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Rorippa sarmentosa

Toatoa ‘Enua

Polynesian Cress

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Polynesian Cress, Bitter Cress

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Toatoa ‘Enua (RR MG AT MK MT), Rokaroka (AK); Other Polynesian - Akataha (TON), A‘atasi (SAM)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Solomons - Vanuatu - Tuamotu - Hawai‘i

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Polynesian?, Naturalised; Land, lowlands - montane (cliffs); widespread, damp lowlands to upland cliffs

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine,

KEY FEATURES: Small herb to xxx. LEAVES mainly a basal rosette, to XXXcm, compound. LEAFLETS ~pairs+one, 3-7, basal smallest, terminal largest, laterals to 3x3cm, wide-oval to round, edges lobed. FLOWERS stalk to 30cm, petals white to 2mm. FRUITS narrow pods to 3cmx3mm, opening from base. SEEDS reddish-brown, 1mm.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Wavy Bittercress (Cardamine flexuosa) has leaves along stem (vs. mainly basal rosette), terminal leaflet smaller to 1.5x1.5cm ( vs. 3x3cm), and pods to 2cm (vs. 3cm).

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Rorippa sarmentosa (G.Forster ex de Candolle)
SYNONYMS: Nasturtium sarmentosa; Cardamine sarmentosa [incl. TC/GW]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); DILLENIIDAE; Capparales; BRASSICACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: ACSmith: Aboiginal introduciton Fiji-Tuamotu-Hawaii. Edible fresh as vegetable, and used in medicine.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.411 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.372 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.2/710 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.271 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.52 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.406b 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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