Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Cycas seemannii

Queen Sago-palm

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Palm showing trunk and leaves	74KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Queen Sago-palm, Sago Palm, Cycad; German Eingerollter Palmfarn

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Vanuatu - Fiji - Tonga; s.to New Caledonia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; S.Group (uncommon to rare); N.Group - rare; Land, lowlands, gardens

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental leaves; Poisonous to eat fruit - serious

KEY FEATURES: A cycad to 4m tall. LEAVES to 2m, deep green, and semi-glossy.

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
+	-	-	-	-	-

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

Cycas seemannii
SYNONYMS: Cycas circinalis [sensu authors, now considered an Indian endemic]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; CYCADOPHYTA; CYCADACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: Natural habitat on coral sands and limestone formations. One of the most sacred plants of Vanuatu where its starchy pith provides flour, and images carved of its trunk delimit sacred areas and are symbols at funerals. It is on the Vanuatu coat-of-arms. In Fiji the fruits were formerly reserved for chiefs.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.29 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.387 Tropica

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.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List