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Vigna marina

Pō‘ue

Beach Pea

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Leaf, flower and fruits	49KB
Image:	Leaves, flowers and fruit pods	31KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Beach Pea, Beach Bean

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pō‘ue (RR), Ka‘eta / Kāētā? (MG), Kēketa (AT MK MT), Pipi (AK), Pohue (MH RK), Pōue / Pōuwe (PK); Other Polynesian - Fue Sina (SAM)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - very common; N.Group - rare; Land, lowlands - mountains (+)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine; Weed - moderate

KEY FEATURES: A succulent creeping vine, to 10m. LEAVES alternate, compound, trifoliolate; stalk to 15cm. LEAFLETS 3, wide-oval, to 12x9cm, green, tip round to notched; central stalklet distinctly longer. FLOWERS many on an erect stalk to 20cm; pea-like, yellow, 20mmØ. FRUIT curved pod, to 80x8mm(LxØ), ripen black. SEEDS 2-10, bean-like, 7x5mm, brownish.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

Vigna marina (Burm.)
SYNONYMS: Vigna luteus A.Gray; Vigna retusa [sensu TC]; Phaseolus marina Burm.; Dolichos marina

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

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Medicine
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Weed - moderate. Comments: A common and widespread vine. A minor problem in waste and fallow areas, especially when establishing crops.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, rare-uncommon and localised, ID GMcC.

References:
p.720 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.467 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.3/244 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.277 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.61 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.393b Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.63 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD05b

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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