Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Gossypium hirsutum var. taitense

Vavaī (AK)

Upland Cotton

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Flower and leaves	46KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Upland Cotton, Polynesian Cotton; German Baumwolle

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Vavai (AK); Other Polynesian - Vavae (TON), Vavae (SAM), Vavai (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Caribbean - trop.Americas - ?eastern Polynesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, or Introduced - Recent and Naturalised; S.Group only (AK only - very rare); Land, lowlands

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Nationally endangered (seriously)

KEY FEATURES: Shrub to 2m. Leaves 15x15cm dissected less than 50% into 3 or 5 triangular lobes. Flowers yellow ± basal maroon spot. Bracts to 6cm with 3-20 long teeth, separated by acute sinuses. Seed capsule 1.5-2.5cm long, wide-ovoid, surface smooth. Copious lint white to reddish-brown.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Sea Island Cotton (Gossypium barbadense) differs in having leaves dissected more than 50% into oval lobes; seed capsule 3-5cm long, narrow-ovoid, pitted black; lint is uniformly white.

Enlarged Image of 'Gossypium hirsutum var. taitense'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: -
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

Scientific Taxonomy

Gossypium hirsutum var. taitense Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Gossypium taitense; Gossipium religiosum [sensu Parkinson in Tahiti 1769]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); DILLENIIDAE; Malvales; MALVACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
BIODIVERSITY: Nationally endangered (seriously). Comment: Known only from Aitutaki, from one site. Not recently collected.

GENERAL NOTE: The parent species, Gossipyium hirsutum is definitely a native of Central America and the Caribbean. After Colombus it was spread to Africa and across Asia to Indonesia; and later to Fiji. Our variety taitense is either indigenous or a very early introduction to French Polynesia spreading westward to Fiji. Parkinson recorded it in Tahiti in 1769, noting that Tahitians "have not yet found out the use".

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.876 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.565 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.518 Hortus 3rd
p.2/429 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, 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.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List