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Paspalum vaginatum

Mauku Ta‘atai

Saltwater Paspalum

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Saltwater Paspalum, Seashore Paspalum, Saltwater Couch, Knottgrass, Knottweed

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mauku Ta‘atai / Mauku Vairākau (RR), Mauku Ta‘atai (AK); Other Polynesian - Mutia (SAM), Matie / Mutie (MQA)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE pantropical

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - common only on Rarotonga and Aitutaki; N.Group - rare; Land-marine, intertidal in esturaries

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine, for erosion control

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Paspalum vaginatum Sw.
SYNONYMS: Paspalum distichum Linnaeus [of authors, incl. TC/GW & ACSmith]]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); COMMELINIDAE; Cyperales; POACEAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: report, 1899 visit, at Ngatangiia only, on muddy shores, T.Cheeseman as native and as Paspalum distichum.

References:
p.1577 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.302 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.20 R Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.377g Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zB02

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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