from South America rather than from the west as is commonly believed. '

A DICTIONARY definition of the term "gourd" wide variation in shapes and sizes of cala includes"1. Any ofseveral vines ofthe family bashes reported from the area. However, Cucurbitaceae . .. bearing fruits with a hard Parkinson (1973) recorded the existence of rind . 2. The fruit ofsuch a vine, as a calabash, another gourd, called "hooe-rorro ;" in Tahiti often of irregular and unusual shape. 3. The in 1769; he stated, "the fruit ofthis tree [sic] is dried and hollowed-out shell of one of these about the size of a small orange, very hard, fruits , used as a drinking vessel or utensil " and quite round, serving them, instead ofbot (Morris 1969). Another word often used syn tIes, to put their monoe [scented coconut oil] onymously is " calabash," defined in part as or oil in." He identified the plant as Cucurbita " A utensil .. . made from the fruit of a cala pruriens Parkinson. The existence of this dis bash" (Morris 1969). In this paper, gourd is tinct type of gourd was supported by Henry used to refer to vines that produce hard-shelled (1928), who, based upon her father's notes on fruits, and calabash to containers or utensils Tahiti from ca. 1825 to 1848, described a plant made from the fruits of gourds. In Polynesia, called aroro as " a small spherical gourd, the gourd and calabash are both applied almost size of a medium-sized orange, and has been exclusively to the bottle gourd, Lagenaria used by Tahitians exclusively as containers of siceraria (Molina) StandI., and the vessels coconut hair oil." made from its fruit. This is not unusual, be The first Tahitian dictionary (Davies 1851) cause the most authoritative source on also supported this distinction: Davies noted gourds, The gourd book (Heiser 1979), is huaroro as "a species of a small gourd, used largely devoted to this one species. The other for bottles to hold sweet scented oil." In well-known source of calabashes, the cala Andrews' dictionary (1944), the name is bash tree (Cr escentia cujete L.), is only a spelled hu'aroro and the plant described only recently introduced novelty in Polynesia. as a small gourd. Jaussen's (1861) and Until now, it was believed that only one Lemaitre's (1973) dictionaries note only hue, gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, was present in an which is described as being a calabash or bot cient Polynesia; the variability of its fruit has tle. The correct Tahitian name for the plant is been considered sufficient to account for the probably hue 'aroro, apparently derived from the word for calabash (or vine), hue , and 'a roro, possibly meaning " of the roro," Al though roro has no current recorded meaning I Manuscript accepted 5 June 1989. 2 National Tropical Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 340, in Tahitian, its Tongan and Samoan cognate Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii 96765. 1010 means coconut oil. 115 116 PACIFIC SCIENCE, Volume 44, April 1990

Curcubita pruriens Parkinson is now rec by Parkinson. Purseglove (1968) noted that ognized as a synonym of Benincasa hispida the fruits , described as nearly spherical to (Thunb.) Cogn . The name Benincasa cerifera long-oblong and 20-35 cm by 15-20 em in Savi is another synonym for this cultivated diameter, are boiled as a vegetable , and "cut vine, commonly called "wax gourd." Al into pieces and candied with sugar." He noted though the plant was collected in Tahiti its origin in Java, but mentioned no use ofthe during the Cook expeditions, Parkinson's de fruit as a calabash. Heiser (1979) noted that its scription of the use of its fruit as a calabash oblong to globular fruits that reach lengths of was considered incorrect by later authorities. 