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Pritchardia mitiaroana

Iniao (MT)

Mitiaro Fan-Palm

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Palm and fruiting structure	89KB
Image:	Cluster of palms	108KB
Image:	Habitat	105KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Mitiaro Fan-Palm

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Iniao / Niao (MT); Other Polynesian - Piu (TON), Niu Piu (SAM); COMMENT: Iniao, son of Einiao, planted the first Niao, the palm. However today the Palm is usually known as Iniao.[Raeputa Tangapoto, 2001]

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Cook Islands (Miti‘āro)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native, Endemic of Cooks, 1-island; Land

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Globally endangered (seriously)

KEY FEATURES: Solitary palm. STEM smooth without scars, to 6m, 35cmØ. LEAVES 25 in terminal cluster; stalk 90cm, smooth margin, tapering; BLADE bright green, 110cm long, 65 folds, split inward 30cm. INFLOR: to 1m, branching. FLOWERS bisexual, small, 3mmØ. FRUITS round, to 7mmØ, brownish-black. SEED 5mmØ, brown.

Enlarged Image of 'Pritchardia mitiaroana'

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

Pritchardia mitiaroana J.Dransf. & Ehrhart
SYNONYMS: Pritchardia vuylstekeana [mis-ID]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); ARECIDAE; Arecales; ARECACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
BIODIVERSITY: Globally endangered (seriously). Comment: Known from about 500 plants in a very restricted area in the southwest makatea scrubland of Miti‘āro.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.361b Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM05a, 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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