atoll research bulletin no. 392 the flora of - Smithsonian Institution ...
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ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN<br />
NO. <strong>392</strong><br />
THE FLORA OF NAURU<br />
RR THAMAN, F.R FOSBERG, EL MANNER<br />
AND D.C. HASSALL<br />
ISSUED BY<br />
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL J!WTORY<br />
SMllTJ!WNIAN INSTlTUTION<br />
WASHINGTON, D.C, USA<br />
FEBRUARY 1994
DEDICATION<br />
We dedicate this Flora <strong>of</strong> Nauru to Joseph Detsimea<br />
Audoa, his family and <strong>the</strong> people <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Republic <strong>of</strong> Nauru<br />
who have had <strong>the</strong>ir precious island and its <strong>flora</strong> destroyed<br />
and degraded as a result <strong>of</strong> wars and exploitation beyond<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir control.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS<br />
The authors would like to ack<strong>no</strong>wledge, in particular, <strong>the</strong> late Ho<strong>no</strong>rable Joseph<br />
Detsimea Audoa, <strong>the</strong> Minister <strong>of</strong> Health and Education at <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> commencement<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> study and later Minister <strong>of</strong> Justice in <strong>the</strong> Government <strong>of</strong> Nauru, who, because <strong>of</strong><br />
his vision and commitment to <strong>the</strong> culture and environment <strong>of</strong> Nauru, initiated and<br />
provided <strong>the</strong> financial support for <strong>the</strong> study <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Nauru. He was particularly<br />
concerned that <strong>the</strong> plants <strong>of</strong> Nauru and <strong>the</strong>ir cultural uses be recorded before such<br />
k<strong>no</strong>wledge was lost.<br />
We also ack<strong>no</strong>wledge Mr. Lisle Newby, <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>n Director <strong>of</strong> Education, who,<br />
along with Joe Audoa, were <strong>the</strong> main supporters <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> project, and who provided<br />
valuable logistical support throughout. Special thanks are also given to our main local<br />
informants and assistants, <strong>the</strong> Reverend James Aingimea and <strong>the</strong> late Henry Michael<br />
Heine; and to Daphne Fotu, Jacob Gabwinare, Katarina Satto, Kenia Raidinen, Rey<strong>no</strong>ld<br />
Capelle, Eda Adam and Montiba Star, our main informants in relation to <strong>the</strong> cultural uses<br />
and Nauruan names <strong>of</strong> plants.<br />
Our thanks also go to <strong>the</strong> Ho<strong>no</strong>rable Lawrence Stephen, Minister <strong>of</strong> Education<br />
during part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> project; Obera Menke, Robert Kaierua, Leo Keke, Delilah Capelle,<br />
Eddie Borak, John Healy, Gary Bailey, Dennis and Ria Berdinner, Julie Olsson, Dennis<br />
Ketner, Sio Fotu, Pine Harrison, John Brechtefeld, Rene Harris, Porthos Bop, Jacob<br />
Aroi, Leon Thompson, Benjamin Morgan, Iosefa Elisala and Teaora Taba<strong>no</strong>u, all <strong>of</strong><br />
whom contributed in some way to <strong>the</strong> success <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> study. To o<strong>the</strong>rs who helped in any<br />
way during our study, we also give thanks.<br />
Thanks are also due to those people, who over <strong>the</strong> past 100 years, have collected<br />
and identified plants on Nauru; and to Saula Vodonaivalu <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> South Pacific Regional<br />
Herbarium <strong>of</strong> The University <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> South Pacific, Suva, Fiji who identified, preserved<br />
and is <strong>the</strong> curator <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> herbarium specimens collected by Thaman, Manner and Hassall.<br />
Without <strong>the</strong>ir efforts, this <strong>flora</strong>, would have been impossible. Similarly, we would like to<br />
thank The University <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> South Pacific for <strong>the</strong> support it has provided throughout <strong>the</strong><br />
duration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> study, both as <strong>the</strong> institution where <strong>the</strong> study was initiated and completed<br />
and as Nauru's own university <strong>of</strong> which it is one <strong>of</strong> twelve regional member countries.<br />
In addition to <strong>the</strong> above ack<strong>no</strong>wledgements, Fosberg wants to mention <strong>the</strong><br />
substantial assistance given him during his week-long visit to Nauru in 1983 This visit<br />
was at <strong>the</strong> invitation <strong>of</strong> Mr. Richard Wood, accountant for <strong>the</strong> Nauru government, who<br />
made <strong>the</strong> arrangements for <strong>the</strong> visit and who served as guide during <strong>the</strong> first day,<br />
reaching areas <strong>no</strong>t o<strong>the</strong>rwise accessible. The success <strong>of</strong> this visit was also made<br />
possible by transport and guidance by Mrs. Joan Nichols <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Australian High Commis-<br />
sion's <strong>of</strong>fice. In her company much <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> interior <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> island and some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> local<br />
gardens were visited and many plant specimens were ga<strong>the</strong>red. The success <strong>of</strong> this visit
was largely due to <strong>the</strong> two people mentioned above, and <strong>the</strong>ir company in <strong>the</strong> field was<br />
much enjoyed and appreciated. Many thanks!<br />
Finally, we wish to express our heartfelt thanks to <strong>the</strong> people <strong>of</strong> Nauru whose<br />
warmth and hospitality made our work on <strong>the</strong>ir beautiful but damaged island so enjoyable<br />
and worthwhile.<br />
To all <strong>of</strong> you, TUBWA KOR,<br />
R.R Thaman, F.R. Fosberg, H.I. Manner and D.C. Hassall<br />
Suva, Fiji<br />
June 1993
CONTENTS<br />
PART I: INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS OF THE<br />
VEGETATION AND FLORA<br />
INTRODUCTION<br />
PREVIOUS STUDIES<br />
CURRENT STUDY<br />
BACKGROUNDONNAURU<br />
Physical Environment<br />
The People<br />
Development History<br />
Contemporary Eco<strong>no</strong>my<br />
Impact on <strong>the</strong> Flora<br />
VEGETATION TYPES<br />
Coastal Strand Vegetation<br />
Mangroves and Coastal Marsh Vegetation<br />
Relict Stands <strong>of</strong> Inland Forest<br />
Limestone Escarpment or Pinnacle Vegetation<br />
Coconut-Palm- and Pandanus-Dominated<br />
Agricultural Lands<br />
Houseyard Gardens and Urban Vegetation<br />
Ruderal Vegetation<br />
Phosphate-Mined Lands<br />
THE FLORA<br />
Nature <strong>of</strong> Indige<strong>no</strong>us Species<br />
Comparison with O<strong>the</strong>r Island Floras<br />
Nature <strong>of</strong> Exotic Species<br />
ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL UTILITY OF EXISTING FLORAS<br />
GONCLUSION<br />
PAGE
PART 11: A COMPILATION OF THE VASCULAR FLORA OF NAURU<br />
KEY<br />
LatinIScientific Names<br />
Family<br />
Common Names<br />
Vernacular Names<br />
Antiquity Status<br />
Geographical Origin<br />
Abundance or Frequency Occurrence<br />
Species Description<br />
Uses and Cultural Utility<br />
Collectors and Herbarium Specimens<br />
VASCULAR PLANTS OF NAURU<br />
PTERIDOPHYTA (Ferns and Fern Allies)<br />
ASPLENIACEAE<br />
DAVALLIACEAE<br />
OPHIOGLOSSACEAE<br />
POLYPODIACEAE<br />
PSILOTACEAE<br />
PTERIDACEAE<br />
GYMNOSPERMAE (Gym<strong>no</strong>sperms)<br />
ARAUCARIACEAE<br />
CYCADACEAE<br />
ANGIOSPERMAE (Angiosperms or Flowering Plants)<br />
MONOCOTYLEDONAE<br />
ARACEAE<br />
ARECACEAEIPALMAE<br />
BROMELIACEAE<br />
CANNACEAE<br />
COMMELINACEAE<br />
CYPERACEAE<br />
DIOSCOREACEAE<br />
IRIDACEAE<br />
LILIACEAE (Including Agavaceae and Amaryllidaceae)
MARANTACEAE<br />
MUSACEAE<br />
ORCHIDACEAE<br />
PANDANACEAE<br />
POACEAE OR GRAMINEAE<br />
PONTEDERIACEAE<br />
STRELITZIACEAE<br />
TACCACEAE<br />
ZINGIBERACEAE<br />
DICOTYLEDONAE<br />
ACANTHACEAE<br />
AMARANTHACEAE<br />
ANACARDIACEAE<br />
ANNONNACEAE<br />
APIACEAE OR UMBELLIFERAE<br />
APOCYNACEAE<br />
AQUIFOLIACEAE<br />
ARALIACEAE<br />
ASCLEPIADACEAE<br />
ASTERACEAE OR COMPOSITAE<br />
BALSAMINACEAE<br />
BASELLACEAE<br />
BEGONIACEAE<br />
BIGNONIACEAE<br />
BOMBACEAE<br />
BORAGINACEAE<br />
BRASSICACEAE OR CRUCIFERAE<br />
CACTACEAE<br />
CAPPARIDACEAE OR CAPPARACEAE<br />
CARICACEAE<br />
CASUARINACEAE<br />
CHENOPODIACEAE<br />
CLUSIACEAE OR GU?TIFERAE<br />
COMBRETACEAE<br />
CONVOLVULACEAE<br />
CRASSULACEAE<br />
CUCURBITACEAE<br />
ERICACEAE<br />
EUPHORBIACEAE<br />
FABACEAE OR LEGUMINOSAE<br />
GENTIANACEAE<br />
GERANIACEAE
GESNERIACEAE<br />
GOODENIACEAE<br />
HERNANDIACEAE<br />
LAMIACEAE OR LABIATAE<br />
LAURACEAE<br />
LECYTHIDACEAE<br />
LYTHRACEAE<br />
MALPIGHIACEAE<br />
MALVACEAE<br />
MELIACEAE<br />
MORACEAE<br />
MORINGACEAE<br />
MYRTACEAE<br />
NYMPHAEACEAE<br />
NYCTAGINACEAE<br />
OLEACEAE<br />
ONAGRACEAE<br />
OXALIDACEAE<br />
PASSIFLORACEAE<br />
PIPERACEAE<br />
POLYGALACEAE<br />
POLYGONACEAE<br />
PORTULACACEAE<br />
RHAMNACEAE<br />
RHIZOPHORACEAE<br />
ROSACEAE<br />
RUBIACEAE<br />
RUTACEAE<br />
SAPINDACEAE<br />
SAPOTACEAE<br />
SAXIFRAG ACEAE<br />
SCROPHULARIACEAE<br />
SOLANACEAE<br />
STERCULIACEAE<br />
SURIANACEAE<br />
TILIACEAE<br />
URTICACEAE<br />
VERBENACEAE<br />
VITACEAE<br />
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Table 1.<br />
Table 2.<br />
Table 3.<br />
Table 4.<br />
Appendix I.<br />
LIST OF TABLES<br />
Antiquity status <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Nauru<br />
Species indige<strong>no</strong>us or possibly indige<strong>no</strong>us<br />
to Nauru<br />
Frequency <strong>of</strong> use for specified purposes <strong>of</strong> plant<br />
species present in Nauru<br />
Species <strong>of</strong> particular cultural utility on Nauru<br />
LIST OF APPENDICES<br />
Class, subclass, family and antiquity status <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
vascular <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Nauru<br />
Appendix 11. Nature and ecological and cultural (eth<strong>no</strong>botanical)<br />
importance <strong>of</strong> coastal plant species <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
tropical Pacific Ocean
THE FLORA OF NAURU<br />
A COMPILATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE VEGETATION AND FLORA OF<br />
THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC OCEAN ISLAND OF NAURU<br />
BY<br />
R.R. THAMAN1, F.R. FOSBERG2, H.I. MANNER3 AND D.C. HASSALL4<br />
PART I.<br />
INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS OF THE VEGETATION AND<br />
FLORA<br />
The recorded <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> raised phosphatic limestone island <strong>of</strong> Nauru in <strong>the</strong><br />
equatorial Pacific Ocean consists <strong>of</strong> approximately 493 species. Only 59 are possibly<br />
indige<strong>no</strong>us, <strong>no</strong>ne <strong>of</strong> which are endemic. The balance is composed <strong>of</strong> ornamentals, weedy<br />
exotics, food plants, and a limited number <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r useful cultigens. Twelve <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
recorded species are ei<strong>the</strong>r extinct or were never successfully established on Nauru. Long<br />
human settlement, expansion <strong>of</strong> coconut mo<strong>no</strong>culture during <strong>the</strong> colonial period,<br />
widespread destruction during World War 11, and almost a century <strong>of</strong> open-cast phos-<br />
phate mining, have led to serious vegetation degradation, disturbance, and displacement<br />
l. Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Pacific Islands Biogeography, Department <strong>of</strong> Geography, School <strong>of</strong> Social<br />
and Eco<strong>no</strong>mic Development, The University <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> South Pacific, Suva, Fiji.<br />
2. Emeritus Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Botany, Botany Department, National Museum <strong>of</strong> Natural<br />
History, <strong>Smithsonian</strong> <strong>Institution</strong>, Washington D. C.<br />
3. Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Geography, College <strong>of</strong> Arts and Sciences, Department <strong>of</strong> Social Science<br />
and Anthropology, University <strong>of</strong> Guam, Mangilao, Guam.<br />
4. Former Senior Lecturer in Biology, University <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> South Pacific, Suva, Fiji.<br />
Manuscript received 12 July 1993; revised 6 August 1993.
