|
BATS
AND THE APOCYNACEAE FAMILY |
Fujita (1991) lists four species
of the Apocynaceae family as bat-pollinated or bat-planted trees; Cerbera
oppositifolia, Neisosperma oppositifolia, Ochrosia oppositifolia and Ochrosia
mariannensis.
The Flora Vitiensis Nova (1988) lists
Cerbera oppositifolia and Ochrosia oppositifolia as synonymns for Neisosperma
oppositifolia which is currently the correct name for all three species. In
this writing the synonyms for N. oppositifolia will also be used.
The Pacific flying fox pollinates
the flowers of Cerbera oppositifolia on Niue Island and disperses fruit seeds
of Ochrosia oppositifolia on Niue Island. The Marianas flying fox disperses
the fruit seeds of Neisosperma oppositifolia on Guam, the Mariana Islands
and the Ulithi Atoll. The Seychelles flying fox disperses fruit seeds of N.
oppositifolia in the Seychelle Islands. (Fujita 1991)
The Marianas flying fox disperses
the fruit seeds of Ochrosia mariannensis on Guam and the Mariana Islands.(Fujita
1991)
Pacific flying foxes (P.
tonganus)
There are various vernacular names
for these plant species.
Cousin Island (Seychelles) - bwa
sousouris
Java - oopas, laki laki
Guam - panao
Marshall Islands - bwa chauve souris,
kojba, koebjar
Samoa, Tonga, Tokelau - fao
Solomon Islands - aikikiru
Niue - pao
Vanuatu - navavag
Marianas
flying fox (P. marianas)
Occurrence
of O. oppositifolia: In 2007 a search of the internet finds the tree
referred to frequently in descriptions of Pacific Island vegetation.
-
Saplings
of O. oppositifolia survived a major tropical storm in the Seychelle Islands,
September 2002.
-
In
the Seychelle Islands, O. oppositifolia is the second most prominent tree
in the shrub layer of the islands' plateaus.
- On Cousin Island in the Seychelles,
O. oppositifolia is listed among the top three trees which make up the mature
woodlands.
- On Little Andaman, Tokelau Islands,
O. oppositifolia is a mangrove and beach forest resource.
- On the Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall
Islands the most mature vegetation is found among old coconut plantations.
Again, O. oppositifolia is second among the top three trees. The coconut
palm (Cocos nucifera) is number one and the beach
gardenia (Guettarda speciosa) is number three. The natural
flora of islands in the Eniwetok Atoll was severely disturbed by events of
World War II and by nuclear testing between 1948 and 1958.
Ochrosia oppositifolia is obviously
a vigorous, colonizing, coast-protecting plant. Its young plants survive tropical
storms, it is able to germinate, take root and thrive in abused soil and become
a major part of island flora.
Fruiting Ochrosia oppositifolia
Copyright http://www.plantaphile.com/
Timber: Burkill, in
a 2500 page Dictionary
of Malay Penninsula Economic Products lists
O. oppositifolia as a timber source. Internet
research in 2007 finds that Ochrosia oppositifolia is still considered as a
source of timber. www.worldagroforestrycentre.org lists its wood density as
medium, 610, and its moisture content as 15%.
Fujita (1991) says that the wood of
Neisosperma oppositifolia is used in the Marianas Islands to make furniture,
and for building houses and outfitting canoes on Ulithi Atoll.
Medicine:
In Essays on the Marshallese Past, the peel of Ochrosia oppositifolia fruit
is listed as an energiser. A Smithsonian Institution publication, Atoll Research
Bulletin, states that
O. oppositifolia is used for medicine in the Caroline Islands. Burkill says
that a preparation from the tree roots is an antidote to poison.
Usher (1974)
confirmed the anti-poison properties of the tree roots and added that a decoction
from the roots was used to treat general abdominal pain. In Wildlife on Cousin
Island, Casper learned from an island guide that a drink is made from the bark
of O. oppositifolia, soaked overnight in water, which improves blood circulation.
It can also be used to cause an abortion. (http://www.jocara.net/PlacesProjects/Seychelles/cousin_wildlife.html)
There are recorded medical
uses of Neisosperma oppositifolium in the Cook Islands, Kirbati, Marshall Islands,
Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga and Vanuatu. (Brendler, PlantaPhile,
personal communication.)
Seychelles flying
fox (P. seychellensis)
Fruit: Burkill
says the seed of the tree is eaten. Casper saw the fruit of O. oppositifolia
during the Seychelles visit described above, noted its fragrance and saw it
being happily devoured by the island's giant tortoises. Casper's guide said
the flesh of the fruit was fibrous and not fancied by humans, but might be eaten
by bats. Visit the website to see a picture of the fruit.
