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Osteomeles anthyllidifolia

Peke‘o (MG)

Polynesian Osteomeles

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Image:	Leaves, flowers and fruit	45KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Polynesian Osteomeles

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Peke‘o (MG)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Polynesia [Hawai‘i, Tonga (‘Eua), Rarotonga, Mangaia, Rapa, Pitcairn]

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Endemic of Polynesia; Land, mountains (+++)

KEY FEATURES: Sprawling shrub to 1m. LEAVES alternate, compound, to 6x2cm. LEAFLETS 6-12 pairs + one, oval, to 10x3mm, tip round, glossy green. FLOWERS small terminal clusters; 2cmØ; petals wide-oval, white. FRUIT round, 1cmØ, white.

Enlarged Image of 'Osteomeles anthyllidifolia'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Osteomeles anthyllidifolia (Sm.)
SYNONYMS: Pyrus anthyllidifolia

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Rosales; ROSACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: A genus of three species, one in China, on islands of s.Japan, and one Hawai‘i and islands to the south. Probably developed in Hawai‘i, where it is very widespread, and introduced southward by migratory birds.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.1104 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.387 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.803 Hortus 3rd
p.278 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.54 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.415 Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.124 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03a, zD05a

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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