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us <strong>flora</strong>. Although greatly outnumbered by exotics, indige<strong>no</strong>us species still<br />
dominate some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> most disturbed habitats, as well as constituting <strong>the</strong> most culturally-<br />
utilitarian and ecologically-importan t species.<br />
The <strong>flora</strong> is in two parts. PART I: INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS OF THE<br />
VEGETATION AND FLORA, includes a brief discussion <strong>of</strong>: 1) previous studies and <strong>the</strong><br />
current study; 2) <strong>the</strong> physical environment, people, development history and contem-<br />
porary eco<strong>no</strong>my <strong>of</strong> Nauru; 3) <strong>the</strong> nature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> existing <strong>flora</strong> and vegetation associations<br />
<strong>of</strong> Nauru; and, 4) an analysis <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ecological and cultural importance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>flora</strong> in <strong>the</strong><br />
context <strong>of</strong> modern small-island development.<br />
PART 11: A COMPILATION OF THE VASCULAR FLORA OF NAURU,<br />
consists <strong>of</strong> a listing <strong>of</strong> all vascular plants reported to have been present on Nauru, along<br />
with relevant information on each species. Although a number <strong>of</strong> persons have collected<br />
plants on Nauru over <strong>the</strong> past century, this constitutes <strong>the</strong> first extensive <strong>flora</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
vascular plants <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> island. The plants are listed in alphabetical order by family and<br />
species within families, starting with <strong>the</strong> ferns and gym<strong>no</strong>sperms and <strong>the</strong>n angiosperms,<br />
with mo<strong>no</strong>cotyledons listed first. Information on each species, variety or subspecies<br />
includes: 1) scientific (Latin) name and sy<strong>no</strong>nyms; 2) common (mainly English) name<br />
(s); 3) Nauruan, Kiribati, Tuvaluan, Chinese (Cantonese), Filipi<strong>no</strong> and Solomon Island<br />
names, when available; 4) origin; 5) antiquity status (i.e., whe<strong>the</strong>r a species is indige<strong>no</strong>us<br />
to Nauru, an aboriginal introduction, an early post-European-contact introduction or a<br />
recent post-World War I1 introduction; 6) its status in terms <strong>of</strong> abundance (i.e., whe<strong>the</strong>r<br />
it is abundant, common, rare, extinct, etc); 7) a detailed botanical description; 8) its<br />
habitat or distribution on Nauru; and 9) its cultural or eth<strong>no</strong>botanical importance.<br />
PREVIOUS STUDIES<br />
Although collections and observations <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>flora</strong> have been made on Nauru by<br />
Finch prior to 1900; Burges in 1933; Fosberg in 1980; Scully in 1980; Thaman, Hassall<br />
and Manner in 1980 and 1981; Thaman and Manner in 1987; Swarbrick in 1988; and<br />
Raulerson in <strong>the</strong> early 1980s, little has been published. The only substantial publications<br />
on Nauru's vegetation include studies by Manner, Thaman and Hassall (1984 and 1985)<br />
on vegetation changes induced by phosphate mining; a list <strong>of</strong> Nauruan plant names by<br />
Thaman, Manner and Hassall (1985); and <strong>the</strong> "Vegetation <strong>of</strong> Nauru and <strong>the</strong> Gilbert<br />
Islands" by Thaman (1992). Fosberg, Sachet and Oliver's "A geographical checklist <strong>of</strong><br />
Micronesian Dicotyledonae" (1979); "Geographical checklist <strong>of</strong> Micronesian Pteridophyta<br />
and gym<strong>no</strong>sperms" (1982); and "A geographical checklist <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Micronesian Mo<strong>no</strong>-<br />
cotyledonae" (1987), are also important and list most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> species cited and specimens<br />
examined prior to 1980.
CURRENT STUDY<br />
The current study is based on an in-depth analysis <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> above sources; five-<br />
weeks fieldwork, including two visits by R.R. Thaman, H.I. Manner and D.C Hassall <strong>of</strong><br />
The University <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> South Pacific, Suva, Fiji in Nauru in 1980, 1981; one week each<br />
by Thaman and Hassall in 1987; and a three-day visit by F.R. Fosberg <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Botany<br />
Department <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Smithsonian</strong> <strong>Institution</strong>, Washington, D.C. in 1987. During <strong>the</strong>se visits<br />
herbarium specimens were collected and identified and <strong>the</strong> Latin and vernacular names <strong>of</strong><br />
all plant species recorded and listed alphabetically. These lists were <strong>the</strong>n cross-checked,<br />
consolidated, amended and augmented, both during and after <strong>the</strong> field studies, using lists<br />
and names from previous studies. Information was also collected on <strong>the</strong> cultural uses<br />
(eth<strong>no</strong>botany) <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>flora</strong>.<br />
BACKGROUND ON NAURU<br />
Physical Environment<br />
The Republic <strong>of</strong> Nauru is an isolated, uplifted limestone island located 41 km<br />
south <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> equator at 166 deg 56 min E longitude, some 2000 km east-<strong>no</strong>r<strong>the</strong>ast <strong>of</strong><br />
Papua New Guinea, 4450 km south-sou<strong>the</strong>ast <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Philippines and an equal distance to<br />
<strong>the</strong> southwest <strong>of</strong> Hawaii. The nearest island is Banaba (Ocean Island), 300 km due east,<br />
which is part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Republic <strong>of</strong> Kiribati. The Gilbert Islands, <strong>the</strong> main islands <strong>of</strong><br />
Kiribati, lie a fur<strong>the</strong>r 400 km to <strong>the</strong> east.<br />
The island, with an area <strong>of</strong> only 22 km2, consists <strong>of</strong> a narrow coastal plain,<br />
ranging from 50 to 300 m wide, encircling a limestone escarpment rising some 30 m to<br />
<strong>the</strong> central plateau (See map <strong>of</strong> Nauru). The escarpment ranges in gradient from vertical<br />
cliffs to gradually-sloping areas <strong>of</strong> colluvial soil interspersed with limestone outcrops and<br />
pinnacles. The plateau, with a maximum elevation <strong>of</strong> 70 m, consists <strong>of</strong> a matrix <strong>of</strong> coral-<br />
limestone pinnacles and limestone outcrops, between which lie extensive deposits <strong>of</strong> soil<br />
and high-grade tricalcic phosphate rock (Viviani 1970, Tyrer 1963). Buada Lagoon, a<br />
landlocked brackish lake, and its associated fertile depression (about 12 ha in size), is<br />
located in <strong>the</strong> low-lying southwest-central portion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> island.<br />
Apart from Buada Lagoon, <strong>the</strong>re are <strong>no</strong> surface freshwater resources on Nauru,<br />
although <strong>the</strong>re are a few brackish ponds on <strong>the</strong> <strong>no</strong>r<strong>the</strong>ast <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> island and an underground<br />
lake in Moqua Cave in <strong>the</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>ast (Viviani 1970:4). The only significant<br />
permanent freshwater resource is groundwater in <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong> a "lens" <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>ten slightly<br />
brackish freshwater, hydrostatically "floating" on higher density saltwater beneath it. The<br />
height <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> freshwater - - -- lens above sea -- level -- and -<strong>the</strong> - level - - <strong>of</strong> - salinity vary -- in - relation to<br />
<strong>the</strong>-elevation, geology, texture and shape <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> island, and with <strong>the</strong>amount <strong>of</strong> water use<br />
and rainfall. Replenishment or recharge <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> lens is dependent on rainfall.
