General Information

COMMON NAMES: Red Mussaenda, Red Flag-bush, Rosea [cultivar], Ashanti Blood [cultivar]; German Rotblättrige Mussaenda; French Sang des Achanti GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE tropical Africa COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; Land, lowlands, gardens SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental flowers

Cook Islands Distribution

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

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Mussaenda erythrophylla Schum. & Thonn.
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Rubiales; RUBIACEAE

GENERAL NOTE: Variety with scarlet coloured enlarged lobe and pale-yellow flower is probably 'Ashanti's blood', that with cream lobes flushed pink and golden flower is probably 'Queen Sirikit', a third variety with salmon-pink (marbled over cream background) lobes may be 'Rosea' or 'Doña luz'. Note that the latter two varieties have five enlarged calyx lobes given by some as a feature of Mussaenda philipicca.

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.795 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.747 Hortus 3rd
p.764 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.867 Tropica
p.4/177 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova

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

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