or Pitchery
Native name for Duboisia hopwoodii, F. v. M., a shrub growing in thesand-hills of certain districts of Queensland, New South Wales,and Central Australia. The leaves are chewed as a narcotic bythe natives of many parts, and form a valuable commodity ofbarter. In some parts of Central Australia the leaf is notchewed, but is only used for the purpose of making a decoctionwhich has the power of stupefying emus, which under itsinfluence are easily captured by the natives. Other spellingsare Pitchiri, Pedgery, and Bedgery.Perhaps from betcheri, another form of boodjerrie, good, expressing the excellent qualitiesof the plant. Compare Budgerigar.
1863. `Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen'sLand,' April, p. 1:
«`Pitcherry,' a narcotic plant brought by King, the explorer,from the interior of Australia, where it is used by the nativesto produce intoxication. . . . In appearance it resembled thestem and leaves of a small plant partly rubbed into a coarsepowder. . . . On one occasion Mr. King swallowed a small pinchof the powder, and described its effects as being almostidentical with those produced by a large quantity of spirits.»
1883. F. M. Bailey,' Synopsis of Queensland Flora,' p. 350:
«Pitury of the natives. The leaves are used by the natives ofCentral Australia to poison emus, and is chewed by the nativesas the white man does the tobacco.»
1883. G. W. Rusden, `History of Australia,' vol. i.p. 101:
«In one part of Central Australia the leaves and twigs of ashrub called pidgery by the natives are dried and preserved inclosely woven bags. . . . A small quantity has an exhilaratingeffect, and pidgery was highly prized.»
1890. C. Lumholtz, `Among Cannibals,' p. 49:
«The leaves contain a stimulant, which possesses qualitiessimilar to those of tobacco and opium, and are chewed byseveral tribes in the interior of Australia. Pituri is highlyvalued as a stimulant, and is taken for barter far and wide.»
1890. A. S. Vogan, `Black Police,' p. 94:
«One of the virtues that the native drug Pitchurie is supposedto possess when used by the old men is the opening up of thispast life, giving them the power and perquisites of seers.»
1893. Mr. Purcell, `Lecture before Geographical Society,Sydney,' Jan.:
«Mr. Purcell had travelled over nearly the whole of Queensland,and had only seen the plant growing in a very limited area westof the Mullyan River, 138th meridian of east long., and on theranges between the 23rd and 24th parallel of south latitude.He had often questioned the Darling blacks about it, and theyalways replied by pointing towards the north west. The blacksnever, if they could possibly help it, allowed white men to seethe plant. He himself had not been allowed to see it until hehad been initiated into some of the peculiar rites of theaborigines. Mr. Purcell showed what he called the pitcheryletter, which consisted of a piece of wood covered withcabalistic marks. This letter was given to a pitcheryambassador, and was to signify that he was going to thepitchery country, and must bring back the amount of pitcheryindicated on the stick. The talisman was a sure passport, andwherever he went no man molested the bearer. This pitchery wasby no means plentiful. It grew in small clumps on the top ofsandy ridges, and would not grow on the richer soil beneath.This convinced him that it never grew in any other country thanAustralia. The plant was cooked by being placed in anexcavation in which a fire had been burning. It then becamelight and ready for transport. As to its use in the form ofsnuff, it was an excellent remedy for headaches, and chewed itstopped all craving for food. It had been used with success inviolent cases of neuralgia, and in asthma also it had provedvery successful. With regard to its sustaining properties,Mr. Purcell mentioned the case of a blackboy who had travelled120 miles in two days, with no other sustenance than a chew ofpitchery.»