Climatically, Nauru is located in <strong>the</strong> dry belt <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> equatorial oceanic zone, with<br />
mean daily temperatures ranging from 26 to 32°C. Annual rainfall is extremely variable,<br />
averaging 1500 mm per year with a range <strong>of</strong> 300 to 4572 mm. Severe prolonged<br />
droughts are common and place severe stress on even <strong>the</strong> most hardy coastal strand<br />
species, lead to <strong>the</strong> death <strong>of</strong> <strong>no</strong>n-coastal exotics (such as breadfruit), and severely restrict<br />
<strong>the</strong> production <strong>of</strong> even coconut palms (Catala 1957). For example, in 1917 and 1918,<br />
during an unprecedented drought, when only 465 and 483 mm <strong>of</strong> rain fell, "thousands <strong>of</strong><br />
coconuts and o<strong>the</strong>r fruit trees died" (Griffiths 1923).<br />
The coastal soils <strong>of</strong> Nauru are among <strong>the</strong> poorest in <strong>the</strong> world. They are shallow,<br />
alkaline, coarse-textured and have carbonatic mineralogy. They are composed <strong>of</strong> a<br />
variable layer <strong>of</strong> organic matter and coral sand and fragments, which overlay a limestone<br />
platform. The coastal soils are only about 25 cm deep, and contain more coral gravel<br />
than sand in <strong>the</strong> lower horizons. Potassium levels are <strong>of</strong>ten extremely low, and pH values<br />
<strong>of</strong> up to 8.2 to 8.9 and high CaCO, levels make scarce trace elements, particularly iron<br />
(Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), unavailable to plants. Fertility is,<br />
<strong>the</strong>refore, highly dependent on organic matter for <strong>the</strong> concentration and recycling <strong>of</strong> plant<br />
nutrients, lowering soil pH, and for soil water retention in <strong>the</strong> excessively well-drained<br />
soils. Although levels <strong>of</strong> organic matter can be relatively high in undisturbed soils under<br />
natural vegetation, it can decrease dramatically as a result <strong>of</strong> clearance by fire or<br />
replacement by coconuts and o<strong>the</strong>r introduced plants (Morrison 1987ab).<br />
The plateau soils <strong>of</strong> Nauru vary from shallow soils, on <strong>the</strong> tops <strong>of</strong> limestone<br />
pinnacles, composed primarily <strong>of</strong> organic material and sand or dolomite, with very little<br />
phosphate, to deep phosphatic soils and sandy phosphatic rock, up to over 2 m deep<br />
between <strong>the</strong> pinnacles. Topsoils range from 10 to 25 or 30 cm in depth, overlaying a<br />
deeper material which is frequently reddish yellow and between 25 and 75 cm deep,<br />
changing to pinkish grey at greater depth. Undisturbed plateau soils have a high level <strong>of</strong><br />
organic material and are generally fertile. Calcium dominates <strong>the</strong> exchange complex and<br />
exchangeable magnesium is also high. Exchangeable potassium is low, while extractable<br />
phosphate values are generally high and sulphate moderate. The trace elements man-<br />
ganese, copper, cobalt and molybdenum levels are very low, and <strong>the</strong>se, plus iron and<br />
zinc, are rendered unavailable to plants under pH values >6.5 (Morrison 1987b).<br />
Around Buada Lagoon and in some poorly drained swampy areas near <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> escarpment on Nauru, <strong>the</strong>re are poorly developed, but relatively fertile, wet soils.<br />
The People<br />
The indige<strong>no</strong>us people <strong>of</strong> Nauru are Micronesians, who have probably inhabited<br />
<strong>the</strong> island for up to 3000 *I% ormore. Txere% some evi-dence <strong>of</strong> Melanesian, and<br />
possibly Polynesian, influence. The Nauruan language is quite distinct from all o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
Pacific languages, reportedly a fusion <strong>of</strong> elements from <strong>the</strong> Gilbert, Caroline, Marshall<br />
and Solomon Islands. Early this century <strong>the</strong>re was evidence <strong>of</strong> distinct racial types or
groups <strong>of</strong> mixed origin. The people were divided into twelve distinct, originally totemic,<br />
matrilineal clans, most <strong>of</strong> which spoke different dialects, some <strong>of</strong> which were still in<br />
evidence when trying to obtain vernacular plant names in <strong>the</strong> early 1980s. However, most<br />
dialects have become obsolete, having been replaced by <strong>the</strong> principle dialect, which was<br />
used for Bible translation by European missionaries early this century (Viviani 1970:4-7).<br />
The traditional subsistence eco<strong>no</strong>my <strong>of</strong> Nauru was based on coconut and pandanus<br />
as <strong>the</strong> main staples, a limited range <strong>of</strong> wild terrestrial food products, sea birds, such as<br />
<strong>the</strong> black <strong>no</strong>ddy tern (A<strong>no</strong>us tenuirostris) and a very wide range <strong>of</strong> fish and o<strong>the</strong>r marine<br />
foods. Milkfish or ibija (Cha<strong>no</strong>s cha<strong>no</strong>s) fry, collected from <strong>the</strong> reef at low tide, were<br />
farmed in family-owned divisions <strong>of</strong> Buada Lagoon to provide fish for special occasions<br />
and when o<strong>the</strong>r supplies failed. Their housing, tools, clothing, medicines, fuel, fishing<br />
equipment, ca<strong>no</strong>es, dyes, ornamentation, perfumes, toys and o<strong>the</strong>r material and many <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong>ir <strong>no</strong>n-material needs were satisfied from <strong>the</strong>ir environment, especially from plants.<br />
The Nauruan population suffered from introduced diseases against which <strong>the</strong>y had<br />
<strong>no</strong> natural resistance, and from incessant tribal warfare, with Nauruans numbering only<br />
1250 in 1910, a decline <strong>of</strong> 150 from <strong>the</strong> total <strong>of</strong> 1400 in 1840 and 300 less than recorded<br />
in <strong>the</strong> German census in 1905 (Viviani 1970:37).<br />
The estimated population <strong>of</strong> Nauru in <strong>the</strong> most recent census in 1983 was 8042, <strong>of</strong><br />
whom 4964 were Nauruan, with <strong>the</strong> balance comprised mainly <strong>of</strong> I-Kiribati (people <strong>of</strong><br />
Kiribati, formerly <strong>the</strong> Gilbert Islands <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> British Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony),<br />
Tuvaluan, Chinese, Filipi<strong>no</strong> or Solomon Island contract workers in <strong>the</strong> phosphate<br />
industry. There are also European, Indian and Pacific island expatriates working mainly<br />
for <strong>the</strong> Nauruan Government. The Nauruans live on <strong>the</strong> coastal strip and around Buada<br />
Lagoon, <strong>the</strong> phosphate workers in <strong>the</strong> Nauru Phosphate Company dormitory accom-<br />
modation at Location near <strong>the</strong> phosphate loading cantilevers, and <strong>the</strong> expatriate civil<br />
servants in residential areas on <strong>the</strong> escarpment. The town center is located between <strong>the</strong><br />
airport and Location near <strong>the</strong> cantilevers (Figure I), with most government <strong>of</strong>fices near<br />
<strong>the</strong> airport.<br />
Development History<br />
After <strong>the</strong> first recorded European sightings <strong>of</strong> Nauru by John Fearn <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> British<br />
Ship Hunter in 1798 who named it "Pleasant Island", <strong>the</strong>re was little regular contact with<br />
<strong>the</strong> island until <strong>the</strong> 1830s when British and American whalers made regular stops for<br />
water and food, and beachcombers arrived. The beachcombers, with <strong>the</strong> introduction <strong>of</strong><br />
new weaponry, intensified a period <strong>of</strong> almost incessant clan warfare. At <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
beginning-<strong>of</strong>- formal donid- influence--when Nauru was incorporated into Germany's<br />
Marsha11 Islands Protectorate in 1888, <strong>the</strong> island "had <strong>the</strong> appearance <strong>of</strong> a battlefield"<br />
(Viviani 1970:22). In 1919, after WorId War I, Nauru became a League <strong>of</strong> Nations<br />
mandate <strong>of</strong> Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand, administered by Australia. Nauru<br />
became independent in 1968.
Apart from <strong>the</strong> provisioning <strong>of</strong> whaling vessels, mainly with fish, pigs and<br />
coconuts, <strong>the</strong> first regular <strong>no</strong>n-traditional eco<strong>no</strong>mic activity was a sporadic copra trade<br />
established in <strong>the</strong> 1880s. By <strong>the</strong> late 1880s Nauru produced about one million pounds <strong>of</strong><br />
copra annually, one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> main reasons that Germany, on <strong>the</strong> recommendation <strong>of</strong><br />
resident German traders, annexed <strong>the</strong> island in 1888. In <strong>the</strong> 1890s, due to drought and<br />
infrequency <strong>of</strong> ships, <strong>the</strong> copra trade failed to reach its potential with Nauruans refusing<br />
to make more copra than needed to pay <strong>the</strong>ir taxes (Viviani 1970; Carter 1984).<br />
The strategic and eco<strong>no</strong>mic importance <strong>of</strong> Nauru increased dramatically with <strong>the</strong><br />
discovery, in 1900, <strong>of</strong> high grade phosphate rock, containing up to 78 per cent tricalcic<br />
phosphate. The mining <strong>of</strong> phosphate, without approval <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us inhabitants,<br />
began in 1907. Caroline Islanders and Chinese contract-laborers were recruited to mine<br />
<strong>the</strong> deposits. Since <strong>the</strong>n, I-Kiribati, Tuvaluan, Filipi<strong>no</strong> and Solomon Islands contract<br />
workers have been recruited to work in <strong>the</strong> phosphate industry. The deposits have been<br />
mined continuously since 1907, except for disruptions during World War I and again<br />
during World War 11. Copra production continued to fluctuate, with over 300 tons having<br />
been exported <strong>the</strong> year before <strong>the</strong> phosphate trade began in 1906, 277 tons in 1916, and<br />
falling to only 10 tons in 1918 due to a prolonged drought (Viviani, 1970: 22-38).<br />
With <strong>the</strong> beginning <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> phosphate trade, <strong>the</strong> whole pattern <strong>of</strong> Nauruan life<br />
began to change. Although barter continued, money became <strong>the</strong> medium <strong>of</strong> exchange,<br />
and trade stores with <strong>the</strong>ir array <strong>of</strong> goods, fur<strong>the</strong>r encouraged <strong>the</strong> trend. As Viviani<br />
(1970:38) argues:<br />
Old crafts such as mat making began to be forgotten as woven<br />
materials become available. Rites and customs were debased.<br />
Faced on all sides by <strong>the</strong> white man's attempt to dominate <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
