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Blechnum orientale

Moumea

Oriental Blechnum

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Image:	Fronds, and stalk detail	86KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Oriental Blechnum, Oriental Blechnum, Centipede Fern

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Moumea (RR AT), Moamoa (MG)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Asia - Australia - French Polynesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Land, lowlands - mountains (++++)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Material (Fibre) - formerly

KEY FEATURES: On the lower slopes of the Fernlands Moumea (Oriental Blechnum) is common. This fern, reaching to about 2.5 metres in height, has narrow “leaves” (pinnae) along each side of the upper frond-stalk (rhachis). It also has small but tough, reduced pinnae along the lower frond-stalk (stipe).

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: -
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

Blechnum orientale L.
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; PTERIDOPHYTA (=Pterophyta); Blechnales; BLECHNACEAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.22 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.166 Hortus 3rd
p.155 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.382a Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.92 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM04b, 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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