Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Scaevola taccada

Pō‘utukava Ngānga‘u

Half-flower Shrub

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Flower and leaves	74KB
Image:	Flowers (yellow vs white); leaves (hairy vs hairless)	71KB
Image:	Flower	48KB
Image:	Flower and leaves	59KB
Image:	Mauve form on Tongareva	47KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Half-flower Shrub, Sea-lettuce Shrub, Scaevola

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pō‘utukava Ngānga‘u / ‘Utukava Ngānga‘u (RR), Kākākina (MG), Ngau (AT), Nga‘u (MK), Kōpara (AK), Ngashu (PL), Ngasu (TS TW), Ngahu (MH RK), Ngayu (PK NS)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - se.Asia/n.Australia - Pitcairn; Hawai‘i; n. to Taiwan

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Land, coastal, coralline soils

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine, Ornamental leaves, Material (Former Fish Poison); Poisonous to fish

KEY FEATURES: An upright to sprawling coastal shrub with large glossy or dull leaves, clusters of white to yellow flowers, and white spherical fruit.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Scaevola taccada
SYNONYMS: Scaevola sericea; Scaevola koenigii [incl. TC]; Scaevola frutescens [incl. GW]; Lobelia

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Campanulales; GOODENIACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine, Ornamental leaves, Material (Former Fish Poison)
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Poisonous to fish. Comments: Leaf juice formerly used to kill fish.

GENERAL NOTE: Occasionally used as food for goats (AW90).

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mitiaro: fieldspecimen, 2005/10, "only near harbour but probaby elsewhere also", J.Game ID as this species based in info G.McCormack. Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Scaevola taccada.

References:
p.788 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.820 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.523 Tropica
p.5/249 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.285 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.104 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.362e Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

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.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List