Tapa cloth is obtained from the plants ofwhich one of the following family?

1. A

   Asclepiadaceae

   (a) Asclepiadaceae. Milkweed family yields latex and some fibres, not Polynesian tapa bark-cloth.

2. B

   Moraceae

   (b) Moraceae. Tapa (kapa, siapo) is beaten bark-cloth, classically from paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) and other Moraceae figs. That family is the official key.

3. C

   Graminae

   (c) Graminae. The grass family gives cereals and bamboo, not tapa.

4. D

   Malvaceae

   (d) Malvaceae. Cotton and hibiscus are Malvaceae; cotton cloth is spun fibre, not beaten tapa.

Summary. Official key is (b) Moraceae. Tapa is Pacific bark-cloth from mulberry and fig inner bark. Moraceae also includes Ficus and Artocarpus (breadfruit), sometimes used for similar cloth. Grasses, mallows and milkweeds are the wrong families. Neighbouring exam fibre: jute is Tiliaceae/Malvaceae s.l., cotton is Gossypium (Malvaceae).