4 ft (1.2 m) may be eaten raw or cooked like a Merrill (1954), in discussing the botany of vegetable. Although he recounted how one he Cook's voyages, noted that "It is certain that had kept for two years looked the same as the what Parkinson saw in use as oil containers day he collected it and had lost little weight, were actually small fruits of the common Heiser did not associate this characteristic gourd, Lagenaria siceraria...." This deter with any use as a calabash. I. M. Burkill mination, made by such a renowned botanist (1935) noted the fruits being eaten by the as Merrill , evoked no opposition; since Park Malays boiled or candied, but like the other inson incorrectly identified the source of the authors said nothing about any use as a cala calabash as a tree, it was not hard to conclude bash. In a recent note by Walters and Decker that Parkinson's identification of the plant as Walters (1989), there is also no mention ofthe B. hispida (c. pruriens) was also incorrect. use of the wax gourd fruit as a calabash. Other authors have contributed informa In summary, although the wax gourd was tion that has also clouded the issue. Nadeaud known to be present in Tahiti at the time ofthe (1864) noted for the Cucurbitaceae in Tahiti, European discovery of the island, the notion "On fait des ventouses avec les fruits du that its fruit was used as a calabash was Curcubita multiflora (Forst.), aroro" (cupping deemed incorrect. The hue 'aroro used as a glasses are made with the fruits of Curcubita vessel for the scented coconut oil (monoe) multiflora [Forst.]). Petard (1986) also was thought to be a small-fruited Lagenaria identified aroro as this species of Cucurbita siceraria. This was the state of the botanical and correctly recorded its use as a vessel for knowledge in February 1987 as I was collect coconut oil. In a footnote, however, he ing plants and recording ethnobotanical in equated Cucurbita multiflora with Luffa cylin formation in Tonga. I was aware that L. drica (an aboriginally introduced or native siceraria had been reported from Tonga and species of loofa whose fibrous network was elsewhere in western Polynesia, but that it is possibly used as a scouring sponge). Luffa is now rare or extinct. I had seen it only once listed separately under a different Tahitian before-in American Samoa in 1972 at the name in the entry above it. Petard made no Agriculture Department farm at Taputimu mention in his text of Benincasa occurring (Whistler 309, in my personal collection) . I in Tahiti, but included a photograph of was not aware of any other collections of it Parkinson's drawing of the plant and listed from western Polynesia and , like other scien the species under mautini tinito (Chinese tists, assumed that it had quickl y become rare pumpkin) in a table. after the advent of Europeans, who intro The identification of a calabash made from duced the much more useful glass bottles. a fruit of the pumpkin and squash genus During research in Vava'u, a Tongan man Cucurbita is not unique to Tahiti. Hillebrand I was interviewing noted the presence in his (1888) noted Cucurbita maxima Duchaesne as village (Longomapu) of a vine (Figure 1, left) being the ipu nui ofHawai'i. This large variety called fangu whose fruit (Figure 1, middle) ofcalabash, however, was correctly identified is used as a vessel (Figure 1, right) for coco as Lagenaria siceraria by Eames and St. John nut oil. In the literature on Tonga, the name (1943). fangu was first noted by Rabone (1845), who The use ofthe wax gourd fruit as a calabash defined it as " the calabash; the scented oil." has apparently never been recorded other than The currently used Tongan dictionary of Polynesian Gourd- WHISTLER 117

FIGURE I. Left, Benincasa hispida in flower; middle, fruits of the Polynesian variety of wax gourd ; right, calabashes from the fruits of the wax gourd , used as containers for scented coconut oil.

