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Ficus prolixa

Ava

Pacific Banyan

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Image:	Tree, leaves and fruit	70KB
Image:	Leaves, fruit and tree	94KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Pacific Banyan, Banyan

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Ava (RR AT MK MT AK), Āoa (MG); Other Polynesian - Mati (SAM), Ora‘a (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Micronesia - New Caledonia - Marquesas - Tuamotu

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Land, lowlands - mountains (+)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Locally endangeredMedicine, Material (Fibre)

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
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

Pests & Hosts

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Relationship	Pests
Associated with	Glyphodes multilinealis,

Scientific Taxonomy

Ficus prolixa J.R.Forster & G.Forster
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); HAMAMELIDAE; Urticales; MORACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
BIODIVERSITY: Locally endangered. Comment: Rare and declining on Rarotonga, common on makatea islands, but thought to be declining on Mangaia (5/2000, Peter Ngatokorua).
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine, Material (Fibre). Comments: The Pacific banyan is nearly extirpated on Rarotonga, it is uncommon on Aitutaki, but remains common on Atiu and Mangaia.

GENERAL NOTE: Formerly, bark for a coarse tapa. Medicine, especially roots (AW90).

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.307 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.2/174 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.296 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.41 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.359e Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.61 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

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

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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