The islands of the Pacific Ocean are some of the last areas on Earth to have been colonized by humans. In Polynesia, major archaeological questions remain as to the timing and order of colonizing voyages to the islands. This study uses the Polynesian-introduced plant Cordyline fruticosa (L.) Chev., better known as the Hawaiian "ti" plant, as a proxy for the study of events in Polynesian prehistory. Populations of ti plants from the entire Polynesian region will be screened for patterns of genetic variation. This information will be used to help reconstruct likely colonization scenarios of the Polynesian peoples. Morphological and reproductive differences in ti plants across Polynesia will be characterized to explore the possibility that sterile ti plants were selectively favorable because of the use of their rhizomes for food.
This research cuts across disciplines by applying botanical and genetic methods to an integrated study of biological and cultural history. These data, when compared with other genetic and linguistic studies, will help to build a more precise picture of patterns of human colonization in the region. Results will be of interest to indigenous peoples of Polynesia, botanists, archaeologists, and horticulturists who grow this plant as an ornamental.