Churchward (1959) definesfangu as "calabash 2. The fruit of the gourd used as an oil-bottle. shell used as a bottle (esp. for holding oil)." 3. A bottle." Powell (1868) had recorded the In an unpublished-manuscript in the Bernice name on his list of Samoan plant names and P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu (n.d., but ca. noted that "the fruit is used by the natives as 1930), W. C. McKern noted that "gourd bottles for their scented oil." However, he bottles (fangu) are extremely rare now in tentatively identified the plant as Karivia Tonga, but apparently the gourds were rather samoensis A. Gray (now called Zehneria small and round, and the bottles were chiefly grayana [Cogn.] Fosberg & Sachet), a species used as scented coconut oil containers." with a tiny fruit entirely unsuited as a cala Pickering (1876) had noted the presence of bash. Violette (1879) recorded fagu as a Lagenaria in Tonga and described it as "a "Petite espece de (138) gourde; son fruit sert small-fruited variety cultivated, and the shell de bouteille" (small species of gourd; its fruit used for holding coconut oil." I was elated at serves as a bottle). Te Rangi Hiroa (1930) the prospect of finding the long-lost bottle noted that "gourds calledfangu were also used gourd in Tonga. to contain oil. They were said to be small and But much to my surprise, the fruits brought their use as water vesselswas denied ." The use to me were not of the bottle gourd, but of the of the word fagu to refer to a plant is now wax gourd Benincasa hispida. I was already almost entirely forgotten, and in the current familiar with the latter because I had collected Samoan dictionary, Milner (1966) recorded it in Western Samoa (Whistler 184, US) in simply "bottle" as its definition. 1972. At that time, however, I was not aware In the botanical literature, however, there is of, nor was I interested in, any ethnobotanical little mention of Benincasa hispida from either use for its peculiar fruits. In a subsequent archipelago. I. M. Burkill (190 I) noted its ethnobotanical paper on Samoan plant names presence in Vava'u based on a single collec (1984), I recorded the namefagu (the Samoan tion, Crosby 71 (BM) in ca. 1892, and its oc spelling of fangu) as the bottle gourd based currence there was reiterated by Yuncker solely on information from previous authors. (1959) in a later flora of Tonga. In Samoa, it In the literature, the name was first noted by was first recorded by Rechinger (1915) based Pratt (1862) as "1. A small species of gourd. on his single collection from 'Upolu, 118 PACIFIC SCiENCE, Volume 44, April 1990

R echinger 134 (W), in 1905. There are only hollowed out"; (3) daibe, described as "a var. two other collections known from Samoa, ofgourd or calabash"; and (4) didi, described Powell 207 (K), without further locality , be as "a variety of calabash, Lagenaria vulgaris, fore 1875, and Bristol 2413 (BISH) , 'Upolu, in Cucurbitaceae." 1968. B. E. V. Parham (1972) noted the pres In his flora of Fiji, Smith (1981) recorded ence of Benin casa , which he called melo, but the presence ofboth Lagenaria and Benincasa, there is no indication that he was referring to the former on the basis ofSeemann 195 (incor the aboriginally introduced variety. rectly listed by Seemann as 495) from Tailevu, A search of pertinent literature from the the latter from J. W. Parham (1972), who rest of western Polynesia revealed that the noted it (Benincasa cerifera, a synonym) as vernacular name and the specific use of the " Introduced and cultivated." However, plant were known from other islands . On upon further inspection, Seemann 195, which 'Uvea (Wallis Island), Bataillon (1932) noted is in the collections of the Royal Botanical fagu as "(Fruit d'une Cucurbitacee), Petite Garden, Kew, is actually Benincasa hispida gourde ou l'on met de l'huile" (fruit of