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Pandanus tectorius complex

‘Ara-ta‘atai

Pandanus

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Tree, flowers and fruit	87KB
Image:	Fruit variation on nearby trees (Mangaia)	79KB
Image:	Fruit variation - Mangaia, Aitutaki & Miti‘āro	99KB
Image:	Tree on Aka‘ami, Aitutaki	74KB
Image:	Edible pandanus (Rarotonga, Tupapa)	55KB
Image:	for weaving - Fiji, Samoa and Tonga	91KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Pandanus, Pandanus Palm, Screw Palm, Screw Pine; German Schraubenbaumarten, Schraubenpalmen

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Ara-ta‘atai (RR), ‘Ara-tai (MG AT MK MT), ‘Ara (AK), Pandana / Fara (PL), Hala (TS), Hara (TW), Fara (MH RK), Wala (PK NS); Other Polynesian - Fasa (SAM); COMMENT: Penrhyn - 7 edible varieties (Vaevae, Tūeka, Tāvai, Ngangie, Sākatiu, Moenga, Tūngangi)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Australia - Micronesia - Melanesia - Fr.Polynesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Land, lowlands - mountains (+)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine, Ornamental leaves, Food (SD 1+), Material (Fibre); Injurous spines - moderate

Enlarged Image of 'Pandanus tectorius complex'

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++	++++	++++	++++	++++	++++	P	++?	PW

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

Pests & Hosts

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Relationship	Pests
Herbivorous pest	Trissodoris honorariella,

Scientific Taxonomy

Pandanus tectorius complex S.Parkinson ex Z
SYNONYMS: Pandanus chamissonis; Pandanus odoratissimus [sensu TC]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); ARECIDAE; Pandanales; PANDANACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -. Comment: NBSAP - Mitiaro (rau makatea, 2 of 4 wild plants), NBSAP - Atiu (3 of 5 wild)
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine, Ornamental leaves, Food (SD 1+), Material (Fibre). Comments: MATERIAL: Timber hard and lasting though small. Not suited for tool work. Prop-roots split and used for walls of traditional houses.
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Injurous spines - moderate

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Pandanus tectorius complex.

References:
p.1479 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.51 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.816 Hortus 3rd
p.808 Tropica
p.1/494? A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.300 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.16 I Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.357g Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.28 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM04a

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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