Sojourning Seeds

A stranded drifter

How long were you lost at sea

Sea bean on the sand

Sea beans are seeds or fruits that wash into the sea, drift for some time and then get washed ashore. They are also called drift seeds or beans. There are a handful of different kinds that you can find on Saipan that usually wash up on the eastern beaches. I am still trying to figure our if it is sustainable to include see beans for my project. The above picture is that of a kukui nut (Aleurites moluccana) which I originally thought drifted from Hawaii. I've been finding quite a bit of them lately.

SEA HEARTS (OR MONKEY LADDER BEANS)
The sea heart (Entada gigas) is a well known sea bean because of its curious shape, big size, and high polish. The ones I've found are dark brown and have a very hard covering making them appear like wood carved hearts. Sea heart vines are lianas (woody, long-stemmed and rooted on the ground). Parts of the thick vines grow ribbon-like and this prompted the common name, monkey ladder vine. I haven't seen these vines growing on Saipan. It would be interesting to find since they own the record for bearing the largest seed pods (over 5 ft. or 1.5m).
Another monkey ladder vine is the snuff box bean (E. rheedii) since the hard seed covering was used as snuff boxes. In Chamorro it is called, bayogon dankulo (kneecap, big) and the seeds are reddish brown, almost rectangular in shape and are supposedly poisonous. The leaves and stems are used in traditional medicine. Its synonym is E. pursaetha and another common name is the African dream herb since its leaves are dried and smoked there supposedly to induce vivid dreams.

LITTLE MARBLES
I do not have a lot of information about this beautiful marble-like seed. They are also called glass eye vine (Oxyrhynchus volubilis). I usually find them covered in a beige, corky layer that need to be scrapped off to reveal the shiny black to dark brown seeds.

SEA PURSES
The sea purses we mostly see here are Dioclea wilsonii. They somewhat resemble our local bayogo (Mucuna gigantea) but are generally bigger and the hilum (where the seed attached to the seed pod) has a bright yellow border.

Does it look like a tiny purse? See the yellow border of the hilum?
Most sea purses I've found are reddish brown but this one (my favorite amongst) is mottled in color. I still need to clean this one up since it had goose barnacles (Lepas sp.) attached to it (white specks).

BURNEY BEAN
Burney in Old English means "island brook". We know these seeds locally as bayogon dikike (pronounce the y sound as a z) which literally means "knee cap small". Most of the ones I've collected are from the vine. They range in color from light to dark brown or mottled with black like the ones below. These seeds are the basis of the bayogo (bojobo) doll industry, seed leis and are extensively collected in the Mariana Islands. Like bayogon dankulu it is used in traditional medicine. Scientifically it is called Mucuna gigantea and like most of its family members, their seed pods have stinging hairs (trichomes) so you have to be careful collecting them. More on this on another post!
BROWN HAMBURGER BEAN
Hamburger beans (Mucuna sloanei) are a joy to find washed up on the beach. They are smaller in diameter and rounder than sea purses. The surface of the seed is polished but rough and the hilum is thick and dark.
Does this really look like a hamburger?
CANDLENUT
I was first made familiar with the kukui or candlenut (Aleurites molucanna) out of Hawaii's seed leis so I thought these were mainly from Polynesia. I now know that they are native in Asia and they even grow as close to us as Pohnpei. Maybe that's why they are pretty common drift seeds here. They polish quite nicely and I may have enough to put together for an authentic seed lei. Problem is if the seed inside is rotten, it is oily and pretty stinky so I will have to find a way to remedy those two problems. I haven't had much luck locating trees on Guam nor here on Saipan.
That's a nice shine! The seeds really take a good polish. Also, the oil inside the seed really does burn like a candle.

MARY'S or CRUCIFIX BEAN

Finding Mary's bean (Merremia discoidesperma) this past weekend was quite a surprise! This drift bean holds the record of having the longest drift of 15,000 miles (24,000 km). Sure other sea beans can stay buoyant longer potentially drifting father, but where they originally came from is hard to determine. Mary's bean has a limited range growing only in Mexico and Central America though.