environment and <strong>the</strong> disintegration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir culture, <strong>the</strong> Nauruans<br />
sought a new orientation for <strong>the</strong>ir lives. They could <strong>no</strong> longer<br />
follow <strong>the</strong> old ways completely and so settled for a combination<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> basic elements <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> old culture, clinging strongly to<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir family life, and some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> advantages <strong>of</strong> Western civili-<br />
sation. They were able to achieve this because, although royal-<br />
ties were low - only about 230 Pounds Sterling per annum at<br />
this time for <strong>the</strong> whole population - this money, toge<strong>the</strong>r with<br />
land rents and some return from copra, freed <strong>the</strong>m from <strong>the</strong><br />
necessity <strong>of</strong> working on <strong>the</strong> phosphate fields to pay <strong>the</strong>ir taxes.<br />
The most disruptive period for Nauru was World War 11, during which <strong>the</strong> island<br />
was cnntinuously bombed b y Japanese- and Americans planesJ3eginning in 1940,five<br />
phosphate vessels were sunk <strong>of</strong>f Nauru and <strong>the</strong> island shelled by German warships.<br />
Nauru was again bombed by Japanese planes in 1941 and 1942 prior to Japanese<br />
occupation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> island. After a Japanese military airstrip was completed in 1943, <strong>the</strong><br />
island was bombed almost continuously by Allied planes. By <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> 1943, due to <strong>the</strong>
importation <strong>of</strong> at least 3000 Japanese marines, some 1500 Japanese and Korean laborers,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> relocation <strong>of</strong> 700 Banabans to Nauru, <strong>the</strong> food situation became so serious that<br />
1201 Nauruans, seven Chinese and two priests were deported to Truk. Malnutrition and<br />
dysentery were widespread. Allied bombings increased considerably until <strong>the</strong> Japanese<br />
surrender to an Australian occupation force in 1945. At this time, <strong>of</strong> nearly 5200 people,<br />
only 591 were Nauruan, and <strong>the</strong> destruction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> phosphate works and buildings on<br />
Nauru was almost total. The 737 Nauruans who had <strong>no</strong>t died under <strong>the</strong> harsh conditions<br />
imposed by <strong>the</strong> Japanese in Truk returned home in 1946 (Viviani 1970; Carter 1984). As<br />
argued by Viviani (1970:85):<br />
The Japanese had destroyed <strong>the</strong> Nauruan's homes, schools, and<br />
churches, placed <strong>the</strong>m on a semi-starvation level and destroyed<br />
much <strong>of</strong> what was left <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir old way <strong>of</strong> life. The deportation<br />
<strong>of</strong> two-thirds <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Nauruans and <strong>the</strong> death <strong>of</strong> nearly 500,<br />
mostly <strong>the</strong> old and <strong>the</strong> young, left <strong>the</strong> society after <strong>the</strong> war with<br />
a gap in generations and a disruption <strong>of</strong> family life. Again <strong>the</strong><br />
Nauruan population had fallen well below <strong>the</strong> 1,500 level which<br />
<strong>the</strong> Nauruans <strong>the</strong>mselves regarded as a minimum for survival.<br />
Contemporary Eco<strong>no</strong>my<br />
Nauru's sole export continues to be phosphate, with <strong>the</strong> sporadic export <strong>of</strong> copra<br />
having ceased in <strong>the</strong> 1950s. Phosphate earnings have made Nauru among <strong>the</strong> wealthiest<br />
nations in <strong>the</strong> world in terms <strong>of</strong> per capita income, although <strong>the</strong> distribution <strong>of</strong> wealth is<br />
uneven due to unequal land rights to phosphate deposits. Nauru is considered totally<br />
urbanized, with Nauruans having almost completely abandoned subsistence production,<br />
except for <strong>the</strong> harvest <strong>of</strong> coconuts and pandanus fruit for consumption; pandanus leaves<br />
for plaited ware; <strong>the</strong> acquisition <strong>of</strong> fish and o<strong>the</strong>r seafood; and <strong>the</strong> hunting <strong>of</strong> <strong>no</strong>ddy<br />
terns, which are considered a delicacy <strong>of</strong> chiefly status, and <strong>the</strong> capture and caring for <strong>of</strong><br />
frigate birds as pets, both traditional pastimes. Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> limited subsistence agricul-<br />
tural production is in <strong>the</strong> hands <strong>of</strong> immigrant communities.<br />
The establishment <strong>of</strong> its own heavily subsidized international airline, Air Nauru,<br />
in 1970, which flies to Asia, Australia, New Zealand and o<strong>the</strong>r Pacific islands, and <strong>the</strong><br />
extension <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> runway over <strong>the</strong> reef have accelerated <strong>the</strong> processes <strong>of</strong> urbanization and<br />
an increasing dependence on imported products. Of concern is <strong>the</strong> impact that <strong>the</strong><br />
destruction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> traditional subsistence food system, rapid urbanisation and <strong>the</strong> almost<br />
total dependence -- - on - nutritionally-poor<br />
-- ---- imported food and drink, including extremely high<br />
rates <strong>of</strong> alcohol consumption, have had-on <strong>the</strong>health<strong>of</strong> ~auruans, which have <strong>the</strong> among<br />
highest or most rapidly increasing rates in <strong>the</strong> world <strong>of</strong> obesity, dental disease, alcoholism<br />
and nutrition-related <strong>no</strong>n-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular<br />
disease, gout and hyperuricemia and liver cancer. All are causes <strong>of</strong> premature
mortality (Zimmet et al. 1977, 1978; Speake et al. 1979; Taylor 1983; Coyne 1984;<br />
Thaman 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988a).<br />
In terms <strong>of</strong> Nauru's eco<strong>no</strong>mic future, <strong>the</strong> phosphate deposits on Nauru are<br />
projected to be depleted shortly after <strong>the</strong> turn <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> century. Fortunately, a significant<br />
proportion <strong>of</strong> recent phosphate returns have been wisely invested in overseas properties,<br />
businesses and investment funds to provide income in post-phosphate-mining Nauru. A<br />
fur<strong>the</strong>r source <strong>of</strong> income is derived from Nauru's status as a "financial center" or "tax<br />
haven" for overseas companies wishing to register <strong>the</strong>re. Finally, negotiations and<br />
litigation arising out <strong>of</strong> a recent Commission <strong>of</strong> Inquiry into <strong>the</strong> Rehabilitation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Worked-out Phosphate Lands in Nauru to determine culpability and <strong>the</strong> extent <strong>of</strong> damages<br />
to <strong>the</strong> Nauruan culture and environment are currently in process and could lead to<br />
substantial payments to Nauru and <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> plans for <strong>the</strong> rehabilitation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
island.<br />
Impact on <strong>the</strong> Flora<br />
Due to environmental factors described above - extreme isolation from major plant<br />
source regions, small island size, extremely poor soils, and climatic and physiological<br />
drought - <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Nauru is among <strong>the</strong> poorest and most restricted on<br />
earth. Moreover, <strong>the</strong> long settlement history, widespread destruction during World War<br />
11, mo<strong>no</strong>cultural expansion <strong>of</strong> coconut palms as <strong>the</strong> sole cash crop, increasing ur-<br />
banization and contact with, and importation <strong>of</strong> plants from <strong>the</strong> outside world, and over<br />
75 years <strong>of</strong> open-cast phosphate mining (in Nauru and Banaba), have all played a role in<br />
<strong>the</strong> serious degradation, disturbance, and displacement <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us <strong>flora</strong> and<br />
vegetation.<br />
VEGETATION TYPES<br />
The terrestrial primary vegetation types <strong>of</strong> Nauru are limited to:<br />
1. coastal strand vegetation;<br />
2. limited areas <strong>of</strong> mangroves and coastal marsh vegetation;<br />
3. relict stands <strong>of</strong> inland forest; and,<br />
4. limestone escarpment or pinnacle vegetation.<br />
Secondary and cultural vegetation types include:<br />
1. coconut-palm-dominated lands under various degrees <strong>of</strong> maintenance;
2. houseyard gardens and urban vegetation;<br />
3. extensive and variable areas <strong>of</strong> ruderal vegetation; and,<br />
4. three-quarters <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> entire island under severely-modified disclimax<br />
vegetation in various stages <strong>of</strong> succession after some 80 years <strong>of</strong> open-cast<br />
phosphate mining.<br />
These vegetation types will each be described in turn.<br />
Coastal Strand Vegetation<br />
The coastal strand vegetation <strong>of</strong> Nauru has been severely modified as a result <strong>of</strong>:<br />
1) thousands <strong>of</strong> years <strong>of</strong> human habitation and selective removal <strong>of</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us species for<br />
construction, boatbuilding, firewood and o<strong>the</strong>r purposes; 2) <strong>the</strong> expansion <strong>of</strong> mo<strong>no</strong>cul-<br />
turd coconut groves for export production <strong>of</strong> copra; 3) <strong>the</strong> expansion <strong>of</strong> coastal set-<br />
tlements which occupy most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> coastal plain; and, 4) <strong>the</strong> widespread practice <strong>of</strong><br />
allowing pigs to forage freely along beach flats (Viviani 1970).<br />
The dominant species in <strong>the</strong> outer coastal zone in Nauru include <strong>the</strong> herbaceous<br />
species Lepturus repens, Cyperus javanicus, Ipomoea pes-caprae and Vigna marina; <strong>the</strong><br />
woody species, Scaevola taccada, Tournefortia argentea and Morinda citrifolia, plus <strong>the</strong><br />
aboriginal introduction, Cocos nucifera. Species common on rocky limestone outcrops<br />
along <strong>the</strong> coast include <strong>the</strong> same species plus Polypodium scolopendria, Capparis<br />
cordifolia, Clerodendrum inerme, Terminalia catappa and Calophyllum i<strong>no</strong>phyllum.<br />
Species present on <strong>no</strong>n-rocky, somewhat disturbed inland coastal sites between <strong>the</strong> strand<br />
and <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> escarpment include Hibiscus tiliaceus, Cocos nucifera, Premna<br />
