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Microsorum punctatum

Kota‘a Manga (MK)

Fishtail Strap-Fern

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Fishtail Strap-Fern, Climbing Bird's-nest Fern

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kota‘a Manga (MK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Africa - se.Asia - ??, s. to Australia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; Land, gardens

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental fern

KEY FEATURES: An erect, single-bladed fern to 1m. BLADE simple and straplike, 100x8cm. Variety 'Grandiceps' with tip twice divided into lobes, somewhat like fishtails.

Enlarged Image of 'Microsorum punctatum'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++		+	+				-	-

Northern Group: Present?
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Microsorum punctatum
SYNONYMS: Microsorium punctatum 'Grandiceps'; Polypodium punctatum; Microsorium polycarpon

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; PTERIDOPHYTA (=Pterophyta); Polypodiales; POLYPODIACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: The parent type is not present in the Cook Islands, only the variety with the subdivided tip.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.27 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.898 Hortus 3rd
p.747 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.447 Tropica

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03b, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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