Mary's bean has been found as far up north as Norway. If the record distance was set by beans found in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (Bikini and Wotho Atolls) then we may have a record breaker in our hands! Old Man by the Sea, Saipan, CNMI is farther than the RMI!
Because of the cross-like indentation on the "top" side of the bean, it has religious significance to some people. It is named after Mary, the mother of Christ and is also known as the Crucifixion or Crucifix bean. It is supposed to be good luck to carry one and women in labor carry them to ease the pain. Some of these are heirlooms being passed from one generation to the next.This is the record breaker's "bottom" showing the hilum, the scar where it once attached to its fruit.
GRAY NICKARBEANS OR NICKARNUTS

I love the unique look of the Gray nickarbeans (Caelsalpinia bonduc). They look like small gray eggs with parallel fracture lines. Nicker is a Jamaican word that came from the Dutch knickker, a baked clay marble. The Chamorros however locally call them, pakao. They are used in traditional medicine. Incidentally, bonduc came from the Tagalog word for mountain, bundok. Boondocks is also a Western derivative that means backwoods or out of way place.

I finally found some Gray nickarbean vines. They are pretty spiny which led to another common name, wait-a-bit vine. I am going to have to return to the spot see when they flower and bear fruits.
SCREWPINE
These aren't seed but are part of the woody part of the screwpine (Pandanus tectorius) fruit. I've used screwpine leaves for cordage but these specimens are so pretty that it looks easy to craft them into things. These are lightly sanded and once coated with tung oil. My BFF, Laurina, thinks they look kind of spooky because the holes look like the eyes and mouth of the grim reaper. I don't see it but do you?
This one is probably from a different Pandanus species that I've yet to identify. It's probably not from here since we really only have 2 species locally. It is pretty nonetheless!
I have found other interesting drift seeds and sea beans to share later. I finally identified a pretty weird looking black seed that felt and looked like a plastic ball. It turned out to be palm nuts from a species of prickly palm trees (Acrocomia mexicana) that grown in South America and West Indies. I didn't have any picture so I will have to share later.Hope you liked my stories. Check this and this which are other sites that are chock full of information on sea beans and drift seeds.

Ti napu.

The Beachcomber

P.S. I misidentified the Little marbles and you can read about their true identity here.

Green Gecko?

I found this little thing in the office today. Do we have green geckos on Saipan? I am not sure what this little one is all about.She's (gender assuming) was really timid and tiny.
I had to contain her for a little while so that I can check it out much closer without it running away. Can you see the orange outline of its tail?
Its color reminded me somewhat of the Gold dust day geckos that I've seen in Hawaii. She looks a little yellow now next to the green grass.
It is some type of house gecko I am going to guess. She scampered from the grass to the concrete wall fairly quickly after she was released.
I've got to figure out if that color is typical or if this is something new.

Ti napu.

The Beachcomber

Celebrate the Mango!

This post is all about mangoes on Saipan. This year's season is coming to an end, and I am sure that I am not the only one who will miss the fruit that is noted to be the most celebrated of all tropical fruits. This is my attempt in describing the different varieties that you can find in the CNMI.

Mango trees start flowering in January and February.Thousands of small, yellowish or reddish flowers are produced by a single tree in very showy, pyramid-like branched clusters that are about 6-40 cm (2.5 to 15.5 in ) in length. The flowers are supposedly 25% to 98% male, the are rest hermaphroditic, or having both male and female parts.
Most flowers start showing evidence of fruiting in February. I've heard people complaining for many months now of how dry it has been on Saipan and how we badly needed some rain. Mangoes however prefer dry weather in order for them to produce lots of fruits since rain washes away their pollen. It is said that they rely on some self-pollination to produce fruit, but rely more on insects such as flies, ants, wasps, butterflies, moths, beetles, and various bugs that seek the tiny flower's nectar. If we had anymore fanihi (fruit bats) then they would be excellent pollinators as well. Surprisingly, honeybees are not the best pollinators in this case!
By March, green mangoes are ready for harvest! People enjoy eating green mangoes because they are tart. They are also good for pickling. The locals adopted the word koko for pickled fruits or vegetables, from the Japanese, tsukemono. They usually artificially color mango koko with yellow or red food coloring. Green mangoes are also good for smoothies and Indian chutney. A good reason to eat them that way is for the high concentrations of Vitamin C.
In the Philippines, we like to eat our raw mangoes with shrimp fry paste or bagoong alamang to give it that salty-sour combination. On Saipan, the condiment concoction that is most popular for unripe mangoes is a mix of KoolAid punch powder, MSG (monosodium glutemate) or table salt (sodium chloride), and a type of pepper (fresh chilies or a chili sauce). The locals simply call this concoction "salt" mixing the sour taste of the mangoes with a mix of sweet, salty and spicy.It is a pretty tasty way to eat mangoes but it is not the healthiest as you can imagine!I actually sometimes prefer eating a mango this way just when it is starting to ripen so that the flesh is turning yellow, tastes between sweet and sour, and still firm. The locals call this stage, to'a literally meaning "ready for picking" or "mature".

