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Pittosporum rarotongense

Kavakava

Cook Islands Pittosporum

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Cook Islands Pittosporum

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kavakava (RR MK), Mimi-ō-‘Ina (MG)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Cook Islands (Rarotonga, Mangaia, Ma‘uke, Miti‘āro)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Endemic of Cooks, 4-island; S.Group only - Rarotonga and the makatea islands (except Atiu).; Land, mountains (++++)

KEY FEATURES: Small erect tree to 7m. LEAVES terminal clusters, whorled; long-oval, to 18x7cm, tip sharp, edge wavy without teeth, glossy dark green with yellow-green midvein, strongly aromatic; stalk 2cm. FLOWERS terminal, open cluster, small; corolla yellow with 5 spreading petals. FRUIT wide-ovoid, 3x2.5cm, ~grooved, splits when ripe. SEEDS ~30, orange-red, sticky.

Enlarged Image of 'Pittosporum rarotongense'

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

Pittosporum rarotongense Hemsl.
SYNONYMS: Pittosporum arborescens [sensu authors, native Fiji - Tonga]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Rosales; PITTOSPORACEAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.3/031 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.272 IE Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.53 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.368c Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.109 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM04a, 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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