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Melastoma denticulatum

‘Ua Mōtukutuku (MG)

Pacific Melastoma

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Image:	Leaves, flower and fruit	56KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Pacific Melastoma

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Ua Mōtukutuku (MG); Other Polynesian - Tavatava Manu (SAM)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Solomons - New Caledonia - Societies

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

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food (Fruit 0+) Outer

KEY FEATURES: Shrub, to 2m. LEAVES opposite, simple, oval, to 15x7cm, 5 conspicuous longitudinal veins; surface hairy, dull, green; tip long and sharp, base obtuse; stalk to 3cm. FLOWERS terminal, 1-4, 4cmØ; petals 5, white, wide-oval, to 20x12mm; stamens 10, to 10mm; style to 10mm. FRUIT hairy, round, 12mmØ; ripening green, splits; seed-mass dark purple in 6 segments.

Enlarged Image of 'Melastoma denticulatum'

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

Melastoma denticulatum Labill.
SYNONYMS: Melastoma taitense; Melastoma vitiense

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.3/385 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.280 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.83 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.410b Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.94 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03a, zD02, zupD05b

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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