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Ludwigia octovalvis

Tiēmu

Willow Primrose

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Willow Primrose, False Primrose, Yellow Willow Herb, Primrose Willow

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tiēmu (RR), Tiēmu / Pītōrea (MG), Pītōrea (AT MK MT), Pulūmu (PK NS); Other Polynesian - Torea (TAH), Pītōrea (Leeward Societies)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE tropical Americas - Africa - Asia - w.Pacific - ?Polynesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent (RR c.1875), Naturalised; Land, lowlands, wetlands

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Weed - serious

KEY FEATURES: Erect woody shrub to 2m. LEAVES alternate, narrow with a sharp tip, to 12x4cm. FLOWERS to 3cmØ; petals 4, yellow, wide-obovate, tip blunt.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: Present
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

Ludwigia octovalvis (N.Jacquin)
SYNONYMS: Ludwigia octovalvis octovalvis; Jussiaea octovalvis; Jussiaea suffruticosa [sensu TC/GW]; Jussiaea erecta [sensu authors]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Myrtales; ONAGRACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Weed - serious. Comments: Widespread and the most serious woody weed in Taro plots. Fast growing and difficult to remove.

IDENTIFICATION: Erect woody shrub to 2m LEAVES alternate, narrow-oval with sharp tip, to 12x4cm, edges without teeth; stalk short, to 1cm. FLOWERS axillary, 3cmØ; petals 4, yellow, wide-obovate, to 15x15mm, tips round or notched. FRUIT capsule, thin-walled, to 50x5mm, seeds in rows.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, common and widespread in swamps, ID GMcC.

References:
p.998 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.648 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.696 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.3/379 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.280 R* Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.84 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.404a Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

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