T. Heilbron 2012.Botanical relics of the plantations - osodresie

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(a) Relics of a historical tamarind lane on plantation Alliance, Commewijne 3.2 Detailed examples 3.2.1 Amerindian relics (b) Cactus relics in a hedge in a swamp forest on plantation Barbados, Commewijne Figure 5: Images of relics (c) Thick mango individuals and roots on plantation Berg en Dal, Brokopondo A collection of a bush pepper native to Suriname (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum) was made at the abandoned plantation Bent’s Hoop. The vernacular name ‘pepper of God’ was explained by a Javanese elderly woman who heard from her father that the pepper ‘cannot be planted by humans, only by God’. On the nearby abandoned plantation Kerkshove, Bixa orellana, used by Amerindians (and African slaves) for its red dye (Ostendorf, 1962), was found growing wild. 3.2.2 Cash crop relics Numerous cacao trees stand in the rainforest at the former plantation Montpellier, abandoned since 1840. Locals identified these trees as being from the plantation era and indicated the variety of the cacao as one formerly used, but not in recent times (although this could not be confirmed by the literature). A remnant of a cacao field was also found at plantation Berlijn. However, rather than a remnant of the plantation era, this was a remnant of a field established after the Second World War. After a few bad harvests, ownership changed and currently these plantations are in use for other agricultural practices such as cattle farming. Remnants of cacao and coffee fields were found on plantation Peperpot, where production stopped a few decades ago. 11
3.2.3 Plantation structure relics Tamarind trees in lanes were a common feature on plantations. Drinks from their fruits were a welcome refreshment by the plantation owners, as an early observer of the tree in Suriname mentioned in Herlein (1718). On the former plantation Alliance, a remnant of a lane is found in the village (Fig. 5a). Only trees on one side of the trail remain as the others were cut some decades ago to make place for a hangar. The tamarind tree collected on the abandoned plantation Johanna Charlotte was encountered in the interior of the plantation. There an ‘island’ inside a raised dam (15cm) was present in the swamp. In this ‘island’ shrubs and a few trees, among which the tamarind tree, but also Triphasia trifolia and Cereus hexagonus, were encountered. The individuals of Cereus hexagonus collected at the Warappa creek area were found standing in rows on small dams originating from the plantation era on several abandoned plantations (Fig. 5b). These hedges stand in coastal swamp vegetation, which has reclaimed large parts of the plantations, but according to the Flora of the Guianas normally this native columnar cactus is found ‘on sandy ridges near the coast and in savanna, on rock outcrops in the forest and savanna, also on riverbanks of granite’ (Leuenberger, 1997). Man-made cactus hedges are known from the Dutch Antilles, where the hedges were and often still are placed as a partition (Morton, 1967), and from other former colonies (Campbell, 1898; Duvall, 2009). No leads on any recent origin of these cactus hedges, nor historical maps depicting cacti hedges were found. Individuals in the open swamp tended to grow less high (1-4m), than individuals in the swamp forest (3-10m). Occasionally, Triphasia trifolia was encountered between Cereus individuals. Triphasia trifolia is a plant indigenous to Southeast Asia, often used for hedges (Swingle & Reece, 1943). It is still used as a hedge and can be found at the presidential palace in Paramaribo. The co-occurrence of those two species further supports that they have been used as hedges in the past. On plantation Berlijn, a number of Erythrina fusca individuals were found amidst an abandoned cacao field. The tree was used on plantations as a shade tree for juvenile cacao and coffee plants, also reflected in the vernacular name ‘kofimama’. This species is often encountered and is one of the most widely known botanical relics. 3.2.4 Plantation owner garden relics Mangifera indica trees were encountered on several plantations, that have been urbanized or abandoned. On plantation Berg en Dal, several thick trees (DBH 460cm, height 12m) with extensive root systems stood between original slave houses and a plantation owner’s house (Fig. 5c). According to one informant, the fact that the trees’ root system was visible due to erosion was an indication of old age (Fig. 5c). Mango trees are still common in the yards in Paramaribo, where also large individuals can be encountered. 3.2.5 Slave garden relics The Senegal date palm Phoenix reclinata, native to Africa, was probably introduced in Suriname as food on slave ships. Juveniles and adults were frequently found on the coastal plantations 12
Page 1 and 2: Botanical Relics of the Plantations
Page 3 and 4: Contents 1 Introduction 3 1.1 Plant
Page 5 and 6: small but prospering colony (Wolber
Page 7 and 8: The potential contribution of the s
Page 9 and 10: Figure 3: Fieldwork locations lier
Page 11: solely in cultivation. Plants origi
Page 15 and 16: (a) Fruit of ‘loweman bakba’ co
Page 17 and 18: sibility, especially on plantations
Page 19 and 20: of the banana in some maroon villag
Page 21 and 22: Emmer, P.C. 1993. Between Slavery a
Page 23 and 24: Schiebinger, L.L. 2004. Plants and
Page 25 and 26: A List of the collected species Col

T. Heilbron 2012.Botanical relics of the plantations - osodresie

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