Pohnpei Traditional Plants Ethnobotanical Garden

06 September 2007

With thanks to Director Weilbacher and Totoa Fetalai-Currie, the SC/SS 115 Ethnobotany class enjoyed a excellent introduction to the unit on healing plants.

The students glance over the hand-out which is a condensed Pohnpeian flora of the plants in the garden. The list contains 117 plants. Where the latin binomial or names for a plant from other islands is known, that is included as well.

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The field trip replaces what used to be an in-class lecture. The same basic material is now delivered more in the lecture manner of the Peripatetic school of Aristotle - while walking and pausing along the paths of a garden and using the plants as the examples. Garry pauses at Cinnamomum carolinense, madeu. The plant provides an opportunity to explain indigenous versus native plants.

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As the photographer is kept busy explaining, asking questions, and answering queries, few photos tend to get taken.

At the end of the class Divine Grace asked for a photo of her in the traditional hut.

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