a (c. Jeffrey, pers. comm., 1988). Thus the only Cucurbitaceae, a small gourd where one puts specimen of a gourd known from Fiji is oi\). In the current 'Uvean dictionary, Rensch Benin casa, not Lagenaria. However, on (1984) noted fagu as "gourde, cruche, fruit Rotuma, a Polynesian island that is politically d'un Cucurbitacee" (gourd, container, fruit a part of Fiji, Benincasa is an infrequent ad of a Cucurbitaceae). From the nearby island ventive species (Whistler 6969, in my personal of Futuna, Rensch (1986) noted fagu as collection) called pirorogo. " Bouteille, gourd, cruche" (bottle , gourd, con Apparently the aboriginal range of Ben tainer). Apparently neither Lagenaria nor incasa extended eastward to the Mar Benin casa has been collected from either of quesas, but less is known about the plant these islands. On Niue, McEwen (1970) there. Brown (1935) listed two collections, defined fangu as "bottle." Benincasa has Brown 627 (BISH) from Nukuhiva in 1921 apparently never been recorded from Niue, and Mumford and Adamson 350 (BISH) from and although Lagenaria was noted as occur Hivaoa in 1929. Two additional specimens are ring there by both Yuncker (1943) and Sykes known, Bro wn 508 (BISH) from Nukuhiva in (1970), neither botanist admitted to actually 1921, and Decker 2672 (US) from Fatuhiva in seeing the plant. In the dictionary of Tokelau 1974. Brown noted only that it was possibly of (Anonymous 1986), fagu is defined as "bot ancient introduction to the Marquesas, and tle," but it is doubtful that any gourds were that its native names are hoe puo on Nuku ever grown on those atolls. hiva, and puoo or probably hoe puoo on A similar situation exists in Fiji. H. B. R. Hivaoa. In his dictionary, Dordillon (1904) Parham (1943) recorded a gourd named vago used hue puo '0 for colocynth (Citrullus (a Lau Islands' name that is a cognate oifagu colocynthus), a Mediterranean gourd not ofwestern Polynesia) and noted that "gourds known from Polynesia, and possibly referring from this plant were formerly extensively used to Benincasa instead; hue is the word for as containers for coconut and other oil, in gourd, and puo'o means dry. In his flora of place of bottles before these were intro French Polynesia, Drake de Castillo (1893) duced ." This she identified as Lagenaria. included Benincasa with a six-line description Seemann (1865-1873) recorded vago as and noted three specimens, Banks and Lagenaria; " In Viti it is extensively used for Solander (s.n., in 1769) and Vesco (s.n., in making bottles for holding oil and other 1847) from Tahiti, and Hombron (s.n., in fluids." In the current Fijian dictionary, 1838) from the Marquesas. Capell (1968) noted several names for gourds: Benincasa hispida was also collected in the (1) vago , described as "a plant, Lagenaria Cook Islands, but this is not recorded in the vulgaris"; (2) dago , a Tailevu name, described taxonomic literature. Wi/der 723 (BISH) as "a kind ofpumpkin, used as a bottle when collected on Rarotonga in 1929 belongs to this Polynesian GOurd-WHISTLER 119 species, but this specimen was misidentified low vegetation. Tendrils leaf-opposed, long, on the sheet as Luffa sp. (Whistler 1990a) and bifid. Stems, petioles , and leaves covered with was thus not included in Wilder's flora (1931). stiff banded hairs mostly 1-4 mm long. However, in his Rarotongan dictionary, Leaves alternate, simple, blade cordate 5- or Savage (1962) recorded a ua roro described as more lobed , mostly 7-16 em long and wide, "a round calabash used by the ancient people tip acute, sinus broadly rounded, margins as a water bottle." Based on its cognate from toothed, surfaces with banded hairs on veins Tahiti, this is apparently Benincasa, but its use and some between , interspersed with shorter, as a vessel for water rather than oil is puzzling. unbanded hairs, petiole 3-12 cm long. Glands The