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Muntingia calabura

Venevene (PN)

Panama Berry

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Panama Berry, Capulin, Calabura, Jamaican Cherry, Indian Cherry

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Venevene (TS TW MH RK PK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE s.Mexico - C.America - n.S.America, Caribbean

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group - rare; N.Group (uncommon, except TN common); Land, coastal lowlands and gardens

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Fruit eaten ???

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
+++	P	P	++++	-	-

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

Muntingia calabura Linnaeus
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); DILLENIIDAE; Malvales; ELAEOCARPACEAE. COMMENT: Also listed in the closely related TILIACEAE. Because the one species of Muntingia and the one species of Dicraspidia are anomalous in TILIACEAE and ELAEOCARPACEAE is has also be suggested that they be placed in a new family MUNTINGIACEAE.

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: Berry is sweet and edible, the bark fibre can be used to make twine.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, very common in villages, ID GMcC.

References:
p.545 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.762 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.910 Tropica
p.2/373 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova

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

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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