Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Taeniophyllum fasciola

Leafless Orchid

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Leafless Orchid

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Solomons - Societies - Pitcairn; n. to Guam; s. to New Caledonia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group only - common; Land, coastal to mountains (++++), on trees

KEY FEATURES: Prostrate mass of radiating and entangling roots, to 20cmØ, without leaves. ROOTS flat, green, to 150x3mm(LxW). FLOWERS on erect stalk to 2cm; each small, to 5mmØ, pale yellow to green. FRUIT (=capsule), slender-ovoid, to 20x5mm, 6-ribbed.

Enlarged Image of 'Taeniophyllum fasciola'

Cook Islands Distribution

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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

Scientific Taxonomy

Taeniophyllum fasciola (G.Forster)
SYNONYMS: Taeniophyllum seemannii; Taeniophyllum decipiens; Taeniophyllum asperulum [sensu TC/GW]; Epidendrum; Vanilla

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); LILIIDAE; Orchidales; ORCHIDACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: Used medinially in Fiji for back pain and abdominal pain. Known as Nde ni thauthau ("dust of the land breeze") [Smith's Flora 1991].

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
Special Reference: Detailed in Lewis & Cribb (1989) Orchids of Vanuatu, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew; and in Smith (1991) Flora Vitiensis Nova, National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kauai.

p.753 Tropica
p.5/559 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.297 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.37 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02, zupD06a

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. Copy citation to system clipboard
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