conclusions to be drawn from the above at leaf base lacking, unlike in Lagenaria. complicated discussion are the following: (1) Flowers solitary, axillary, yellow, on a pedun Benincasa hispida, the wax gourd, was present cle 1-5 em long (longer in Micronesia), plants in Polynesia before the advent of Europeans monoecious. Calyx deeply divided into 5 (1767); (2) the fruit of the wax gourd, at least reflexed sepals mostly 10-18 mm long. the small round variety present in Polynesia, Corolla of 5 petals 3-5 em long, pilose on the was used as a calabash for scented coconut oil out side. Female flowers with a densely pilose, in Tonga (where it is still occasionally used), inferior ovary , stigmas 3, each bilobed, Fiji, Samoa, 'Uvea, Futuna, Tahiti, and staminodes present. Male flowers with 3 probably other islands and archipelagos as stamens, ovary rudimentary. Fruit round to well; and (3) there is no record of the bottle ovoid or obovoid, 5-12 em in diameter, gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, being present in pubescent when immature, glabrous and Fiji or western Polynesia, except in recent covered with a white wax at maturity, pericarp times, and it was probably absent until ca. 1-1.5 mm thick, hard. Seeds many, 7-10 recently introduced there as a novelty. mm long , flattened teardrop-shaped, straw Two other remarks should be added con colored. cerning the oil bottles. Labillardiere (1971), The Polynesian Benincasa differs from the who visited Tonga in 1793, noted the presence Benincasa description given by Purseglove of the oil containers (even depicting one in a (1968) principally in having much smaller drawing), but identified their source as the fruits (5-1 2 versus 15-35 em in longest diame fruit of M elodinus scandens Forster (actually, ter), smaller seeds (7-10 versus 10-15 mm), M elodinus vitiensis Rolfe), a nati ve liana ofthe and a hard pericarp usable as a calabash. It family Apocynaceae. Although the fruit of seems distinct as a variety, and to distinguish this species is similar in size and shape to the it, the name Benincasa hispida var. pruriens fruit of Benincasa, such a use for it, or any use (Parkinson) Whistler is hereby proposed, us for it, is not found in the literature, and ing Parkinson's basionym and the unnum Labillardiere is probably in error. In Fiji, bered specimen of. Banks and Solander (K) H. B. R. Parham (1943) noted another collected in 1769 as the type. It is distributed Cucurbitaceae vine, Luffa cylindrica (L.) from the Marquesas westward at least to Fiji; Roemer, that produced fruits used as oil ves it may also extend further into Melanesia and sels: "The gourd-like fruit were also used as Micronesia, but fruit specimens documenting containers for scented coconut-oil." This is its presence there were not seen. extremely doubtful, however, because the The third conclusion listed above brings up shell of the Luffa fruit is very thin and fragile. an interesting point about the bottle gourd: It is not known on what basis Parham made how did it reach eastern Polynesia? Only two this identification. specimens of Lagenaria are known from west Because the Polynesian type of Benincasa ern Polynesia and Fiji. One is from Tonga, seems to differ so much in fruit characteristics Soakai 894 (BM) collected in 1959 and the from what has been described for the rest of its other is from Samoa (Whistler 309 noted range , a description is in order: above). Thus, the only actual records of Herbaceous vine, prostrate or climbing over Lagenaria from the area date no further back 120 PACIFIC SCIENCE, Volume 44, April 1990

