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Dieffenbachia maculata

Spotted Dumb-cane

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Spotted Dumb-cane, Dieffenbachia, Dumb-plant

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE tropical Americas, n.Brazil. ?Widely cultivated.

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

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental leaves; Poisonous to eat - serious

KEY FEATURES: Erect herb with large leaves. STEM stout, fleshy. LEAVES oblong, to 25x15cm, edge smooth; dark green, usually heavily blotched-&-spotted light green, cream or white, ±white midrib/veins; leaf-base ±winged.

Enlarged Image of 'Dieffenbachia maculata'

Cook Islands Distribution

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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

Dieffenbachia maculata (Loddiges)
SYNONYMS: Caladium maculata; Arum maculata; Dieffenbachia picta

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); ARECIDAE; Arales; ARACEAE. COMMENT: Probably includes $Dieffenbachia sequine@.

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: One or more species when chewed are said to swell the tongue and other memberanes to cause loss of speech for several days, hence the name Dumb-cane. Most Dumb-canes are varieties of the present species, although other species may be present.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: Hinano's Garden (GMc98).

References:
Special Reference: Neal: In Gardens of Hawaii. Bishop Museum Press (1965). p150-151-152: Key to species of $Dieffenbachia@.

p.151? Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.384 Hortus 3rd
p.368 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.106 Tropica
p.1/452 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova

Data Update History (information):
zB02, 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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