General Information

COMMON NAMES: Garland Berry, Necklace Pepper, Borodina [for cv. from FIJ Mboro ndina]; German Borodina TRADITIONAL NAMES: Poro‘iti (RR MG MK AK PL), Poroporo (AT), Poroporo / Poro‘iti (MT), Polopuka [wild form] (PK); Other Polynesian - Polo Ite (SAM), Polo Tonga (TON), Mbor (wild form, FIJ, Mboro ndina (cv. FIJ), Porohiti (cv. TAH]; COMMENT: Poro‘iti Tavai Renga (yellow form) GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Fiji - Tonga - Samoa - Pukapuka; EXOTIC EXOTIC cv 'Anthropopharum' Fiji - Tuamotu, Hawai‘i COOK ISLANDS STATUS: naturalised wild form on Pukapuka probably Polynesian Introduced; cv. 'Anthropophagorum' Polynesian Introduced and domestically maintained.; Land, lowlands, horticultural - coastal; The wild form grows in coastal forest on Pukapuka, and on limestone substrates within native range. Cultivar is cultivated in gardens on coastal limestone substrates. SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Nationally endangered (seriously)Medicine, Ornamental FR, Material (Adornment), former Leaf Food KEY FEATURES: Shrub to 3m. LEAVES alternate, narrow-oval, to 18x9cm, without teeth, base round ±unequal, tip acute; leaf-stalk to 4cm. FLOWERS 3-10 in cluster, corolla 1-2cmØ; petals 5 starlike, white; stmens yellow. FRUIT to 2cmØ, spherical, ripens bright red. cv. 'Anthropophagum': leaves to 30x25cm, leaf-stalk to 10cm, flowers to 20, fruit ovoid to 4x3cm.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Solanum viride G.Forster ex Spreng., non R.Br.
SYNONYMS: Solanum anthropophagorum [for the cultivar, of authors]; Solanum patameense; Solanum polynesicum; Solanum savaiense; Solanum uporo [for the cultivar, of authors]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Solanales; SOLANACEAE. COMMENT: The large-fruited cultivar $Solanum viride@ 'Anthropophagorum' is based on Fiji material. Similar cultivars elsewhere in Polynesia may have been independently derived and warrant specific cultivar names. [Smith, Flora Vitiensis Nova]

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
BIODIVERSITY: Nationally endangered (seriously). Comment: Wild form is rare on Pukapuka. The cultivated form is increasingly uncommon in the Southern Group. NBSAP - Te Au-o-Tonga (2 of 4 domestic), NBSAP - Takitumu (4 of 4 domestic plants), NBSAP - Aitutaki (1 of 4 domestic plants), NBSAP - Mauke (3 of 9 domestic plants), NBSAP - Mitiaro (1 of 6 domestic plants), NBSAP - Mangaia (1 of 2 domestic)
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine, Ornamental FR, Material (Adornment), former Leaf Food. Comments: Formerly leaves cooked and eaten, cf. Taro leaves; and fruit used as bait to catch Tupa [GM, 4/2001].

GENERAL NOTE: Throughout the Cook Islands the form of this species is a cultivar with larger leaves and fruits. Pukapuka has a native or naturalised population of the original form of the species although as of Feb.2004 it was very rare, probably less than six live plants (GMcC, pers.obs.). In ancient Fiji the leaves of the cultivar were used to wrap human flesh for baking, and the flesh was eaten with a sauce made from the fruits of the same plant. Fiji name: Sou Bokola / Borodina. The synonym Solanum anthropophagorum, means "Solanum to eat with man".

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Solanum viride.

References:
p.1278 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.897 Tropica
p.5/021 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.298 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.96 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03b, zupM04a, zD02, zupD04a

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