than perhaps 1959. Consequently, there is no ACKNOWLEDGMENTS evidence of a pre-European presence of the I would like to thank the British Museum bottle gourd in western Polynesia or Fiji. (Natural History) (BM) , the Museum ofMan Dodge (1943), in fact noted that in Samoa kind (British Museum), the Herbarium of the "gourds are almost never mentioned by writ Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew (K), the Pitt ers and they are conspicuous by their absence Rivers Museum (University of Oxford), the in the legends." Smithsonian Institution Herbarium (US) , and However, Lagenaria is known with certain the Bernice P. Bishop Museum Herbarium ty to have been present in eastern Polynesia, (BISH) for the use of botanical specimens including Hawai'i and New Zealand, before and/or the sharing of information. European contact. But by what route it arrived is the question. Because there is no evidence ofits early presence in western Poly nesia, other routes should be examined. Mi LITERATURE CITED cronesia is an unlikely source since there is no evidence of any significant contact between ANDREWS, E. 1944. A comparative dictionary that region and eastern Polynesia . Also, the of the Tahitian language. Chicago Acade bottle gourd is rarely found on atolls, the my of Science, Chicago. major type of island in Micronesia. The only ANONYMOUS. 1986. Tokelau dictionary. Of other possible choice is South America. Such fice of Tokelau Affairs, Apia, Western a plant introduction would not be unique, Samoa. since the sweet potato was almost certainly BATAILLON, P. 1932. Langue d'Uvea. Libr. introduced from South America to eastern Orientaliste Paul Geuthner, Paris. Polynesia (Yen 1974). Also, it is likely that the BROWN, F . B. H . 1935. Flora ofSoutheastern coconut was aboriginally introduced from Polynesia: III . Dicotyledons. Bernice P. Polynesia to South America (Purseglove Bishop Mus. Bull. 130: 1-386. 1972), possibl y on the same round trip. BURKILL, I. M. 1901. The flora ofVavau, one The hypothesis of a South American intro of the Tonga Islands. J. Linn. Soc. Bot. duction of the bottle gourd to Polynesia is 35 :20-65. supported by the presence of Lagenaria in - - -. 1935. A dictionary of the economic South America long before eastern Polynesia products of the Malay peninsula. 2 vols. was settled. Its presence there, and apparent Crown Agents for the Colony, London. ab sence from western Polynesia, suggest a dis CAPELL, A. 1968. A new Fijian dictionary. persal not unlike that of the sweet potato, an Government of Fiji, Suva. intentional introduction by boat from South CHURCHWARD, C. M. 1959. Tongan dictio America. Th is must have occurred over a nary. Government of Tonga, Nuku'alofa. thousand years ago, since the bottle gourd DAVIES, J. 1851. A Tahitian and English Dic apparently reached New Zealand early in tionary. London Missionary Society's those islands' Polynesian history. The mini Press, Tahiti. mal contact between eastern and western DODGE, E. S. 1943. Gourd growers of the Polynesia, and the absence of colonization South Seas . Gourd Society of America, from east to west could easily account for its Boston. . not being brought to western Polynesia until DORDILLON, R. I. 1904. Grammaire et diction long after European contact. naire de la langue des Iles Marquises. Ifthis introduction ofthe bottle gourd from Irnprimerie Belin Freres, Paris. South America to Polynesia actually occurred, DRAKE DE CASTILLO, E. 1893. Flore de la it can be added to the sweet potato, and possi Polynesie francaise, G. Masson, Pari s. bly Solanum repandum (Whistler 1990b), as EAMES, A. J. , and H. ST. JOHN. 1943. The plants introduced in a direction counter to the botanical identity of the Hawaiian ipu nui Polynesian migrations. or large gourd. Am. J. Bot. 30(3): 255-259. Polynesian Gourd-WHISTLER 12 1

