AMBOINESE HERBAL Book VI. Chapter IV.

If they are rubbed with sand, they become very white and highly polished; they are frequently used by the local women for weaving shuttles. The substance of this reed is as thick as two knife-backs, but it is not as hard as the true Bulutuy The "Arrow-Reed" described in the previous chapter, which also does not produce such thick pipes.

If a small perch or stick is fashioned from this sharp reed and a Lory A colorful, often aggressive parrot is placed upon it—a bird known for its biting nature—it will dull its beak and claws against the wood so effectively that it can do little harm thereafter. Tobacco pipes are also fashioned from this reed, as are fishing rods and certain small sticks used to polish the insides of white rings made from sea shells. Furthermore, a type of javelin, commonly called a Caloway Caloway: A traditional spear or harpoon used in the Moluccas, is very common in the Molucca Islands; it is two and a half to three ells long An "ell" is a historical unit of length, roughly 27–45 inches and a finger thick. It tapers to a sharp point made of the same reed or another hard wood. This javelin is launched from another reed, as if from a ballista, not only directly at the enemy but also into the air, so that the falling weapons might strike perpendicularly those who have hidden behind bushes or rocks. They increase the lethality of these weapons by coating the tips with poisonous sap, or by binding to them a barbed bone taken from the tail of a stingray Latin: pastinaca marina; Dutch: Peilsteert, to which dried black mucus adheres, causing a painful wound due to the numerous recurved barbs.

The uppermost and largest leaves of this reed, being a hand-breadth wide, polished, and cleaned of their roughness, are used at feasts for cooking rice inside them.

Some relate the Tapile to the Bulu tuy, even though it is not at all hairy, but we have referred it above in the first chapter to the fourth species of Leleba A type of bamboo.

N. B. For these two chapters, as well as the following one, no Figures Illustrations were included in Rumphius's work, perhaps due to their great similarity to one another; these may therefore be supplemented by comparing the descriptions with the remaining Figures.

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CHAPTER FOUR.

Jar-Reed Tree. Bulu Java.

The inhabitants group the following three species into one peculiar genus, which constitutes the Indian Reed-Tree or Arborescent Reed, known by the general Amboinese name Terin or Telin. This is subdivided into three species: the first is the Common Terin, or Jar-Reed Tree Arundarbor vasaria: Literally "vessel-like tree-reed," so named because its segments are used as jars or containers; the second is Terin Kahuru, or Babuli, called the Rough Reed-Tree; the third is Terin Mayfele, Bulu fammet, or Bulu Gantang, which I call the Greatest Reed-Tree. We shall describe the latter two in the following chapter.

The Jar-Reed Tree, or Bulu Java, is a most elegant and polished reed, growing to the height of an average tree, namely fifty feet high; however, in Amboina it grows no higher than thirty-six feet, as it is exotic here and brought from elsewhere. Its internodes The sections between the joints are two to three feet long The Latin text erroneously says "pollices" (inches), but the Dutch correctly identifies them as "voeten" (feet), over a leg's thickness, grass-green, and smooth.

The substance of the wood itself is barely a pinky-finger thick. At the nodes, many thin shoots rise up on all sides, the largest of which is a fathom long and divided into joints. All of these are covered at their base with a wrinkled sheath and are bristly with sparse hairs, which gradually fall off along with the branches, leaving the reed smooth.

The leaves are clustered at the ends of the branches in great numbers and are of unequal size; the lower ones are the smallest, six to eight inches long and one inch wide; the upper ones are thirteen to fourteen inches long, and on the young shoots, seventeen inches long and one and a half to two inches wide, ending in short points. Furthermore, they are sharply and finely ribbed, thin, and sharp at the edges if rubbed backward. On the younger shrubs, they are slightly woolly underneath, but on the older ones, they are smooth.

The flowers and fruit are unknown to me thus far, as the plant is not permitted to grow to such an age here, though it undoubtedly produces them in other regions.

...very white and smooth, which the women there use much for shuttles in weaving: the substance of the reed is two knife-backs thick, but not as hard as the true Bulutuy, which also does not grow such thick pipes.

If one makes a tube or stick from this sharp reed and places a Lory on it, which is prone to biting, it grinds its beak and nails so blunt that it can do no great damage. They also make the pipes from it through which they smoke tobacco, fishing rods, and some small sticks with which they file smooth the inside of white rings made from certain sea shells, as well as another kind of throwing-spear, commonly called Caloway, very common in the Molucca Islands, two and a half and three ells long, and a finger thick, with a sharp point in front made of the same reed or other hard wood inserted there. They throw these out of another reed, as if from a tube, not only straight at the enemy but also into the air, so that falling from above, they might still hit those who perhaps stood hidden behind the brush or some rocks. They increase the malice of these arrows when they coat the tips with some poisonous juices, or bind to them the barbed bone from the tail of the fish called Stingray, where the black slime is dried on, which makes a painful wound because of the many barbs.

The frontmost and largest leaves, being a hand wide, scoured, and cleared of roughness, are used to cook rice in at some meals.

Among the Bulu tuy some count the Tapile, although nothing rough is on it, but we have brought it above in Chapter 1 to the fourth sort of Leleba.

N. B. With these two Chapters, as well as with the following, no Figures were added in the Work of Rumphius, possibly because of the too great likeness and agreement, which therefore can be supplemented from the description compared with the other Figures.

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IV. CHAPTER.

The Jar-Reed.

THE following three sorts are held by the Islanders to be a genus unto themselves, making up what one properly calls Indian tree-like reed, Arundarbor and Arundo arborescens, with a general name: in Amboinese Terin or Telin, subdivided into three sorts: 1. Terin the common, Jar-Reed Tree. 2. Terin Kahuru or Babuli, the rough reed-tree. 3. Terin mayfele, Bulu fammet, and Bulu gantang, the greatest reed-tree, of which we shall describe the last two in the following Chapter.

Jar-Reed Tree or Bulu Java, is the fairest in appearance and the smoothest of reeds, reaching the height of a medium tree, namely fifty feet high, though in Amboina it does not exceed thirty-six feet, because it is foreign here and brought from elsewhere. The segments are two and three feet long, over a leg thick, grass-green, and smooth.

The substance of the wood is barely a pinky thick; at the knees [nodes] stand many thin twigs all around, the longest a fathom long, and divided into small knees: all at the origin covered with a rough sheath, which have few of those prickly whiskers; when the branches fall off in time, they leave the reed smooth.

The leaves stand crowded together at the front of the branches, of unequal size; for the backmost are the smallest, six and seven inches long, one inch wide; the frontmost thirteen and fourteen, on the young sprouts seventeen inches long, one and a half and two inches wide, with short points: furthermore they are densely or finely ribbed, thin, and sharp at the edges if one strokes them backwards; on the young shrubs a little woolly underneath, on the old ones smooth.

The blossom and seed are yet unknown, because one seldom lets it become so old, which it nevertheless undoubtedly has in other lands.