General Information

COMMON NAMES: Inkberry, Shoebutton Ardisia TRADITIONAL NAMES: Venevene Tinitō (RR), Vine Tinitō (MG); COMMENT: Venevene tinitō means "Chinese fruit", indicating that it was either introduced, or notably utilised, by the Chinese residents around the turn of the century. GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE India - se.Asia COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group (RR - very common, some Outer Islands); Land, lowlands - mountains (++++) (low elev.) SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food (Fruit 2+); Invasive - serious (Rarotonga), Weed - serious (Rarotonga) KEY FEATURES: Dense shrub to 4m. LEAVES alternate, narrow-oval, to 18x8cm, base tapering, tip obtuse, dull dark green. FLOWERS dense terminal clusters; 3cmØ; petals 5, pink, lance-like, recurved. FRUIT round, 1cmØ, ripening black, staining purple juice. SIMILAR SPECIES: None.

Cook Islands Distribution

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

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

Ardisia elliptica Thunb.
SYNONYMS: Ardisia humilis [sensu, incl. GW]; Ardisia solanacea; Ardisia squamulosa

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); DILLENIIDAE; Primulales; MYRSINACEAE

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Food (Fruit 2+). Comments: The name Venevene is used for several plants to indicate the presence of sweet fruits or nectar, in this case the fruits are the source of the name (Whistler 1990).
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Invasive - serious (Rarotonga), Weed - serious (Rarotonga). Comments: One of the major invasive shrubs within the native forests of Rarotonga, where it prevents natural regeneration of native species. In agriucltural areas it is a localised weed required heavy machinery to control.

GENERAL NOTE: The flowers somewhat resemble those in the Solanum family (e.g. Potato, Tomato, Deadly Nightshade) hence the scientific synonym: Ardisia solanacea.

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.932 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.665 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.101 Hortus 3rd
p.89 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.673 Tropica
p.86 R Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.412g Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.100 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM04b, zD02, zupD05a

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