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Phyllanthus virgatus

Moemoe ‘Enua

Early Phyllanthus

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Early Phyllanthus

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Moemoe ‘Enua (RR), Matakura (MK); Other Polynesian - Moemoe (SAM)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE se.Asia - Indonesia; EXOTIC EXOTIC aboriginal Fiji - French Polynesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Polynesian, Naturalised; Land, lowlands - mountains (++)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine,

KEY FEATURES: Erect to 60cm with alternate ascending branches in one plane. STEM woody, to 2mmØ, w small opposite wings. LEAVES alternate in one plane, semi-linear, to 25x7mm; base ~round, tip ~obtuse with spinule. FLOWERS axillary, separate female and male, 1-2mmØ; petals 6, oval to oblong; Flower-stalks 2-10mm (female), and 1-2mm (male). CAPSULE globose, to 3mmØ. SEEDS pitted, not ridged.

Enlarged Image of 'Phyllanthus virgatus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Phyllanthus virgatus G.Forster
SYNONYMS: Phyllanthus simplex [incl. TC]; Phyllanthus simplex var. virgatus

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Euphorbiales; EUPHORBIACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -. Comment: NBSAP - Mauke (5 of 8 wild plants)
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine,

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mauke: fieldspecimen by Teariki Teao, NBSAP 3/2001, inland, photo G.McCormack with ID as Phyllanthus virgatus.

References:
p.2/464 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.294 R* Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.380d Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM03a, 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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