Herbarium Sheet Detail
NTBG Plant Name:
Intsia bijuga
Collector Name:
Michael J. Balick
Collection Date:
August 11, 2007
Determiner:
!D. Lorence 9/08
Observers:
Stephen Dahmer, Yadana Desmond, Ann Kitalong, Christopher Kitalong, Clarence Kitalong, Roberta Lee
Island Group:
CAROLINE ISLANDS
Locality:
Milky Way Rock Island, Ngeruktabel. Coastal vegetation.
Plant Description:
Tree to 7m, dbh 40cm, white fragrant flowers with red stamens, fruit green.
Ethnobotanical Notes:
Lumber - Strongest wood in Palau, very heavy and very strong hardwood that is good for houses. No termites would eat it (DO).
Comments: The tree is becoming a rare tree. People have to wait when the tree is very large to cut it down. Dort and Kisaks (millettia pinnata (L.) Panigraphi) are becoming rare. (DO)
Palauan belief, spirits or gods usually reside in large trees. In the past the people would ask the spirits to use their homes (the tree) and explain how their well beings are in jeopardy and so they need the tree to build their homes and support their families. So they ask the spirits to relocate to another tree and in return the people will give them artificial money using various plants such as raw brak (Cyrtosperma chamissonis (Schott) Merr.) to create the money and paint them to look like Palauan bead money. (DO)
Date of Record Creation:
May 24, 2011
Date of Last Update:
August 6, 2023
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