Research:
The fruit of O. oppositifolia is the subject of research on the propogation
of fruit flies. Although the fruit is apparently not popular with humans, it
is popular with the Pacific fruit fly, Bactrocera facilis. This is a matter
of concern for commercial growers as the same fruit fly attacks avocados, chilis,
citrus, guavas, mangos, mountain apples, rose apples and tropical almonds.
A botanical relative: A
close relative of Ochrosia oppositifolia, holei, grows on Maui in the Hawaiian
Islands. Ochrosia haleakalae is obviously not seed dispersed in Hawaii by flying
foxes, there being no flying foxes in those islands.
O. haleakalae seedling, Maui, Hawaii
Photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr (USGS)
O. haleakalae, mature tree, Maui, Hawaii
Photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr (USGS)
O. haleakalae flower, Maui, Hawaii
Photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr (USGS)
O. haleakalae fruit, Maui, Hawaii
Photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr (USGS)
The fruit of
the O. haleakalae, pictured above, is very similar in appearance to those of
O. oppositifolia, as seen on Cousin Island, http://www.jocara.net/PlacesProjects/Seychelles/cousin_wildlife.html.
The bark and roots of holei provide
an orange-yellow dye which is used to dye bark cloth. The wood of the tree is
used to make gunnels for canoes. These uses are noted in Auwahi: Ethnobotany
of a Hawaiian Dryland Forest. It is possible that these uses may also be uses
for other related species of the Apocynaceae family discussed above.
Pacific flying fox
References:
Brendler, Thomas, PlantaPhile, personal communication; http://www.plantaphile.com/
Burkill, I.H. (1966) A dictionary of the economic products of
the Malay Penninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Dirk, H.R. Spenneman, General Editor, Traditional Land Management
in the Marshall Islands, Essays on the Marshallese Past; http://www.marshall.csu.edu.au/Marshalls/html/essays/es-tslm-2.html
Fosberg, F.R., Evans, Michael, A Collection of Plants from Fais,
Caroline Islands, Smithsonian Institution, Atoll Research Bulletin 133; http://www.botany.hawaiiedu/faculty/duffy/ARB/128-135/133.pdf
Fruit Flies in Tonga, Plant Protection Service, Secretariat of
the Pacific Community, Pest Advisory Leaflet No. 41, 2001
Fujita, M.S. 1991. Flying Fox (Chiroptera:Pteropodidae) Pollination,
Seed Dispersal, and Economic Importance: A Tabular Summary of Current Knowledge,
Resource Publication No. 2, Bat Conservation International
Indian Ocean Quest, One Family's Voyage of Adventure and Discovery;
www.jocara.net/PlacesProjects/Seychelles/cousin_wildlife.html
Medeiros, A.C., et al, Auwahi: Ethnobotany of a Hawaiian Dryland
Forest; http://www.hear.org/naturalareas/anwahi/ethnobotany_of_auwahi.pdf
Smith, A.C., 1988. Flora Vitiensis Nova, volume 4, page 54f, Hawaii.
Taxonomy, Species Bat, Fruit, Marianas, 14 March 1996; fwie.fw.vt.edu/wwww/esis/lists/e051005.htm
UNEP/OCHA Assessment Report; www.relief.web.int/ochaunep/edr/Seychelles.pdf
Usher, George, A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man, Constable and Company Ltd,
1974
Wodzicki, K. and H. Felten (1978) The Peka, or fruit bat of Niue Island, South
Pacific. Pacific Science 29(2):131-138
THE PLANT
Family: Apocynaceae (Periwinkles and Oleanders)
Species: Neiosperma oppositifolium, Cerbera oppositifolia, Ochrosia
oppositifolia, O. mariannensis |
THE BATS
Pacific flying fox (P. tonganus)
Marianas flying fox (P. marianas)
Seychelles flying fox (P. seychellensis) |
Thank you to Dr. Merlin
D. Tuttle, Founder and President of Bat Conservation International, Austin,
Texas, for permission to use his photographs of the Pacific flying foxes and
the Marianas flying fox, as guides to drawing the illustrations. http://www.batcon.org
Thank you to Plantafile
at http://www.plantaphile.com/
for permission to use their photograph of Ochrosia oppositifolia. Visit Plantafile
to see many fine photographs of plants that are medicinally important, some
of them bat-planted and pollinated. "Plantaphile researches the
various applications of plants in folk medicine in order to make this knowledge
public and thus save the wisdom of centuries-old tradition."
Thank you also to to
Forest and Kim Starr for permission to use photographs from their photographic
library of plants growing in Hawaii.
http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/index.html
This is an educational, non-profit website.
| Text and illustrations by M.L. Alley-Crosby |
January 2007 |
