Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Myrsine cheesemanii

Ka‘ika Makatea (MT)

Cook Islands Myrsine

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Open this image in pop-up window Image: Leaves and flowers, fruit 47KB
Open this image in pop-up window Image: Branch, leaves and fruit 44KB
Open this image in pop-up window Image: Fruit and leaves 53KB
Open this image in pop-up window Image: Leaves and flowers 36KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Cook Islands Myrsine

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Ka‘ika Makatea (MT); COMMENT: No Rarotonga name recorded Whistler and McCormack 1980s; Wilder (1932) recorded Tarairi; and Cheeseman (1903) recorded no name.

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Cook Islands (Rarotonga, Mangaia, Ma‘uke, Miti‘āro)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Endemic of Cooks, 4-island; Land, mountains (+++) and makatea; mountains 100-550+m

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food (Fruit 0+) Outer

KEY FEATURES: Erect shrub to 3m. STEMS brittle. LEAVES alternate, narrow-oval (to oval), to 10x4cm, glossy dark green, midrib protruding ventrally, edge smooth, base tapering, tip acute (to round); stalk to 2-3cm. FLOWERS very small on the branches. FRUIT ~round, small, to 1cmØ; ripening purple.

Enlarged Image of 'Myrsine cheesemanii'

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

Myrsine cheesemanii (Mez)
SYNONYMS: Rapanea cheesemanii [GW]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); DILLENIIDAE; Primulales; MYRSINACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Food (Fruit 0+) Outer. Comments: MATERIAL: Timber small, red, hard.

GENERAL NOTE: Fruit occasionally eaten on Miti'āro (GM).

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.286 IE Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.86 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.364c Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.121 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02, zupD05a

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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