General Information

COMMON NAMES: Rarotonga Fitchia TRADITIONAL NAMES: Neinei (RR); COMMENT: In NZ Māori Neinei is the spiderwort trees (Dracophyllum spp.). GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Cook Islands (Rarotonga) COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Endemic of Cooks, 1-island; S.Group only (Rarotonga only); Land, mountains (++++); Lower Slope Forest to Cloud Zone, especially common on ridges. Not long lived. KEY FEATURES: A small tree to 5m, with slender prop-roots. LEAVES terminal clusters, opposite; large, wide-oval to 25x20cm, glossy, edge wavy without teeth, tip sharp; stalk long, to 20cm. FLOWER-HEAD: daisy-like with overlapping green bracts; large, to 10cmØ, composed of ~100 separate orange flowers (= ray florets). FLOWERS each with orange cup-like petal; long central orange stigma, encircled by 5 black-tipped anthers. FRUIT: flat with two terminal spikes, brown.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Fitchia speciosa Cheeseman
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Asterales; ASTERACEAE

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -. Comments: MATERIAL: Timber hard, brown.

GENERAL NOTE: The flower heads are strongly curved back towards the branch to promote pollination by the ‘Ī‘oi (Rarotonga Starling), as it feeds on the copious supply of nectar.

Vouchers:
Mangaia: old McBirney property, and another tree grown from seed at Alan Tuara garden, 9/2000, generally seeds not setting.

References:
p.317 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.859 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.284 IE Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.105 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.382c Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.118 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM03a, zD02

Web Resources

• Google
• Google Images