Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Psilotum nudum

Toatoa (MK)

Whisk Fern

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Fertile frond	64KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Whisk Fern, Whisk fern, Fork Fern, Skeleton Forkfern

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Toatoa (MK MH), Lemu Niu* (TS), Remu Niu* (TW), Wetai (PK)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Land, lowlands - mountains (++)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine

KEY FEATURES: A unusual leafless branching herb to 60cm.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

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

Psilotum nudum (L.)
SYNONYMS: Psilotum triquetrum

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; PSILOPHYTA (=Psilopsida); PSILOPHYTATAE; PSILOTACEAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen+photo, 2/2004, widespread esp. on base of Coconut Palms, ID GMcC.

References:
p.1 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.829 Tropica
p.406a Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03a, 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.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List