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Ipomoea aquatica

Rukau Taviri^^ ?

Swamp Cabbage

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Swamp Cabbage, Aquatic Morning-glory, Chinese Water Spinach, Swamp Cabbage, Water Spinach, Ung-choi, Kankong; German Prunkwinden

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Rukau Taviri ? (RR)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Africa - Asia - ?Fiji

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, lowlands, wetland

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food (Leaf 1+)

KEY FEATURES: A sprawling or floating vine to 7m. STEMS hollow, rooting at nodes. LEAVES alternate, fleshy, variable, long-heartlike with tip sharp, to 20x10cm; stalk to 10cm. FLOWERS 1-few, axillary, funnel-like, white w/wo. pink or purple centre; 5cmØ; stalk long. FRUIT globose, 1cmØ. SEEDS 1-4, ~hairy.

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

Ipomoea aquatica Forssk.
SYNONYMS: Ipomoea reptans

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Solanales; CONVOLVULACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Food (Leaf 1+). Comments: Leaves and shoots used as a salad vegetable.

GENERAL NOTE: In Fiji the variety has white flowers with rich pink or purple centres and it is thought to be indigenous or an aboriginal introduction [AC Smith, Flora].

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: fieldspecimen, Arorangi near Sports Field, 4/2001, ID GM.

References:
p.555 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.706 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.5/059 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova

Data Update History (information):
zB02, 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.
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