The sago palms and other food plants of marsh dwellers in the South Pacific Islands

Abstract

Some native groups of the South Pacific islands dwell in lowland swamps, an adverse environment for man. To ensure their sustenance, they rely on foraging for plants thriving naturally in the swamps such as sago palms (Metroxylon spp.) or the Bruguiera mangrove trees. Sometimes they grow plants adapted to the marsh conditions, such as Cyrtosperma chamissonis. The present work sums up the knowledge we have of these plants and their uses in Oceania. © 1959 The New York Botanical Garden.