Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Gardenia taitensis

Tiare Māori

Tahitian Gardenia

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Flowers and leaves, and fruit insert	36KB
Image:	Flower and leaves	37KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Tahitian Gardenia; French Tiare Tahiti

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tiare Māori (RR MG AT MK MT AK PL TW MH RK), Tiale Māoli (TS PK NS); Other Polynesian - Pua / Pua Samoa (SAM)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Vanuatu - Tonga / Samoa

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

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine, Ornamental flowers, Material (Scent)

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
+++	++?	++?	++++	P	-

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

Gardenia taitensis de Candolle
SYNONYMS: Gardenia tahitensis; Gardenia florida [mis-ID], Randia tahitensis [might be the name of this species]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Rubiales; RUBIACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: The name Tahitian Gardenia is somewhat a misnomer because it is neither native nor naturalised in Tahiti. The first acceptable scientific name for the plant was based on Tahitian specimens collected by Dumont d'Urville in 1824. Hence the scientific name of Gardenia taitensis, and the English name of Tahitian Gardenia. It is interesting to note that it was also first collected in Tahiti, by the Forsters on Captain Cook's first Pacific voyage (1768-1771), although it was mis-identified as Gardenia florida. [GMcC 10/2004]

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Gardenia taitensis.

References:
p.799 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.492 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.866 Tropica
p.4/181 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.282 A Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.101 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.402g Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

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

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