serratifolia, Calophyllum i<strong>no</strong>phyllum, Pandanus tectorius, Morinda citrifolia, Terminalia<br />
catappa, Ochrosia elliptica, and isolated specimens <strong>of</strong> Barringtonia asiatica, Thespesia<br />
populnea and Hern.andia nymphaeifolia. Shrubby species include Scaevola taccada,<br />
Colubrina asiatica, Abutilon indicum and Phyllanthus societatis; herbaceous species<br />
include Cyperus javan.icus, Digitaria setigera, Vigna marina, Ipomoea macrantha and <strong>the</strong><br />
ferns, Polypodium scolopendria and Nephrolepis biserrata. Caesalpinia bonduc, Euphor-<br />
bia chamissonis, Sida fallax and Triumfetta procumbens are scarce, but were probably<br />
more abundant in <strong>the</strong> past.<br />
Mangroves and Coastal Marsh Vegetation<br />
- Shallow--water habitats with muddy- bouoms and protected from strong wave action<br />
are extremely limited on Nauru. Although reportedly present in <strong>the</strong> past around Buada<br />
Lagoon, Nauru's single mangrove species, Bruguiera gym<strong>no</strong>rhiza, is ROW restricted to a<br />
system <strong>of</strong> landlocked brackish ponds or small lagoons near <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> escarpment in<br />
Menen, Anabar and Anetan Districts. The largest concentration is found around Araro
Lake in Anetan. Fosberg (c. 1972) also reports <strong>the</strong> occurrence <strong>of</strong> B. gym<strong>no</strong>rhiza in similar<br />
landlocked ponds, sink-holes and small inland swamps in Palau.<br />
O<strong>the</strong>r species commonly associated with mangroves and present in Nauru include<br />
Derris tnifolia, encountered on limestone outcrops, and Vitex negundo, which is present<br />
in depressions near <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> escarpment in Menen District.<br />
The swampy areas surrounding Buada lagoon and near <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> escarpment<br />
on Nauru are dominated by Cyperus javanicus and C. compressus, with one specimen <strong>of</strong><br />
Ludwigia octovalvis collected from a coastal depression.<br />
Relict Stands <strong>of</strong> Inland Forest<br />
In terms <strong>of</strong> relict stands <strong>of</strong> primary inland forest on Nauru, <strong>the</strong>re seem to be two<br />
distinct types: 1) plateau forest, which probably covered up to 90 per cent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> island<br />
before <strong>the</strong> onset <strong>of</strong> phosphate mining, and 2) escarpment forest, including forest on<br />
unmined limestone outcrops or pinnacles on <strong>the</strong> plateau.<br />
The former, four-fifths <strong>of</strong> which has been removed during phosphate mining, is<br />
dominated almost entirely by 16 m-tall Calophyllum i<strong>no</strong>phyllum. Infrequent ca<strong>no</strong>py trees<br />
include Guettarda speciosa, Premna serratifolia and Terminalia catappa, with <strong>the</strong><br />
understorey dominated by Scaevola taccada, Morinda citnifolia and Dodonea viscosa, <strong>the</strong><br />
parasite Cassythafiliforrnis, Psilotum nudum, and <strong>the</strong> ferns, Polypodium scolopendria and<br />
Nephrolepis biserrata. Also occasional in open sites is Phyllanthus societatis. Exotic<br />
species dominant in disturbed sites include Psidium guajava, Lantana camara and two<br />
herbaceous species, Euphorbin hirta and Desmodium triflorum (Manner et al. 1984,<br />
1985).<br />
Limestone Escarpment or Pinnacle Vegetation<br />
The dominant species on <strong>the</strong> limestone cliffs <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> escarpment and on emergent<br />
pinnacles on Nauru is Ficus prolixa, with Terminalia catappa, Ochrosia elliptica and<br />
Guettarda speciosa constituting important second stratum species (Manner et al. 1985).<br />
Isolated relict stands <strong>of</strong> Barringronia asiatica and Pisonia grandis are also found along<br />
<strong>the</strong> crest <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> escarpment above Anibare Bay. The ferns, Nephrolepis biserrata and<br />
Polypodium scolopendria, and <strong>the</strong> liana, Ipomoea macrantha, are locally abundant, and<br />
<strong>the</strong> herb, Laportea ruderalis, is found in moist shady habitats at <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> escarpment.<br />
On <strong>the</strong> more gradually-sloping colluvial portions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> escarpment almost<br />
impenetrable-thiekets <strong>of</strong>--HibisewtiZ&e are- found, Uqde~storey- specks include<br />
Colubrina asiatica and Tacca kontopetaloides. In Anetan District, in <strong>the</strong> <strong>no</strong>rth (Figure<br />
I), Clerodendrum inerme festoons limestone outcrops and cliffs. In some areas <strong>the</strong> exotic
fruit trees, soursop and sweetsop (An<strong>no</strong>na muricata and A. squamosa) have become<br />
naturalised and constitute <strong>the</strong> dominant understorey species.<br />
Coconut-Palm- and Pandanus-Dominated Agricultural Lands<br />
As stressed above, coconuts and pandanus were <strong>the</strong> two most important staple<br />
crops in pre-European-contact Nauru. Coconut groves, although far less important today<br />
than in <strong>the</strong> past when copra was <strong>the</strong> main export, are still found in a number <strong>of</strong> sites on<br />
Nauru's coastal strip. In most cases, <strong>the</strong> plantations are comprised <strong>of</strong> randomly scattered<br />
trees <strong>of</strong> varying heights and ages. In poorly-maintained groves, coconut seedlings and<br />
fallen leaves and husks dominate <strong>the</strong> understorey.<br />
Planted groves <strong>of</strong> edible Pandanus tectorius cultivars in forest clearings, both on<br />
<strong>the</strong> plateau and on <strong>the</strong> more gradually sloping areas <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> escarpment, were also once a<br />
prominent feature <strong>of</strong> Nauru's traditional agricultural vegetation. Today, <strong>the</strong>y are<br />
restricted to a few relict groves, some <strong>of</strong> which were found to be present in <strong>the</strong> unmined<br />
areas <strong>of</strong> Anibar District in 1980.<br />
Houseyard Gardens and Urban Vegetation<br />
Although indige<strong>no</strong>us and aboriginally introduced species are important com-<br />
ponents, most houseyard gardens and urban vegetation are dominated by recently<br />
introduced exotic species. The high diversity <strong>of</strong> recently introduced exotics in Nauru is<br />
due mainly to <strong>the</strong> almost complete destruction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> subsistence eco<strong>no</strong>my, urbanization<br />
and increasing air transport contact with overseas sources <strong>of</strong> <strong>no</strong>n-quarantined planting<br />
materials.<br />
In indige<strong>no</strong>us Nauruan houseyard gardens <strong>the</strong> dominance <strong>of</strong> recently introduced<br />
ornamental species is very pro<strong>no</strong>unced, with some 118 <strong>of</strong> 140 species being classified as<br />
recent introductions. Indige<strong>no</strong>us species include Abutilon indicum, Barringtonia asiatica,<br />
Calophyllum i<strong>no</strong>phyllum, Cerbera rnanghas, Clerodendrum inerme, Cordia subcordata,<br />
Ficus prolixa, Guettarda speciosa , Morinda citrifolia, Ochrosia elliptica, Premna<br />
serratifolia and Terminalia catappa, which in some cases, such as with Cerbera manghas<br />
and Cordia subcordata, are only present today in Nauru in houseyard gardens. Common<br />
food plants include, in order <strong>of</strong> importance, coconut, breadfruit, bananas, pandanus,<br />
papaya, Citrus spp. and guava. Common ornamentals, found in at least four <strong>of</strong> 16 sample<br />
gardens, include Acalypha amentacea vars., Bougainvillea spp., Caesalpinia pulcherrima,<br />
Caladium bicolor, Casuarina equisetifolia , Catharanthus roseus, Codiaeum variegatum,<br />
Cordyline fruticosa, Crinum sip., ~elonix -- - -~~ regia, ~ Dicfenbachia<br />
~ ----- - ~~ spp., ~ibis&<br />
~ rosasinensis,<br />
Hosta plantaginea, Hym.en.ocallis littoralis, Ixora spp., Jasminum samba~,<br />
Jatropha integerrima, Nerium. oleander, Pen.tas spp., Plumeria spp., Polyscias spp.,<br />
Pseuderan<strong>the</strong>mum. carru<strong>the</strong>rsii, Sansevieria trifasciata , Tabernaemontana divaricata ,<br />
Tecoma stans and Th.un.bergia erecta.
The houseyard gardens <strong>of</strong> I-Kiribati, Tuvaluan, Chinese and Filipi<strong>no</strong> contract<br />
workers, and in <strong>the</strong> European and Indian expatriate communities <strong>of</strong> Nauru, are very<br />
different. Each reflect distinctive preferences in food and ornamental plants, and are<br />
commonly dominated by food plants. I-Kiribati and Tuvaluan gardens at Location, where<br />
<strong>the</strong>re is very little space for planting, usually consist <strong>of</strong> a single banana, coconut, papaya<br />
or breadfruit tree, or a few cassava, sweet potato, taro, tannia (Xanthosoma sagit-<br />
tifolium), pineapple, sugarcane, hibiscus spinach (Hibiscus manihot), or chilli (Capsicum<br />
frutescens) plants. All are <strong>of</strong>ten grown in boxed or fenced areas filled with imported soil<br />
or mulch. Chinese gardens at Location focus more on short-term vegetable plants, such<br />
as Chinese cabbages (Brassica spp.), onions and garlic (Allium spp.), amaranth spinach<br />
(Amaranthus spp.), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), long beans (Vigna sesquipedalis)<br />
and a range <strong>of</strong> cucurbits. Filipi<strong>no</strong> workers plant sweet potato, hyacinth bean (Dolichos<br />
lablab) and horseradish or drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera). European expatriates plant<br />
tomatoes, lettuce and parsley, whereas <strong>the</strong> expanding Indian expatriate community has<br />
planted eggplant (Solanum melongena), okra (Hibiscus esculentus), horseradish tree<br />
(Moringa oleifera) and bilimbi (Averrhoa belimbi). A similar range <strong>of</strong> food species are<br />
cultivated behind <strong>the</strong> workshops on Topside, although <strong>the</strong> areas under crops are greater,<br />
with some gardeners growing taro, tannia and giant swamp taro, employing <strong>the</strong> tradi-<br />
tional intensive mulching systems <strong>of</strong> Kiribati and Tuvalu (Thaman 1987a, 1988b).<br />
The balance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> "urban vegetation" is composed <strong>of</strong> many <strong>the</strong> same species<br />
which are occasionally planted as roadside trees or around government and Nauru<br />
Phosphate Corporation buildings and parking lots. The remaining area <strong>of</strong> extensive urban<br />
vegetation is <strong>the</strong> golf course in Aiwo District which is lined with trees, including<br />
Hibiscus tiliaceus, Thespesia populnea, but dominated by banyan trees (Ficus spp.).<br />
Ruderal Vegetation<br />
Extensive areas <strong>of</strong> highly disturbed ruderal vegetation in settlements, waste places,<br />
along roadsides and airstrips, and in areas associated with pre-mining vegetation<br />
clearance are found in Nauru. The dominant species in most areas are pioneering grasses,<br />
annuals and shrubby weedy species.<br />
Common species include; 1) <strong>the</strong> grasses, Cenchrus echinatus, Chloris inflata,<br />
