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Macropiper latifolium

Kavakava-ātua

Macropiper

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Image:	Leaves, flowers and fruit	51KB
Image:	Leaves and fruit	52KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Macropiper

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kavakava-ātua (RR), Kava‘au (MT); Other Polynesian - ‘Ava‘ava Aitu (SAM), Kavakava Atua (MQA)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Solomons - Cooks - Marquesas

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Land, mountains (++++)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine

KEY FEATURES: Shrub to 2m, with erect basal branches. STEMS swollen at nodes. LEAVES glossy green, heart-shaped with radiating veins, to 25x25cm, edge wavy, tip drawn-out; stalk round, to 20cm. FLOWERS on vertical spike to 15cm; minute, white. FRUIT on twisted spike, minute, red.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Piper methysticum (Kava Shrub) has dull heart-shaped leaves (< 20 cm).

Enlarged Image of 'Macropiper latifolium'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
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

Macropiper latifolium (L.f.)
SYNONYMS: Piper latifolium [TC/GW]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); MAGNOLIIDAE; Piperales; PIPERACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine. Comments: Rarotonga lady in Takuvaine - juice drunk for several ailments.????

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.293 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.38 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.368d Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.112 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM03a, zD02 03aDesc

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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