The National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) is a research center for ethnology and cultural anthropology.

Senri Ethnological Studies (SES)

No. 88 On the Trail of Taro An Exploration of Natural and Cultural History

March 28, 2014 Publication

Peter J. Matthews

back numbers
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of Figures
List of Tables

PART 1
FINDING THE TRAIL

Chapter One   Introduction (Some Help From the Ancestors)
Chapter Two   Notice to Archaeologists Recording Taro Sites
Chapter Three   Taro in the Bay of Islands

PART 2
COLOCASIA ESCULENTA IN NEW ZEALAND: NGA TARO O AOTEAROA

Chapter Four   New Zealand Historical Context and Present Aims
Chapter Five   Taxonomy and General Observations
Chapter Six   Cytology
Chapter Seven   Distribution
Chapter Eight   Historical Implications and Future Research

PART 3
THE ORIGINS, DISPERSAL, AND DOMESTICATION OF TARO

Chapter Nine   Taro in Prehistory
Chapter Ten   General Materials and Methods
Chapter Eleven   Preliminary Trials of Methods for Analysing Variation
Chapter Twelve   The Nor-Locus Ribosomal DNA Repeat Unit of C. esculenta
Chapter Thirteen   C. esculenta (Taro) as Homogeneous Taxon
Chapter Fourteen   Nor-Locus rDNA Variation in C. esculenta
Chapter Fifteen   Origins and Antiquity of Diploid Taro in Australia and New Guinea, and Triploid Taro in Asia
Chapter Sixteen   Origins, Dispersal, and Domestication

PART 4
NATURAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY

Chapter Seventeen   General Trends in Taro Research
Chapter Eighteen   Historical Themes
References

APPENDICES

1. Early correspondence
2. New Zealand taro site records
3. Auckland Taro Collection
4. Specimens of Colocasia in New Zealand herbaria
5. Leaf sample sites and descriptions
6. Leaf morphology
7. Aweu, a wild taro in Hawai'i
8. Flowering in New Zealand and Hawai'i
9. Māori naming of taro
10. Cytology
11. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase
12. Earliest European description of taro in Queensland, Australia
13. Specimens of Colocasia spp. seen in European Herbaria
14. Poorly defined and poorly known species of Colocasia
15. Canberra Taro Collection
16. Records of wild taro in Papua New Guinea, 1936 to 1985
17. Records of wild taro in Australia, 1770 to 1989
18. R. Tucker correspondence
19. Frequently used stock solutions
20. General survey of rDNA variation in taro
21. Sampling protocol for wild taro survey
22. Field guide for wild-type taro, C. esculenta (L.) Schott
23. Two taros from Japan: Ishikawa-wase and Tonoimo
INDEX