Abstract

The article describes the history and biology of the paper mulberry, as well as its relationship to human history in its original habitat in Asia and later in the Pacific, where it was subsequently introduced. Originally used to make fabrics or papers of higher quality than hand threshing, the paper mulberry was introduced by man to the Pacific several millennia ago during the migration of the Austronesians, for whom it constitutes a cultural landmark, who used its inner bark to make cloth. This chapter summarizes the botanical characteristics of this important plant species and refers to the results of recent genetic studies that help to understand the relationships in the Pacific between its original habitats and where it was introduced. The article summarizes ethnobotanical data of the mulberry varieties that we find in the different islands and compares them with the observations of the first European travelers and explorers in relation to the cultivation and use of this tree in the various archipelagos of the Pacific.