Fruits (continued)

The Rataa or Ihhe — is a kind of horse Chesnut in shape like a Broad Bean about 2 inches over; the Trees are large and serves for fuel&c.

The Shaddock, Calld here Ooroo Pappaa (or English Bread): these trees was planted here in Captain Cooks time but the Fruit has never arrived at any perfection, the trees have been planted in different parts of the Island by the Natives merely as curiositys.

The Mayya, which is the General Name of Plantains, Grows here in abundance and in the Highest perfection. The large Horse Plantain Calld here Papparrooa Grows to nine inches in length and as much round, and with Tarro & Cocoa Nuts Makes excellent Pudding.

The Oraya or Maiden Plantain is the best of all the small kinds of which these Islands produce twelve different sorts — not named here, but no Bannanas.

The Fayee or Mountain Plantain is different from all the Others — and is Calld Mountain from its Growing Chiefly there. As I never saw any of them in the East or West Indies I suppose they are peculiar to these and the other Islands in the South Seas — the stalk or tree is of a Dark purple or Blackish Collour, the leaves much longer and the Collour Much darker then the Common Plantain and the fruit does not hang down but grows erect and Clustering thick round the stalk from a kind of Pyramid. If Gathered Green they make a substitute for Bread, and if Cut while raw they smell like a Cucumber — But when ripe they smell like Yellow Paint, and the Inside of them when bruised is something like it in Collour & Appearance — the Skin is then of a reddish Brown — when Baked & Made into a Pudding they are as Good as Custard the root also when dressd is equal to a Yam — as they Grow in Great Plenty in the Mountains they want no labour but that of Bringing home.

Among their Forest trees are the following, with shrubbs plants &c.— The Toa or Casurina a very hard wood with which they make their War Spears & Clubbs, Beetles for Making Cloth &c.— and with its Bark they make a fine Brown dye — this wood is too hard for any tools which we had, yet the Natives work it with Stone tools, but it Costs them a deal of labour.

Indigenous Histories