Austral English / A dictionary of Australasian words, phrases and usages with those aboriginal-Australian and Maori words which have become incorporated in the language, and the commoner scientific words that have had their origin in Australasia

by Edward Ellis Morris

Noisy P.—
<i>P. strepitans</i>, Temm.

Rainbow P.—
<i>P. iris</i>, Gould.

1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. iv. pl. 1:

"<i>Pitta strepitans</i>, Temm., Noisy Pitta. There are also Rainbow Pitta, Pitta iris, and Vigor's Pitta, <i>P. Macklotii</i>.

1869. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia' (Supplement):

"<i>Pitta Macklotii</i>, Mull. and Schleg."

<hw>Pittosporum</hw>, <i>n</i>. a genus of plants so called from the viscous pulp which envelops the seeds. (Grk. <i>pitta</i>, pitch, and <i>sporos</i>, seed.) There are about fifty species, which are found in Africa and Asia, but chiefly in Australasia. They are handsome evergreen shrubs, and some grow to a great height; the white flowers, being very fragrant, have been sometimes likened to orangeblossoms, and the rich evergreen leaves obtain for some of them the name of Laurels. They are widely cultivated in the suburbs of cities as ornamental hedges. See <i>Mock-Orange</i>, <i>Hedge-Laurel</i>, <i>Native Laurel</i>, etc.

<hw>Pituri</hw>, or <hw>Pitchery</hw>, <i>n</i>. Native name for <i>Duboisia hopwoodii</i>, F. v. M., a shrub growing in the sand-hills of certain districts of Queensland, New South Wales, and Central Australia. The leaves are chewed as a narcotic by the natives of many parts, and form a valuable commodity of barter. In some parts of Central Australia the leaf is not chewed, but is only used for the purpose of making a decoction which has the power of stupefying emus, which under its influence are easily captured by the natives. Other spellings are <i>Pitchiri</i>, <i>Pedgery</i>, and <i>Bedgery</i>. Perhaps from <i>betcheri</i>, another form of <i>boodjerrie</i>, good, expressing the excellent qualities of the plant. Compare <i>Budgerigar</i>.

1863. `Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land,' April, p. 1:

"`Pitcherry,' a narcotic plant brought by King, the explorer, from the interior of Australia, where it is used by the natives to produce intoxication. . . . In appearance it resembled the stem and leaves of a small plant partly rubbed into a coarse powder. . . . On one occasion Mr. King swallowed a small pinch of the powder, and described its effects as being almost identical with those produced by a large quantity of spirits."