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Stephanotis floribunda

Tiare ‘Akaipoipo

Wedding Flower

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Image:	Leaves, flowers and fruit	49KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Wedding Flower, Madagascar Jasmine, Floradora, Bridal Bouquet, Wax Flower, Stephanotis; French Jasmin de Madagascar

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tiare ‘Akaipoipo (RR MG MK MT AK TW), Tiare ‘Aka‘ipo‘ipo (AT), Tiale ‘Akaipoipo (TS)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Madagascar

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; S.Group - uncommon; N.Group - rare; Land, lowlands

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental flowers

KEY FEATURES: An evergreen climber to 5m. LEAVES: along the stems; opposite; green with a waxy sheen on top, white-green underneath; oblong with a pointed, sharply down-turned, tip; to 10cm [L]. FLOWERS: fragrant; in clusters at the bases of the leaf-stalks; creamy-white; waxy-sheen; 5-pointed- star shaped, with a long tubular throat; to 4cm [L]. FRUIT: oval with a furrow along one side; green with pale flecks; almost smooth; to 8cm [L].

Enlarged Image of 'Stephanotis floribunda'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: Present
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

Stephanotis floribunda Brongn.
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Gentianales; ASCLEPIDACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: Fritha Note: above description of fruit & leaves from examples handed in, fruit was unripe, hastily done.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.699 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.145 Tropica
p.4/111 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.90 R Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.402b 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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