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Caesalpinia pulcherrima

‘Ōvai

Dwarf Poinciana

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Dwarf Poinciana, Peacock Flower, Barbados Pride, Paradise FLower, Barbados Flower Fence, Flamboyant Tree; German Pfauen-Strauch, Stolz von Barbados

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Ōvai (RR), ‘Ōva‘i (MG), Pī Tiare (MK); Other Polynesian - Lau Pā (SAM)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Caribbean

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; Land, lowlands

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental flowers

KEY FEATURES: Shrub to 3m. LEAVES compound, divided into stalklets (=pinnae); LEAFLETS 3-12 pairs, each to 3x1.5cm. FLOWERS long terminal clusters to 50cm; petals 3cm, scarlet to yellow; stamens long-protruding, to 7cm, red. FRUITS flat pods, to 11x2cm.

Enlarged Image of 'Caesalpinia pulcherrima'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+++	+	++	++	1?		-		-

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

Caesalpinia pulcherrima Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Poinciana pulcherrima

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Fabales (Legumes); CAESALPINIACEAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.432 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.548 Tropica
p.3/092 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.277 R* Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.55 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.416 Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

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