Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Balanophora wilderi

Rarotonga Balanophora

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Rarotonga Balanophora

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Cook Islands (Rarotonga)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Endemic of Cooks, 1-island; Land, mountains (+), parasite tree roots, c.300m; parasitic on Ficus

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Globally endangered (seriously)

KEY FEATURES: Parasitic herb on roots of Ficus, and possibly other trees. ROOTS (=rhizome) form an irregular lumpy mass, 5cmØ. FERTILE STEMS erect, to 7x1cm, with fleshy oblong leaves and terminal flower-knob (=spadix); FLOWERS unisexual, female below, male terminal; FEMALE minute; MALE larger than females, among thick bracts, petals 3-5, anthers fused with 8-13 pollen chambers.

Enlarged Image of 'Balanophora wilderi'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map View Distribution Map

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

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

Key to Symbols

Scientific Taxonomy

Balanophora wilderi Setchell 1931
SYNONYMS: Acroblastum wilderi (Setch.) Setch. 1935

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Santalales; BALANOPHORACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
BIODIVERSITY: Globally endangered (seriously). Comment: Known from very few collections at mid-elevation in inland Rarotonga.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen, ne Te Manga track c.300m in Homalium forest above massive waterfall, 8/1975, B.Sykes; specimen, upper Taipara, 8/1982, B.Sykes and E.Cameron; fieldspecimen+photo, track to Te Manga, above waterfall, c.1984, A.Grosse, photo GMcCormack.

References:
p.47 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03a, zupM03b, zD03a

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. Copy citation to system clipboard
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