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Dioscorea pentaphylla

Pirita

Finger-leaf Yam

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Image:	Leaves (1)	89KB
Image:	Leaves (2)	93KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Finger-leaf Yam, Fine-leaf Yam; German Yamswurzel

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pirita (RR), Mā‘ararau (MG), Pākatirau (AT), Pākatirau / Pākaiau (MK), Pakatīrau (MT); Other Polynesian - Pilita (SAM), Pirita (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Asia - Malesia; EXOTIC EXOTIC Melanesia - French Polynesia; Hawai‘i

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Polynesian, Naturalised; Land, lowlands - mountains (+++)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food (Root 0+) Outer

KEY FEATURES: High-climbing, slender vine. STEM round, slender, to 3mm, with scattered small tough prickles. LEAVES compound, to 13x15cm(LxW), leaflets 3-5 palmate. LEAFLETS oval, central largest to 130x50mm, tip drawn-out and sharp, base tapering and acute, pale green, stalklet very short, to 5mm.with

Enlarged Image of 'Dioscorea pentaphylla'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Dioscorea pentaphylla Linnaeus
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); LILIIDAE; Liliales; DIOSCOREACEAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.1437 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.230 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.1/169 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.299 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.31 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.390g Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.87 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM04a, zupB05a, zD05a

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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