Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Morinda myrtifolia

Pirita Tūtae-puaka (AT)

Morinda-vine

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Open this image in pop-up window Image: Leaves, fruit, and flowers (1) 66KB
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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Morinda-vine

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pirita Tūtae-puaka (MG AT MK MT)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE New Caledonia - Marquesas/Pitcairn & Henderson

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

KEY FEATURES: Sprawling and climbing shrub to 5m. BRANCHES slender, to 2cmØ. LEAVES opposite, narrow-oval to oval, to 10x5cm, glossy green, base obtuse, tip sharp to obtuse, edge without teeth; swellings (domatia), often dark, in axils of veins to midrib; stalk to 2cm. FLOWERS 10-20 protruding from green sphere on long stalk; small; petals 4, cream, oval, fleshy. FRUIT (=syncarp) ~sphere, to 15mmØ, of irregular bulbous segments (=pyrenes), tips with pale circular markings; ripen purple-red.

Enlarged Image of 'Morinda myrtifolia'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map 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

Scientific Taxonomy

Morinda myrtifolia A.Gray
SYNONYMS: Morinda forsteri; Morinda umbellata var. forsteri

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Rubiales; RUBIACEAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.4/337 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.391a Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.86 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM05a, zD06a

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. Copy citation to system clipboard
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