Solomon Islands botanical index cards, 1971-1974, 1982 [microform].

[1971-1982]

3 microfilm reels ; 35 mm.

Margaret Tedder was born in Maryborough, Queensland in 1925 and educated at local schools and, for one year, at Sommerville, Brisbane. She worked as a bank clerk and private tutor on a cattle property and studied briefly at the University of Queensland. She lived in the Solomon Islands with her husband James Tedder from 1952-1974. During the final years of her residence there Margaret toured the bush carrying out research on plants used by the Islanders for medicinal and other purposes. Most of her plant identifications were made in the now defunct Forest Herbarium where she also lodged duplicates of plants. These specimens may now (2011) be held in the University of the South Pacific Herbarium, Suva. On retirement to Australia in 1975, Margaret completed a Bachelors degree at the University of Adelaide majoring in anthropology and Pacific history.

Index cards on medicinal and other useful plants in the Solomon Islands, A-Z, arranged by plant family. The cards record name, family, habitat, constituents, therapeutic activity, local names, sources of information, preparation and use, regions reporting use, and, other locations reporting use. They are coded as Dx = diagnostic and Rx = pharmaceutical ("recipe"). Margaret Tedder undertook some comparative follow-up research in New South Wales in 1982 which is marked on some of the cards. Additional documents include, Plant uses, arranged by family A-Z; and, excerpts from index cards arranged by plant use. Most of the information was obtained from Central and Makira/Ulawa Province. Most of the plant vernacular provided is not placed into a specific language group or dialect. The main language groups include Temotu, Malaita-San Cristobal, Gela-Guadalcanal and New Georgia. There is also a list of informats and the codes for index cards.

Books / Microforms

English

May 14, 2012

Australian National University. Pacific Manuscripts Bureau.