Cy<strong>no</strong>don dactylon, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Digitaria spp., Eleusine indica, Eragrostis<br />
amabilis, Lepturus repens and Tricholaena rosea; 2) <strong>the</strong> sedges, Cyperus javanicus, C.<br />
rotundus and Fimbristylis cymosa (which, along with Digitaria setigera and Lepturus<br />
repens, are probably indige<strong>no</strong>us); and, 3) <strong>the</strong> herbaceous species, Ageratum conyzoides,<br />
Alysicarpus vaginalis, Amaranthus dubius, A. viridis, Bidens pilosa, Cassia occidentalis,<br />
Cleome<br />
- rutidosperma,<br />
- C. viscosa,<br />
--- Crotalaria goreensis, C. spectabilis, Desmodium<br />
tortuosum, Euphorbia spp., Hedyotis-cotjiibosa, Indig$cra- hifiuta, Malvastrum<br />
coromandelianum, Passijlora foetida, Phyllanthus amarus, Physalis spp., Portulaca<br />
oleracea, Sida rhombifolia, Spermacoce assurgens, Stachytarpheta urticifolia, Synedrella
<strong>no</strong>di<strong>flora</strong>, Tridax procumbens and Vemonia cinerea, plus <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us species,<br />
Phyllanthus societatis and <strong>the</strong> parasitic Cassytha filiformis.<br />
A few tree or tree-like species have become naturalized in dense stands in Nauru.<br />
Mangifera indica is dominant in dense forests behind residences in <strong>the</strong> Buada Lagoon<br />
depression; An<strong>no</strong>na muricata and A. squamosa, as mentioned above, form dense stands<br />
on gradually sloping areas <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> escarpment; Adenan<strong>the</strong>ra pavonina, Lantana camara<br />
var. aculeata, Leucaena leucocephala and Psidium guajava form dense stands or thickets<br />
between Buada Lagoon and <strong>the</strong> decalcination plant on <strong>the</strong> coastal strip in Aiwo District;<br />
and Casuarina equisetifolia and Muntingia calabura have colonized roadside areas and<br />
portions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> phosphate-mined area. Of particular interest, is <strong>the</strong> almost mo<strong>no</strong>specific<br />
colonization <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> large topsoil stockpile on Topside by <strong>the</strong> cucurbit, Lu#a cylindrica<br />
var. insularum.<br />
Phosphate-Mined Lands<br />
As a result <strong>of</strong> almost 80 years <strong>of</strong> open-cast phosphate mining, some three-quarters<br />
<strong>of</strong> Nauru is under severely-modified disclimax vegetation in various stages <strong>of</strong> succession.<br />
Prior to mining <strong>the</strong> vegetation is removed by bulldozer and <strong>the</strong> topsoil removed to expose<br />
<strong>the</strong> phosphate deposits which lie between coral-limestone pinnacles. The extraction <strong>of</strong><br />
phosphate <strong>the</strong>n causes dramatic changes in local relief, which varies between 4 and 8 m<br />
from <strong>the</strong> top <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> pinnacles to <strong>the</strong> pit bottoms, with about three to four pinnacles<br />
occurring within each 100 m2. Because mining is only about 20 per cent efficient,<br />
unconsolidated phosphate deposits remain in <strong>the</strong> pit bottoms and on <strong>the</strong> saddles and scree<br />
slopes between <strong>the</strong> pinnacles. These deposits (which might be mined at a later date) and<br />
<strong>the</strong> pinnacle surfaces, constitute <strong>the</strong> main sites for recolonization (Manner a d. 1984,<br />
1985).<br />
Although <strong>the</strong>re is widespread evidence that exotics commonly replace indige<strong>no</strong>us<br />
species in highly disturbed habitats, <strong>the</strong> Nauru study by Manner, Thaman and Hassall<br />
(1984, 1985) supports <strong>the</strong> conclusion <strong>of</strong> Mueller-Dombois (1975) that indige<strong>no</strong>us<br />
(pioneer) species are <strong>of</strong>ten better adapted to edaphically harsh environments, given <strong>the</strong><br />
cessation <strong>of</strong> human disturbance. Their study shows a very rapid colonization <strong>of</strong> mined<br />
areas by indige<strong>no</strong>us ferns and exotic herbs, followed by a fairly rapid replacement by<br />
native, primarily coastal strand, species.<br />
Early pioneer species include <strong>the</strong> <strong>no</strong>n-woody exotics, Alysicalpus vaginalis,<br />
Cleome rutidospema, Crotalaria goreensis, Emilia sonchifolia, Eragrostis amabilis,<br />
Euphorbia cyathophora, E. hirta, E. prostrata, Hedyotis corymbosa, Synedrella <strong>no</strong>di-<br />
<strong>flora</strong>, Tricholaena rosea, Tridax procumbens and Vemonia cinerea, plus <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us<br />
ferns,-Nephrolepk biserrata and Pdypodium scolopendZa. Of <strong>the</strong>se, only <strong>the</strong> Go ferns<br />
species, and Euphorbia hirta, E. prostrata, Tricholaena rosea, Tridax procumbens and<br />
Vemonia cinerea remain significant components <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>flora</strong> in <strong>the</strong> later stages -<br />
<strong>of</strong><br />
succession, usually in open disturbed sites. -
Species entering <strong>the</strong> succession early and remaining dominants in <strong>the</strong> 40- to 80-<br />
year-old sites include: <strong>the</strong> trees, Calophyllum i<strong>no</strong>phyllum, Dodonea viscosa, Ficus<br />
prolixa, Guettarda speciosa, Morinda citrifolia and Premna serratifolia; <strong>the</strong> shrubs,<br />
Phyllanthus societatis and Scaevola taccada; <strong>the</strong> grasses and sedges, Lepturus repens,<br />
Fimbristylis cymosa and Qperus javanicus; <strong>the</strong> parasite, Cassytha filiformis; and <strong>the</strong><br />
diminutive fern, Ophioglossum petiolatum, All are indige<strong>no</strong>us. Larger exotics found in<br />
<strong>the</strong> later stages <strong>of</strong> succession in more open habitats include Lantana camara, Psidium<br />
guajava and Stachytalpheta urticifolia.<br />
The study suggests that <strong>the</strong> potential natural disclimax vegetation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> open-cast<br />
mined plateau will probably be dominated by Calophyllum i<strong>no</strong>phyllum and Guettarda<br />
speciosa, with <strong>the</strong> epiphytic Ficus prolixa dominating <strong>the</strong> more ecologically severe<br />
pinnacle habitats. Morinda citrifolia, Premna serratifolia and <strong>the</strong> exotics, Lantana<br />
camara and Psidium guajava, could become important components <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> subca<strong>no</strong>py. The<br />
exotics, Casuarina equisetifolia (which is native to limestone habitats on o<strong>the</strong>r Pacific<br />
islands) and Muntingia calabura, both <strong>no</strong>w locally abundant in some mined areas, could<br />
enter into <strong>the</strong> succession as well.<br />
As argued by Manner et al. (1985), given <strong>no</strong> deliberate human intervention, <strong>the</strong><br />
succession to a disclimax vegetation association capable <strong>of</strong> sustaining human life will<br />
probably take "many thousands <strong>of</strong> years". It is stressed that it is ironic that Nauru's<br />
central plateau, from which Nauruans formerly obtained some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> necessities <strong>of</strong> life,<br />
will be a "topographic jungle" stripped <strong>of</strong> its natural vegetation, before <strong>the</strong> next century,<br />
in order to provide <strong>the</strong> phosphate needed to revive phosphate-poor soils to fuel <strong>the</strong><br />
development <strong>of</strong> Australia and New Zealand.<br />
THE FLORA<br />
Like <strong>the</strong> extremely limited, degraded and displaced vegetation types, <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us<br />
terrestrial <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Nauru exhibits extreme poverty and current numerical domination<br />
by exotics. Of a total <strong>of</strong> 493 species or hybrid cultivars reported to have been present on<br />
Nauru, only 59 (12%) are possibly indige<strong>no</strong>us (Tables 1 and 2). There are <strong>no</strong> reported<br />
endemics, reflecting <strong>the</strong> lack <strong>of</strong> habitat diversity and <strong>the</strong> predominance <strong>of</strong> ubiquitous,<br />
easily-dispersed pantropical or paleotropical coastal species. Two species (Achyran<strong>the</strong>s<br />
canescens and Tarenna sambucina are presumably <strong>no</strong>w extinct, Aidia cochinchinensis<br />
possibly <strong>no</strong>w extinct, and half (28) <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> remaining 56 species are severely restricted in<br />
distribution, endangered or possibly extinct, due to removal and severe habitat modification<br />
or limitation (Table 2). The high number <strong>of</strong> recent introductions in Nauru reflects its<br />
increasing contact with <strong>the</strong> outside world via its national airline, Air Nauru, increasing<br />
urbanization and <strong>the</strong> total absence <strong>of</strong> quarantine regulations.<br />
- - - - - -- -- - --<br />
-
Table 1. Antiquity status <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Nauru in terms <strong>of</strong> whe<strong>the</strong>r species are presumed<br />
to be indige<strong>no</strong>us to Nauru; aboriginal or recent post-European-contact introductions; or<br />
<strong>no</strong>w extinct.<br />
ClassIGenera Indige<strong>no</strong>us Aboriginal Recent Extinct Total<br />
Pteridoph ytes 8 - 3 - 11<br />
Gym<strong>no</strong>sperms - - 2 - 2<br />
Mo<strong>no</strong>cotyledons 6 2 137 - 145<br />
Dicotyledons 45 3 278 9 335<br />
Total 5 9 5 420 9 493<br />
In terms <strong>of</strong> diversity at <strong>the</strong> family level, only 97 vascular plant families are<br />
represented on Nauru (Appendix I). Of <strong>the</strong>se, only 33 are represented by indige<strong>no</strong>us<br />
species.<br />
The pteridophytes and gym<strong>no</strong>sperms are represented by six families, all <strong>of</strong> which<br />
are represented by an indige<strong>no</strong>us species. The Gym<strong>no</strong>sperms are represented by only two<br />
families, <strong>no</strong>ne <strong>of</strong> which are indige<strong>no</strong>us.<br />
The 145 mo<strong>no</strong>cotyledons fall into 18 families, only three <strong>of</strong> which, Cyperaceae,<br />
Pandanaceae and Poaceae, are indige<strong>no</strong>us. Araceae, Liliaceae and Poaceae are <strong>the</strong> only<br />
families with over ten separate species (26, 34 and 26 respectively). O<strong>the</strong>r mo<strong>no</strong>cotyl-<br />
edon families represented by five <strong>of</strong> more species include Arecaceae, Commelinaceae,<br />
Cyperaceae, Marantaceae, Orchidaceae and Zingiberaceae. The majority <strong>of</strong> species from<br />
<strong>the</strong>se families are cultivated ornamentals, or in <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> Poaceae, weedy grasses.<br />
The dicotyledons are represented by 71 families, 25 <strong>of</strong> which are possibly indige-<br />
<strong>no</strong>us. Families represented by two or more indige<strong>no</strong>us species each are Apocynaceae,<br />
Boraginaceae, Capparidaceae, Convolvulaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae,<br />
Rubiaceae and Verbenaceae (see Part I1 and Appendix I).
