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Trachoma papuanum

Trachoma Orchid

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Plant and flowers detail (Rarotonga)	45KB
Image:	Flowers and leaves (Rarotonga)	38KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Trachoma Orchid

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE New Guinea - ne.Australia - New Caledonia - Societies

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group only (RR only, common); Land, mountains (++), Epiphyte

KEY FEATURES: Small orchid on trees (an epiphyte), to 5cm high. LEAVES 3-8; thick, fleshy; narrow-oval, to 7x2cm. FLOWERS 1-4 on short spikes, arising from the base of lower leaves; small, to 8mmØ; petals white with pale green tinge; lip large, white with yellow blotch. FRUIT 3-angled pod. ROOTS obvious, thick-waxy; new growth green.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Trachoma papuanum (Schltr.)
SYNONYMS: Tuberolabium papuanum; Trachoma subluteum; Saccolabium subluteum; Saccolabium guamense [sensu GW]; Sarcochilus societatis; Trachoma societatis

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen+photo, from TCA, 8/2003, Ed Saul, in flower.

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.5/547 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.37 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM03b, zD02, zupD03b

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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