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Bryophyllum pinnatum

Ngāngā‘ere Toka

Black-stem Airplant

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Black-stem Airplant, Life Plant, Live-leaf

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Ngāngā‘ere Toka (RR)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Africa or India

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised (vegetatively); S.Group - common; N.Group - uncommon; Land, lowlands

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental (Leaf/Flower); Invasive - moderate

KEY FEATURES: ERECT SUCCULENT HERB to 150cm. LEAVES opposite; upper leaves compound; 3-5 leaflets. LEAFLETS square-oval; margins purple, rounded teeth; plantlets in notches. FLOWERS stalked clusters; dangling, lantern-like, to 50mm; sepal-tube green flushed maroon, 4 sharp lobes; petal-tube greenish-yellow flushed maroon, 4 sharp lobes curved back.

Enlarged Image of 'Bryophyllum pinnatum'

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

Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.)
SYNONYMS: Kalanchoe pinnata; Bryophyllum calycinum [sensu TC]; Cotyledon pinnata;

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Rosales; CRASSULACEAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.568 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.376 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.622 Hortus 3rd
p.633 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.373 Tropica
p.3/036 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.279 R* Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.53 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.416 Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

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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