Table 2. Species indige<strong>no</strong>us or possibly indige<strong>no</strong>us to Nauru (? = status uncertain,<br />
possibly an aboriginal or recent introduction; E = possibly extinct; e = endangered or<br />
rare).<br />
TypeISpecies Status<br />
PTERIDOPHYTES<br />
Asplenium nidus<br />
Nephrolepis biserrata<br />
Nephrolepis hirsutula<br />
Ophioglossum petiolatum<br />
Polypodium scolopendria<br />
Psilotum nudum<br />
Pteris tripartita<br />
Pyrrosia adnascens<br />
Subtotal<br />
HERBS<br />
Achyran<strong>the</strong>s canescens<br />
Heliotropium procumbens<br />
Laportea ruderalis<br />
Triumfetta procumbens<br />
Subtotal<br />
GRASSES AND SEDGES<br />
Qperus javanicus<br />
Digitaria setigera<br />
Fimbristylis cymosa<br />
Lepturus repens<br />
Ste<strong>no</strong>taphrum micranthrum<br />
Subtotal
VINES AND LIANAS<br />
Canavalia cathartics<br />
Canavalia rosea<br />
Capparis quinzjlora<br />
Cassytha jilijiormis<br />
Derris trifoliata<br />
Ipomoea littoralis<br />
Ipomoea macrantha<br />
Ipomoea pes-capme<br />
Vigna marina<br />
Subtotal<br />
SHRUBS<br />
Abutilon asiaticwn var. albescens<br />
Caesalpinia bonduc<br />
Capparis cordijiolia<br />
Clerodendrum inerme<br />
Colubrina asiatica<br />
Dodonaea viscosa<br />
Euphorbia chamissonis<br />
Phyllanthus societatis<br />
Scaevola taccada<br />
Sida fallax<br />
Suriana maritima<br />
Subtotal<br />
TREES<br />
Aidia cochinchinensis<br />
Barringtonia asiatica<br />
Bruguiera gym<strong>no</strong>rhiza<br />
Calop hyllurn i<strong>no</strong>phyllurn<br />
Cerbera rnanghas<br />
Cordia subcordata<br />
Erythrina -- variegata<br />
Fagraea bcrteriana<br />
Ficus prolixa<br />
~uettarda speciosa
Hemandia nymphaeifolia<br />
Hibiscus tiliaceus<br />
Morinda citrifolia<br />
Ochrosia elliptica<br />
Pandanus tectorius<br />
Pisonia grandis<br />
Premna serratifolia<br />
Tarenna sambucina<br />
Terminalia catappa<br />
Thespesia populnea<br />
Toumefortia argentea<br />
Vita negundo<br />
Subtotal<br />
TOTAL SPECIES<br />
Sources: An extensive review <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> available literature and personal records and<br />
observations by <strong>the</strong> authors; see in particular Thaman 1992; Manner, Thaman and<br />
Hassall 1984, 1985.<br />
Nature <strong>of</strong> Indige<strong>no</strong>us Species<br />
Of <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us species, eight are widespread pantropical or paleotropical<br />
pteridophytes, including Psilotum nudum, Polypodium scolopendria, Ophioglossum<br />
petiolatum, Pteris tripartita and Nephrolepis spp., with Pyrrosia adnascens, a common<br />
epiphyte, also present on Nauru (Table 2). Asplenium nidus, although almost certainly<br />
indige<strong>no</strong>us, was found only as an ornamental in houseyard gardens during <strong>the</strong> current<br />
study.<br />
There are <strong>no</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us gym<strong>no</strong>sperms, although <strong>the</strong> widespread Cycas circinalis is<br />
found in cultivation.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us mo<strong>no</strong>cotyledons are restricted to Pandanus tectorius, some cultivars <strong>of</strong><br />
which are undoubtedly aboriginal introductions, and a small range <strong>of</strong> sedges and grasses<br />
(Cyperaceae and Poaceae), some <strong>of</strong> which might be aboriginal or recent introductions.<br />
TG coconut palm (Cocos nucifcra) is classified as an aboriginal introduction. The grass<br />
Ste<strong>no</strong>taphrum .- --- micranthrum - (reported<br />
endangered or <strong>no</strong>w absent.<br />
present - by<br />
Fosberg et al. 1987) - is<br />
considered to be<br />
- ---
The dicotyledons are comprised almost exclusively <strong>of</strong> salt-tolerant, widely-<br />
dispersed, pantropical coastal species. Of <strong>the</strong> 42 herbaceous and woody dicotyledons, half<br />
(21) are endangered or rare (Table 1). Species such as Heliotropium procumbens,<br />
Laportia ruderalis, Triumfetta procumbens, Abutilon asiaticum , Caesalpinia bonduc,<br />
Euphorbia chamissonis, Sida fallax, Suriana maritima, Aidia cochinchinensis, Bar-<br />
ringtonia asiatica, Cerbera manghas, Erythrina variegata, Hemandia nymphaeifolia,<br />
Pisonia grandis, Thespesia populnea and Vitex negundo are represented by only a few<br />
remaining individuals, <strong>of</strong>ten in houseyard gardens, or by localized relict communities.<br />
Prior to widespread disturbance, Nauru would have undoubtedly had more species than it<br />
has at present.<br />
Comparison with O<strong>the</strong>r Island Floras<br />
The extreme poverty <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Nauru becomes more obvious when<br />
compared with estimates <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us <strong>flora</strong>s <strong>of</strong> island groups which are larger or<br />
closer to <strong>the</strong> Asian plant source region. The estimated number <strong>of</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us species for<br />
<strong>the</strong> following island groups are: Malaya (c. 20,000), Philippines (10,000), Bismarck<br />
Archipelago (700), Vanuatu (750), Fiji (more than 1, loo), Tonga (257), Samoa (548) and<br />
French Polynesia (600). Only extremely isolated small islands such as Easter Island and<br />
<strong>the</strong> three small <strong>atoll</strong>s <strong>of</strong> Tokelau, with indige<strong>no</strong>us <strong>flora</strong>s <strong>of</strong> 32 and 33 species respec-<br />
tively, have poorer <strong>flora</strong>s than Nauru (Good 1947 in Manner 1987, Parham 1971). When<br />
taken individually, <strong>the</strong> <strong>flora</strong>s <strong>of</strong> Pacific <strong>atoll</strong>s range from as few as three to perhaps 150<br />
indige<strong>no</strong>us species, compared to some Indian Ocean <strong>atoll</strong>s, nearer to continental areas,<br />
which have close to 300 indige<strong>no</strong>us species (Fosberg 1952).<br />
The floristic poverty <strong>of</strong> Nauru becomes even more pro<strong>no</strong>unced based on a<br />
comparison <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> frequency occurrence <strong>of</strong> 142 widespread coastal species in eleven<br />
Pacific island groups (see Appendix I1 and Thaman 1992). All <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> species considered<br />
have <strong>the</strong> ability to cope successfully in environments characterized by loose shifting<br />
sands, wave action, soil-less limestone and volcanic terraces and rock outcrops, high<br />
salinity, strong sunlight, strong winds, seaspray and associated physiological drought<br />
(Fosberg 1952, 1960) and, in some cases, periodic inundation and waterlogging, all<br />
conditions common in Nauru.<br />
The island groups analyzed ranged from large, geographically-older high island<br />
groups such as Fiji, composed <strong>of</strong> over 300 islands with a total area <strong>of</strong> 18,376 km2, to <strong>the</strong><br />
three small isolated <strong>atoll</strong>s <strong>of</strong> Tokelau with a total land area <strong>of</strong> only 12.2 km2. Also<br />
included in <strong>the</strong> comparison were high island groups with diverse habitats, such as Guam,<br />
a volcanic island with extensive areas <strong>of</strong> limestone and an area <strong>of</strong> 549 km2; Samoa and<br />
Hawaii, recent basaltic volcanic island groups, with little or <strong>no</strong> limestone; Palau, a group<br />
- - - -- - - - _ ___-----.- --_p_p---<strong>of</strong><br />
some 340 volcanic and uplifted limestone islands, including an <strong>atoll</strong>, Kayangel, and<br />
<strong>the</strong> raised phosphate island <strong>of</strong> Angaur, located only 850 km to <strong>the</strong> east <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Philippines;<br />
Tonga, a group <strong>of</strong> about 150 uplifted limestone and some volcanic islands, with a total<br />
area <strong>of</strong> 697 km2; Niue, an isolated uplifted limestone island, like Nauru, but with an area<br />
~
<strong>of</strong> 258 km2, and few beaches; and Makatea, an uplifted phosphatic island about <strong>the</strong> same<br />
area as Nauru, and like Nauru, with <strong>no</strong> protective barrier reefs or coastal lagoons<br />
(Thaman 1992).<br />
Although <strong>the</strong>se comparisons are strongly biased by <strong>the</strong> size and geologic age <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
islands, <strong>the</strong>ir distance from plant source areas and <strong>the</strong> unavailability <strong>of</strong> information on<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r analogous islands such as Banaba (Ocean Island), <strong>the</strong> poverty <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> coastal <strong>flora</strong>s<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> two small phosphate islands <strong>of</strong> Nauru and Makatea (in <strong>the</strong> Tuamotu Archipelago <strong>of</strong><br />
French Polynesia) is clearly apparent, both with only 55 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 142 widespread coastal<br />
species each. The Gilberts and Tokelau, both groups <strong>of</strong> low-lying <strong>atoll</strong>s, have only 74<br />
and 34 species each. All o<strong>the</strong>r island groups, including Hawaii and Niue, have at least<br />
two-thirds <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 142 species present as indige<strong>no</strong>us or long-established introductions, an<br />
indication <strong>of</strong> greater habitat diversity and/or less habitat degradation (Thaman 1992). Of<br />
interest is that 55 <strong>of</strong> Nauru's 59 indige<strong>no</strong>us species are among <strong>the</strong> 142 widespread coastal<br />
or mangrove species listed in Appendix I.<br />
As <strong>atoll</strong> groups, <strong>the</strong> Gilbert and <strong>the</strong> Tokelau Islands, have <strong>the</strong> fewest ferns,<br />
although Nauru has <strong>the</strong> fewest widespread coastal herbs. It could be assumed that <strong>the</strong><br />
fern, Davallia solida, and widespread herbaceous species, such as Boerhavia, Hedyotis<br />
and Portulaca spp. and Sesuvium portalucastrum, were all originally present on Nauru,<br />
but eliminated due to widespread destruction <strong>of</strong> coastal habitats. In terms <strong>of</strong> coastal<br />
grasses and sedges, Nauru, <strong>the</strong> small <strong>atoll</strong>s <strong>of</strong> Tokelau, and Makatea have <strong>the</strong> fewest<br />
species, possibly due to <strong>the</strong> combination <strong>of</strong> widespread habitat destruction and a relative<br />
absence <strong>of</strong> marsh or wetland environments. The widespread destruction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> areas<br />
around Buada Lagoon for cultivation by <strong>the</strong> Japanese during World War I1 may have<br />
destroyed many natural wetland environments. Species which might have been present<br />
include <strong>the</strong> grasses Paspalum distichum and Thuarea involuta. Whe<strong>the</strong>r a given sedge<br />
species arrived naturally or was introduced deliberately due to its cultural utility is<br />
uncertain.<br />
Coastal vines and lianas are <strong>no</strong>ticeably fewer on Makatea and Nauru, with only<br />
three and eight out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 14 widespread species. Noticeably absent on Nauru are Abrus<br />
precatorius, Entada phaseoloides and Mucuna gigantea.<br />
With <strong>the</strong> exception <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Tokelau Islands (with only three species), Nauru and<br />
Makatea have <strong>the</strong> poorest shrub <strong>flora</strong>, with only 10 and 11 species respectively, out <strong>of</strong> a<br />
possible 27 species. Similarly, <strong>the</strong> Tokelaus have only 16 <strong>of</strong> 62 common coastal tree<br />
species, with Nauru and Makatea having only 23 and 21 species respectively. Conspicuously<br />
absent on Nauru are <strong>the</strong> shrubs, Allophylus timoriensis, Pemphis acidula, Sophora<br />
tomentosa and Wollastonia bijlora; and <strong>the</strong> trees, Ficus tinctoria, Neisosperma oppositifolia,<br />
Pipturus argenteus and Tcrminalia samoensis, most <strong>of</strong> which are present on<br />
<strong>the</strong> sm2leFelevatd~ phosphate-fich island -<strong>of</strong>-FaS and <strong>the</strong> cord-limestone island <strong>of</strong><br />
Satawal in <strong>the</strong> western Caroline islands (Fosberg and Evans 1969).
