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Cassytha filiformis

Tainoka

Cassytha

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Cassytha, Devil's Twine, Dodder Laurel

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tainoka (RR AT MK MT AK), Tītītai (MG), Tainoko (PL MH RK), Pala (TS), Para (TW), Kave / Kave Wetai (PK NS); Other Polynesian - Fatai (TON), Fetai / Vao Manoa (SAM)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE pantropical

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Land, coastal to mid-elevations

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine; Invasive - minor

KEY FEATURES: A parasitic vine.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
+++	++?	++?	++++	P	-

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

Cassytha filiformis Linnaeus
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); MAGNOLIIDAE; Laurales; LAURACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Invasive - minor. Comments: Mainly coastal, a minor invasive, parasitising and covering plants.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, widespread esp. near coast, ID GMcC.

References:
p.844 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.364 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.2/142 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.293 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.51 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.399a Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

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