HEISER , C. B., Jr. 1979. The gourd book. Uni the Samoan language with Engli sh and versity of Oklahoma Press, Norman. Samoan vocabulary. Malua Press, [West HENRY, T. 1928. Ancient Tahiti . Bernice P. ern] Samoa. Bishop Mus. Bull. 48 : 1-651. PURSEGLOVE, J. W. 1968. Tropical crops: HILLEBRAND , W. 1888. Flora ofthe Hawaiian Dicotyledons. 2 vols. Longmans, Lon Islands. Williams & Norgate, London. don. JAUSSEN, T. 1861. Grammaire et dictionnaire - - - . 1972. Tropical crops: Monocotyle de la langue maorie; dialecte tahitien. Saint dons. 2 vols. Longmans, London. Germain en Laye, France. RABONE, S. 1845. A vocabulary ofthe To ngan LABILLARDIERE, M . 1971. Voyage in search of language, arranged in alphabetical order. La Perouse .. . during the years 1791, 1792, Wesleyan Mission Press, Neiafu. 1793, and 1794. [Translation from the RECHINGER, K . 1915. Botanische und Zoo French, fascimile edition]. N . Israel, logische Ergenisse einer wissenschaftlichen Amsterdam. Forschungsreise nach den Samoa-Inseln . LEMAITRE, y. 1973. Lexique du tahitien co n .. .Denkschr. Akad. Wiss. Wien 91 : 139 temporain. O.R .S.T.O.M. , Paris. 214. McEwEN, J. M . 1970. Niue dictionary. Dept. RENSCH, K . H . 1984. Dictionnaire Wallisien of Maori and Island Affairs, Wellington, Francais. Pacific Linguistics Series C, no . N.Z. 86. Australian National Uni versity, Can MERRILL, E. D. 1954. The botany of Cook's berra. voyages. Chron. Bot. 14: 164- 383. 1986. Dictionnaire Futunien MILNER , G . B. 1966. Samoan dictionary. Francais, Pacific Linguistics Series C, no. Oxford University Press, London. 90. Au stralian National University, Can MORRIS, W., ed. 1969. The American heritage berra. dictionary of the English language. SA VAGE, S. 1962. A dictionary of the Maori Houghton Mifflin , Boston. language of Rarotonga. Department of NADEAUD , J. 1864. Plantes usuelles des Island Territories, Wellington, N. Z. Tahitiens. J. Martel, Montpellier. SEEMA NN, B. 1865- 1873. Flora vitiensis: A PARHAM , B. E. V. 1972. Plants ofSamoa. N . Z. description of plants of the Viti or Fiji Dep. Sci. Ind. Res. Inf. Ser. 85: 1- 162. Islands with an account of their history, PARHAM, H . B. R. 1943. Fiji native plants with uses, and properties. L. Reeve , London. their medicinal and other uses. Po lynes. SMITH, A. C. 1981. Flora vitiensis nova; a new Soc. Mem. 16: 1-160. flora of Fiji . Vol. 2. Pacific Tropical PARHAM, J. W. 1972. Plants ofthe Fiji Islands. Botanical Garden, Kauai. Government of Fiji , Suva. SYKES, W. R. 1970. Contributions to the flora PARKINSON, S. 1973. A journal ofa voyage to of Niue. N. Z. Dep. Sci. Ind. Res. Bull. the South Seas in his Majesty's ship, the 200: 1- 321. Endeavour. (First published in 1773). Li TE RANGI HIROA. 1930. Samoan material cul brary Board of South Australia, Adelaide. ture. Bernice P. Bishop Mus. Bull. 75 : 1 PETARD, P. 1986. Quelques plantes uti les de 724. Polynesie francaise et raau Tahiti. Editions VIOLETTE, L. 1879. Dictionnaire Samoa- Haere po no Tahiti, Pape'ete. Francais-Anglais et Francais-Samoa- PICKERING, C. 1876. The geog raphical distri Anglais. Maisonneuve et Cie, Paris. bution of animals and plants in their wild WALTERS, T. W., and D . S. DECKER-WALTERS. state. 2 vols. Naturalists' Agency, Salem, 1989. Systematic re-evaluation of Benincasa Mass . hispida (Cucurbitaceae). Econ. Bot. 43: POWELL, T. 1868. On various Samoan plants 274-278. and their vernacular names. J. Bot. 6 :278 WHISTLER , W. A. 1984. Annotated list of 285. Samoan plant names. Econ. Bot. 38(4): PRATT, G . 1862. A grammar and dictionary of 464-489. 122 PACIFIC SCIENCE, Volume 44, April 1990

I 990a. Ethnobotany of the Cook YEN, D. 1974. The sweet potato in Oceania. Islands: The plants, their Maori names , and Bernice P. Bishop Mus. Bull. 236: 1- 689. their uses. Allertonia 5(4) (in press). Y UN CKER , T. G. 1943. The flora of Niue ---. 1990b. Polynesian plant introduc Island. Bernice P. Bishop Mus. Bull. 178: tions. In P. A. Cox, ed.Plants and man in 1-126. Polynesia (in press). - - - . 1959. Plants of Tonga. Bernice P. WILDER, G. P. 1931. Flora of Rarotonga. Bishop Mus. Bull. 220: 1-283. Bernice P. Bishop Mus. Bull. 86 : 1-107.