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Tephrosia purpurea

Mata‘ora

Native Tephrosia

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Native Tephrosia

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mata‘ora (RR), ‘Ora Maunga (MG), Mātā‘ora (AT); Other Polynesian - Kavahuhu (TON), ‘Avasā (SAM), Kohuhu (MQA), ‘Auhuhu (HAW)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Africa - Malesia - n.Australia - ?Tuamotus

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Land, lowlands - mountains (++)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Locally endangeredMaterial (Fish Poison); Poisonous to fish

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: -
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

Tephrosia purpurea Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Tephrosia piscatoria [incl. GW]; Cracca purpurea

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Fabales (Legumes); FABACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: Traditionally used to kill fish. The stupefied or dead fish are edible without harmful effect. The poison enters the bloodstream of the fish through the gills. The main active ingredient, tephrosin, is toxic to fish, crustacea and insects, but not to man unless it directly enters the bloodstream. (Arnold 1968)

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.710 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.448 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.3/173 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.276 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.60 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.377c Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.123 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03a

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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