General Information

COMMON NAMES: Java Sedge TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mauku Tatau-tai (RR MK), Mauku Puakatoro / Mauku Tatau-tai (MT), Mauku Tara (AK), Mauku Vai Lākau (TS), Mauku Vai Rākau (TW), Mauku (RK), Vayavaya (PK), Vayavaya Uwi (NS); Other Polynesian - Selesele (SAM) GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Africa - Asia - s.China - n.Australia - Indonesia - Polynesia COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Land, lowlands SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Neotraditional strainer, Medicine, Material (Fibre); Weed - moderate KEY FEATURES: A perennial sedge to 1m, with a rounded 3-angled stem. LEAVES: numerous basal LEAVES with serrate edges, arching and longer than stem; involucral LEAVES 5-6, to 75cm. INFLOR: a cluster to 15cmØ, flattened spikelets to 10x3mm with 6-12 scales. SIMILAR SPECIES: Torulinium odoratum has a sharply 3-angled stem; basal LVS shorter than stem; cylindrical spikelets with 10-25 scales; and spikelets are spreading.

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	++?	Q+?	++?	-

Mariscus javanicus (Houtt.)
SYNONYMS: Mariscus albescens [sensu TC]; Mariscus pennatus [incl. GW]; Cyperus javanicus

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); COMMELINIDAE; Cyperales; CYPERACEAE

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Neotraditional strainer, Medicine, Material (Fibre). Comments: Several stems were pounded to form a fibrous mat which was used to squeeze the milk from grated coconut meat. The name Mauku Tatau-tai means "Coconut-sauce Sedge". Early Hawaiians used it to strain their ‘awa (Kava). Six stems beaten and used to strain certain medicines (Aitutaki).
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Weed - moderate

GENERAL NOTE: An swamp plant, often in brackish water. This sedge is from Africa to the Western Pacific, and probably to some islands of Polynesia. The Ancient Polynesians probably also introduced it because it was a useful plant.

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 1/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Mariscus javanicus, but later could not relocate (needs to be confirmed).

References:
p.1420 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.86 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.1/253 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.301 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.23 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.379b Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

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

Web Resources

• Google
• Google Images