Mangoes and Their Varieties
Mangoes are native to southern Asia mostly originating from eastern India, Burma, and the Andaman Islands. The name mango is derived from the Tamil word mangkay or man-gay. In India, there are over 500 named varieties (some say 1,000) that have evolved. Of course there is the chance that there are duplicates that were differently named, but there are at least 350 varieties that are commercially propagated. There are many different variations in the size, form, color and quality of the fruits. They may be shaped nearly round, oval, ovoid or kidney-like and lop sided. The following are some of the varieties I've sampled this year:

"Saipan" or Local Mango
These are the most common mangoes around. They tend to be slightly tangy and the flesh a bit stringy or fibrous. This type can be ripe and have skin color from green to pale yellow to orange and some have a bright red blush.The flesh is usually bright to slightly orange in color.

These are considered "Saipan" or Local as well, even though they did not have the reddish blush and maintained a green to yellowish skin color when ripe. Here is the bright yellow flesh with medium stringiness. I like the taste since it is a bit tart.The locals say that a Saipan Mango that has either rough skin (from being attacked by insects) or blackened skin is usually the sweetest pick of this kind.

The best "Saipan" or Local mangoes reputedly come from Tanapag and San Roque. At the height of the mango season, look for roadside vendors selling them by the baskets. Yum!

Carabao Mango
This is one of my favorites on island since the sugary flesh just seem to melt in your mouth. It is not as stringy as the "Saipan" mango and is shaped more ovoid. The skin does not turn yellow and has a juicy sweet aroma.

I am pretty sure that it is the same variety as the ones I had growing up called Kalabaw, the Tagalog word for carabao (water buffalo), but I am not sure what the difference is from the highly praised and heavily imported Philippine Super Mango. The Super Mango is yellow when ripe, not as ovoid, and almost has a "beak" in the terminal end. I do not think you'd come across any Filipino who would not laud this as the "best" and their favorite. I can't say the same though since I have not tasted close to all the different varieties from different localities. The Super Mango does seem to have a perfect blend of sweetness and tartness, and is almost fiber-free. The Carabao in the Philippines constitutes 66% of crop production.

Pico Mango
This is another popular Philippine variety like the Carabao. It is just as sugary sweet but a little more tart than the Carabao and a bit more fibrous. They say you can distinguish a Pico from other mangoes by the pronounced "beak" at the terminal end. The Picoalmost has the same shape as the Super Mango . In the Philippines, Pico represents 26% of mango crops produced.

Haden Mango

This is a well-known and popular variety. It is pretty funny that we get these imported from the States (either Hawai'i or Florida I think). Most of the time, we get them in between ripe and raw or to'a. It is a sweet variety, not so stringy and very attractive since it is round, bulbous, heavy and has an attractive blush.

Here's a more elongated sample of a Haden mango. I've heard some people call this variety "Apple" mango.

In the late 1800s, seeds of a good quality producing 'Bombay' mango from India of the ‘Mulgoa’ variety were brought from Key West and later to Cuba and Puerto Rico. A Miami-based Captain John Haden obtained seeds from these trees and planted them in Florida. The trees produced fruits years after his death and his widow named the best producing tree after him. It became the standard of excellence locally for many decades later and was very popular for export because of its tough skin. In Hawaii today, the Haden mango represents 90% of all commercial production almost 80 years after the arrival of the variety to their islands.

"Hawaiian" or "Indian" Mango
These samples were given to us with the name, Hawai'ian mango. They look like a small type of what we called "Indian" mangoes in the Philippines that I was familiar with while I was growing up. Their shape is a bit rounded or compressed. I remember that I liked eating these raw or to'a better than fully ripe.

The skin ripens to a light green to yellow color. This variety has a very strong turpentine-like smell and aftertaste making it unpalatable to some. I like eating it cold straight from the fridge since it takes away some of the aftertaste.

Panama Mango
The Panama mango has an almost orange-yellow pulp that is sugary-sweet, juicy and is very fibrous. One of my favorites varieties, it is quite elongated and flattened compared to the other varieties of mangoes found here on island.

Well, I hope you got to enjoy lots of mangoes on Saipan this season. We will have to wait another year for them to come back, or if you cannot wait, our sister Deece has made some terrific mango jam that you can enjoy off-season. Check out her blog or Expressions at the bottom of Capitol Hill. Thank you for talking stories with me once again.

Ti napu.

The Beachcomber

Want to read more? Check out the California Rare Fruit Growers and Julia Morton's famous Fruits of Warm Climates.