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Peperomia pallida

Pikimato

Bold-vein Peperomia

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Leaves, flower and fruit	51KB
Image:	LT P. pallida; RT P. blanda var. floribunda	51KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Bold-vein Peperomia

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pikimato (RR MG AT MK MT)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Southern Polynesia (Tonga - Cooks - Pitcairn)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Endemic of s.Polynesia; S.Group only - very common (RR, makatea islands); Land, lowlands - mountains (++)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine

KEY FEATURES: A small fleshy herb to XXcm. LEAVES opposite, green to yellow-green, very glossy, hairs only on edge of outer half, 3 large longitudinal veins, rhomboid to xxXxxcm. FLOWERS minute, sticky, densely clustered along a robust stalk.

Cook Islands Distribution

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

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

Peperomia pallida (G.Forster)
SYNONYMS: Peperomia anderssonii [of Yuncker]; Peperomia subglabrata

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); MAGNOLIIDAE; Piperales; PIPERACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -. Comment: NBSAP - Takitumu (3 of 6 wild plants), NBSAP - Aitutaki (3 of 5 wild plants)
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen (BPBM/169228 - 627965 was removed from this sheet per request J.Florence), Maungatea 1000ft, G.Wilder as Peperomia pallida confirmed J.Florence. Atiu: specimen (BPBM/511750), on rock sw makatea, 8/1986, M.Merlin, ID A.Whistler as Peperomia pallida confirmed J.Florence; specimens (BPBM/665092 dup of CHR/474554, 665093 dup of CHR/474554), on makatea at Anatakitaki Cave, 7/1991, B.Sykes as Peperomia pallida; specimen (BPBM/665318 dup of CHR 474464), coastal makatea near Vai Piake Landing, 7/1991, B.Sykes as Peperomia pallida; specimen (BPBM/665319 dup of CHR/474593), on makatea near Taungaroro Beach, 7/1991, B.Sykes as Peperomia pallida.

References:
p.390b Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

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

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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