Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Pilea microphylla

Kiona Topa (MK)

Artillery Plant

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Open this image in pop-up window Image: Leaves and flowers 66KB
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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Artillery Plant, Pistol Plant, Gunpowder Plant, Rockweed

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kiona Topa (MK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Florida - Mexico - Brazil

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, lowlands - valley floors

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental leaves; Weed - minor

KEY FEATURES: A fleshy, creeping herb, 50cm long. LEAVES crowded throughout the stems, very unequal pairs, 1-nerved, oval to 10mm long; STIPULES to 1mm; PET to 4mm. FLOWERS axillary cluster, minute, unisexual; anthers eject pollen explosively, hence Artillery Plant. ACHENE ovoid, 1mm long.

Enlarged Image of 'Pilea microphylla'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map View Distribution Map

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

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

Key to Symbols

Scientific Taxonomy

Pilea microphylla Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Pilea muscosa

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); HAMAMELIDAE; Urticales; URTICACEAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Pilea microphylla.

References:
p.1306 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.317 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.872 Hortus 3rd
p.912 Tropica
p.2/237 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova

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. Copy citation to system clipboard
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