General Information

COMMON NAMES: Yellow Crown-head TRADITIONAL NAMES: Kamika (MG AT MK MT); Other Polynesian - ‘ami‘a / amiami (TAH), ‘A‘amia‘a (SAM), Kakamika (TON), Riou (MQS) GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE tropical Asia COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Polynesian, Naturalised; Land, lowlands, horticultural weed SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Locally endangeredMedicine, Adornment, oil scent KEY FEATURES: Erect rigid annual herb. Soft oppoiste leaves, arrowhead-like, to 15x9cm. Terminal clusters of flowers with small yellow petals and five radiating and sticky arms at base. Native of Asia; an accidental Polynesian Introduciton or very early Recent Introduction. Formerly used to scent oil, and in medicine. A wayside weed in the volcanic lowlands.

Cook Islands Distribution

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

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Sigesbeckia orientalis Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Siegesbeckia orientalis; Siegesbecka orientalis [spelling variations]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Asterales; ASTERACEAE

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
BIODIVERSITY: Locally endangered
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine, Adornment, oil scent. Comments: Little known nowadays. Formerly used to scent oil, the mildly fragmetn leaves in ‘ei, and sometimes in medicines.

IDENTIFICATION: Erect annual herb to 80cm. STEM rigid, ridged, hollow; opposite ascending branches. LEAVES opposite, arrow-shaped, narrow to wide (to 15x9cm), a few slight teeth, dull-furry; stalk 2.5cm winged. FLOWERS in branching terminal clusters; each with 5 basal radiating arms, sticky, to 1cm (=the involucre), petals small to 2mm yellow, notched. SEED ovoid to 3mm, without fluff (pappus).

GENERAL NOTE: Formerly flowers and leaves used to scent oil (Christian 1924:13). Occas. used in ei and medicine (AW90). Now uncommon, although it was common all districts in teh 1920s [Wilder].

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: fieldspecimen+photo, Ara Metua, Matavera, 8/2001, ID GM.

References:
p.357 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.838 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.5/269 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.285 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.106 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.366a Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

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