The Economic Botany Collections at Kew house around 40 specimens
of bark cloth, a versatile material made from beaten tree bark,
once used widely in the Pacific Islands and Indonesia . Bark
cloth comes primarily from trees of the Moraceae family,
including Broussonetia papyrifera, Artocarpus altilis, and Ficus
spp. It is made by beating strips of the fibrous inner bark of
these trees into sheets, which are then finished into a variety
of items. The main use of bark cloth is for clothing. The
Collections at Kew illustrate the amazing ability of this beaten
tree bark to form soft and delicate items of apparel. Examples
include shawls, loincloths, headdresses, skirts, dresses,
shirts, and even a tight fitting jacket. Bark cloth has not just
been worn, however, but has also been used as a wrapping for the
deceased, a dowry, a room partition, and a mosquito screen. The
cloth has played an important role in the societies of the South
Pacific, being incorporated into folklore, religion, culture,
and ritual. It has b