I know I go on and on about trees but I just love them. I got caught in a rain storm the other day and I ran under a tree for cover. The trunk looked and felt like it was covered with peeling skin. I brought some pieces home and Matt told me it was called a paperbark tree. I looked them up and they are actually named Melaleuca (a type of Myrtle) and they are endemic to Australia. According to Wikipedia "The softness and flexibility of the paperbark itself made it an extremely useful tree to Aboriginal people. It was used to line coolamons (a carrying vessel) when used as cradles, as a bandage, as a sleeping mat, and as material for building humpies (small temporary shelter). It was also used for wrapping food for cooking (in the same way aluminium foil is today), as a disposable raincoat, and for tamping holes in canoes."
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Paperbark
I know I go on and on about trees but I just love them. I got caught in a rain storm the other day and I ran under a tree for cover. The trunk looked and felt like it was covered with peeling skin. I brought some pieces home and Matt told me it was called a paperbark tree. I looked them up and they are actually named Melaleuca (a type of Myrtle) and they are endemic to Australia. According to Wikipedia "The softness and flexibility of the paperbark itself made it an extremely useful tree to Aboriginal people. It was used to line coolamons (a carrying vessel) when used as cradles, as a bandage, as a sleeping mat, and as material for building humpies (small temporary shelter). It was also used for wrapping food for cooking (in the same way aluminium foil is today), as a disposable raincoat, and for tamping holes in canoes."
