General Information

COMMON NAMES: Polynesian Wax Gourd TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Ua Roro (RR); Other Polynesian - Melo (SAM); COMMENT: ‘Ua Roro (Savage p.428) meaning egg of the coconut flower-cluster. Although Samoa/Tonga Lolo (cognate of Roro) means "coconut oil". , literally "egg of the coconut flowee-cluster", is recorded in the Savage dictionary (p.428). The ancient Tahitian Hue ‘Aroro means "vine, coconut oil". Both names give a reasonable description of the plant. GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE se.Asia - Indonesia; EXOTIC EXOTIC ancient South Pacific to Marquesas COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Polynesian, Naturalised; S.Group only (RR & MG - rare); Land, lowlands - valley floors SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Nationally endangered (seriously)Formerly container for oil KEY FEATURES: Annual bristly vine with 2-3-parted tendrils. STEM 5-sided, covered with sharp bristles. TENDRILS split at 3cm into 2-3, each to 15cm. LEAVES alternate, heart-shaped with 5 lobes, to 24x22cm, with bristles; edge scollaped into teeth; stalk to 20cm with sharp bristles. FLOWERS solitary, sexes separate, yellow, ~flat-faced; petals 5 oval; Male to 7cmØ, 3 stamens 1cm long; Female to 8cmØ style dividing into 3. FRUIT spherical, to 8cmØ, hairy when young, ripens dark green with a white wax, outer layer hard. SIMILAR SPECIES: Parent species has fruits round or oblong, large to 35cmØ (vs. 8cm), soft walled (vs hard walled), and larger seeds to 15mm (vs. to 10mm). Common names include: Ash Gourd, Chinese Preserving Melon, Chinese Pickling Melon, Chinese Water Melon, Tallow Gourd, Tunka, White Gourd, Zit-kwa.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Benincasa hispida var. pruriens
SYNONYMS: Benincasa cerifera; Benincasa hispida var. pruriens [Polynesian Wax Gourd]; Cucurbita hispida

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); DILLENIIDAE; Violales; CUCURBITACEAE

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
BIODIVERSITY: Nationally endangered (seriously). Comment: Formerly cultivated. A few plants growing in the inland lowland of Mangaia recorded by Alan Tuara (2000). Numerous plants in Matavera Valley recorded by GMcC (8/2001).
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Formerly container for oil. Comments: ‘Ua Roro (Savage p.428) meaning egg of the coconut flower-cluster. Although Samoa/Tonga Lolo (cognate of Roro) means "coconut oil". , literally "egg of the coconut flowee-cluster", is recorded in the Savage dictionary (p.428). The ancient Tahitian Hue ‘Aroro means "vine, coconut oil". Both names give a reasonable description of the plant.

GENERAL NOTE: The Wax Gourd of Asia is now cultivated throughout the tropical world. It produced a large round or oblong, wax-covered, fruit used as a vegetable. In contrast the Polynesian Wax Gourd has a small, round, hard-shelled fruit. It was presumably cultivated by the early Polyneisans and it was used to store coconut oil in Samoa, Tonga, Society Islands and probably the Cook Islands. In Tonga it was called Fangu and used to store scented coconut oil. In Tahiti it was known as Hue ‘Aroro and it was used to store "sweet scented oils" (Davis 1851). In the Cook Islands Savage recorded Ua Roro, literally "egg of the coconut flowers" for a gourd used as a water bootle - in the use he was probably mistaken. Although Raro in Eastern Polynesian now means coconut-flowers, it probably came from Samoa/Tonga Lolo meaning coconut-oil.

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimens+photos, Matavera Valley, 2000, ID GMcC. Mangaia: specimen+photo, Allan Tuara 9/2000, ID GMcC

References:
Special Reference: Art Whistler (1990, Pac. Sci. 44(2):115-122)

p.811 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.155 Hortus 3rd
p.140 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.383 Tropica
p.2/676 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.410c Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM05a, zD02

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