There are o<strong>the</strong>r widespread <strong>no</strong>n-coastal species which might have been present in<br />
<strong>the</strong> past on Nauru, which were present in 1932 (before mining, which ceased in 1966,<br />
almost completely destroyed <strong>the</strong> island's inland vegetation) on <strong>the</strong> analogous phosphate<br />
island <strong>of</strong> Makatea, which is located much fur<strong>the</strong>r from <strong>the</strong> centers <strong>of</strong> plant diversity than<br />
Nauru. These include: <strong>the</strong> fern, Ophioglossum pendulum; orchids, such as Oberonia and<br />
Taeniophyllum spp.; <strong>the</strong> herb, Procris pedunculata; <strong>the</strong> vines, Abw precatorius<br />
(mentioned above) and Dioscorea bulbijiera (<strong>the</strong> most widespread <strong>of</strong> all yam species and<br />
present, in many cases probably as an aboriginal introduction, from East Africa to<br />
Micronesia and eastern Polynesia)(Stone 1970); and <strong>the</strong> shrubs and trees, Alyxia sp.,<br />
Canthium barbatum, Celtis paniculata, Glochidion ramzjlorum, lxora sp., Melochia<br />
odorata, Planchonella (Pouteria) sp., and Timonius sp. (Wilder 1934). Tarenna sam-<br />
bucina, also present on Makatea, was reported present on Nauru by Burges in 1933, but<br />
is <strong>no</strong>w considered to be extinct.<br />
Makatea has one presumably endemic species, Euprichardia vuylstekeana, and it<br />
might be expected, given <strong>the</strong> diversity <strong>of</strong> pre-mining microhabitats and <strong>the</strong> isolation <strong>of</strong><br />
Nauru, that <strong>the</strong>re could have been endemic species <strong>the</strong>re also. Interestingly, <strong>the</strong> one plant<br />
that was thought to be possibly endemic on Nauru turned out to be Phyllanthus societatis,<br />
"a common plant among coral rocks" on Makatea in 1933 (Wilder 1934).<br />
A similar comparison with <strong>the</strong> relatively undisturbed <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Henderson Island, a<br />
remote raised limestone island with a similar limestone plateau and pinnacle topography,<br />
provides fur<strong>the</strong>r insight into some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> plant species that might have existed in <strong>the</strong> past<br />
on Nauru. Because it was unsuitable for permanent habitation and had <strong>no</strong> eco<strong>no</strong>mic<br />
phosphate deposits, Henderson has survived successive Polynesian and European impacts,<br />
with only five k<strong>no</strong>wn introduced plant species. Species <strong>of</strong> widespread genera found on<br />
Henderson, but <strong>no</strong>t on Nauru include: <strong>the</strong> fern, Davallia solida; <strong>the</strong> herbs, Boerhavia<br />
tetrandra, Euphorbia sparmannii, Lepidium bidentatum, Peperomia hendersonensis,<br />
Portulaca lutea, Procris peduncu.lata and Sesuvium portalucastrum; <strong>the</strong> shrubs, Al-<br />
lophylus sp., Alyxia sp. , Canthium barbatum and C. odoratum, Glochidion pitcairnense,<br />
lxora fragrans, Jasminum didymum, Eugenia reinwardtiana (Eugenia ranyora), Morinda<br />
umbellata var. forsteri, Pemphis acidda, Timonius polygamus and Xylosma suaveolens<br />
var. haroldii; and <strong>the</strong> trees, Celtis paniculata var. viridis, Geniostoma hendersonense,<br />
Meryta brachypoda, Pittosporum arborescens, Sesbania coccinea and Santalum hender-<br />
sonense. Nine species or varieties are presently recognized as endemic, all <strong>of</strong> which are<br />
found in <strong>the</strong> interior. These are <strong>the</strong> very areas on Nauru that have been so devastated by<br />
phosphate mining, long settlement and devastation and scavenging for food and firewood<br />
during <strong>the</strong> Second World War. Not present on Henderson, but present on Nauru are<br />
Calophyllum i<strong>no</strong>phyllum and Barringtonia asiatica (Paulay and Spencer 1989, Fosberg et<br />
al. 1983, Fosberg et al. 1989).
Nature <strong>of</strong> Exotic Species<br />
Exotic species, which constitute 88 per cent (434 out <strong>of</strong> a total <strong>of</strong> 493 reported<br />
species) <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Nauru, dominate ruderal, houseyard and urban vegetation. Exotic<br />
species include a wide range <strong>of</strong> ornamentals, weedy species, food plants and a number <strong>of</strong><br />
o<strong>the</strong>r useful species.<br />
Ornamentals, which are <strong>no</strong>rmally confined to houseyard and village gardens,<br />
comprise some 59 per cent (257) <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 434 exotic species. On Nauru, introductions by<br />
travellers from Australia, Fiji and o<strong>the</strong>r areas with highly developed ornamental gar-<br />
dening traditions; <strong>the</strong> absence <strong>of</strong> quarantine restrictions; and <strong>the</strong> almost total breakdown<br />
in <strong>the</strong> subsistence eco<strong>no</strong>my, seem to be <strong>the</strong> main reasons for <strong>the</strong> disproportionate<br />
importance <strong>of</strong> ornamental plants. Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se ornamental, <strong>of</strong> course, have o<strong>the</strong>r uses<br />
such as living fencing or for <strong>the</strong> preparation <strong>of</strong> medicines or garlands.<br />
The proportions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> exotic <strong>flora</strong> composed <strong>of</strong> weedy species is 18 per cent (80<br />
<strong>of</strong> 434 species), an indication <strong>of</strong> both <strong>the</strong> poverty <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> competitive indige<strong>no</strong>us <strong>flora</strong> and<br />
<strong>the</strong> highly disturbed nature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> vegetation.<br />
Although food plants represent 16 per cent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> exotic <strong>flora</strong>, due to <strong>the</strong> harsh<br />
environment, limited land area and limited focus on food production in Nauru, many <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong>se species are restricted in numbers or utility and are <strong>of</strong>ten represented by experimen-<br />
tal attempts to diversify food production or by individual, <strong>of</strong>ten immature specimens <strong>of</strong> a<br />
given species. Exotic food plants <strong>of</strong> particular importance on Nauru include numerous<br />
edible pandanus cultivars (Pandanus tectorius), some <strong>of</strong> which are undoubtedly aboriginal<br />
introductions, and <strong>the</strong> coconut (Cocos nucifera), also an aboriginal introduction. Recent<br />
introductions <strong>of</strong> more localized importance, or <strong>of</strong> particular importance to contract<br />
worker communities on Nauru include: <strong>the</strong> vegetables, hibiscus spinach (Hibiscus<br />
manihot) , Chinese cabbage cultivars (Brassica spp.) , long beans (Vigna sesquipedalis) ,<br />
amaranthus spinach (Amaranthus spp.) and pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo); <strong>the</strong> staple root<br />
crops, taro (Colocasia esculenta) , tannia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) , sweet potato<br />
(Ipomoea batatas) and cassava (Manihot esculenta); a range <strong>of</strong> banana and plantain<br />
cultivars (Musa cultivars); and <strong>the</strong> tree crops, lime (Citrus aurantifolia), guava (Psidium<br />
guajava), mango (Mangifera indica), soursop (An<strong>no</strong>na muricata) and <strong>the</strong> horseradish or<br />
drumstick tree (Moringa oleifem), all <strong>of</strong> which seem to do well in Nauru's harsh<br />
environment. Important emergency or pig foods include Polynesian arrowroot (Tacca<br />
leontopetaloides) and purslane (Portulaca spp.), both <strong>of</strong> which are found as naturalised<br />
plants in <strong>the</strong> coastal vegetation <strong>of</strong> in ruderal sites.<br />
O<strong>the</strong>r useful exotic species include kapok (Ceiba pentandra), cotton (Gossypium<br />
barbadense), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris), which were<br />
all reportedly more abundant in <strong>the</strong>past. As suggest&-avove, somelarger ~~eed~xotics,<br />
such as Adenan<strong>the</strong>ra pavonina, An<strong>no</strong>na spp., Casuarina equisetifolia, Lantana camara,<br />
Leucaena leucocephala, Mangifera indica, Muntingia calabura and Psidium guajava,<br />
some which are classified as ornamentals, food plants or o<strong>the</strong>r useful plants, have
ecome naturalized and competitive with <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us species in some disturbed and<br />
relatively undisturbed sites.<br />
ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL UTILITY OF EXISTING FLORAS<br />
Although highly disturbed, outnumbered and, in some ways, "enriched" by<br />
introduced exotics, <strong>the</strong> vegetation and <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Nauru still constitute a critical ecological<br />
and cultural resource to <strong>the</strong> people <strong>of</strong> Nauru. This is particularly true for <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us<br />
species, virtually all <strong>of</strong> which had wide cultural utility within <strong>the</strong> traditional subsistence<br />
eco<strong>no</strong>my.<br />
In terms <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> more specific ecological attributes <strong>of</strong> Nauru's plant resources, <strong>the</strong><br />
most important functions include <strong>the</strong> provision <strong>of</strong> shade and animal and plant habitats,<br />
protection from wind, erosion, flood and saltwater incursion, land stabilization, protec-<br />
tion from <strong>the</strong> desiccating effects <strong>of</strong> salt spray, soil improvement and mulching.<br />
In terms <strong>of</strong> more strictly cultural utility, preliminary analyses indicate 169 purposes<br />
or use categories for 39 indige<strong>no</strong>us species, an average <strong>of</strong> 4.3 uses per species. There are<br />
434 uses for 354 exotic species, an average <strong>of</strong> 1.2 uses per species (Table 3). This gives<br />
a combined total <strong>of</strong> 603 uselpurpose categories for 393 species (1.5 uses per species).<br />
Twenty (20) indige<strong>no</strong>us and 80 exotic species had <strong>no</strong> reported uses. The relative<br />
importance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us <strong>flora</strong> would undoubtedly be much more pro<strong>no</strong>unced if: 1) a<br />
more systematic in-depth survey <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> cultural utility <strong>of</strong> each indige<strong>no</strong>us species had<br />
been conducted; 2) Nauru had <strong>no</strong>t experienced such widespread devastation <strong>of</strong> its<br />
population, traditional eco<strong>no</strong>my, traditional education system and its indige<strong>no</strong>us <strong>flora</strong><br />
(and associated eth<strong>no</strong>botanical k<strong>no</strong>wledge) over <strong>the</strong> past 100 years; and 3) planted<br />
ornamentals, by far <strong>the</strong> most widespread use <strong>of</strong> exotic species, were excluded from <strong>the</strong><br />
analysis <strong>of</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us species.<br />
Table 3. Frequency <strong>of</strong> use for specified purposes <strong>of</strong> plant species present in Nauru (Note:<br />
Introduced includes both aboriginal introductions such as coconut and recent post-<br />
European-contact introductions).<br />
Cultivated Ornamentals<br />
9<br />
FoGI Plants<br />
--- -<br />
2-<br />
Body Ornamentation 16<br />
MedicinalIHealth 17<br />
Staple Foods 1<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us In trod uced Total<br />
x/59 ~1434 ~1493
General Construction<br />
Scenting OilIPerfumery<br />
FirewoodIFuel<br />
EmergencyIFamine Foods<br />
ToolsIUtensils<br />
BoatICa<strong>no</strong>e Building<br />
Handicrafts<br />
GamesIToys<br />
Food Parcelization<br />
Living FencesIHedges<br />
CordageIFibre<br />
Hair Conditioner<br />
Woodcarving<br />
AdhesiveIGluelCaulking<br />
Earth Oven Cover<br />
MagicISorcery<br />
DrinksIBeverage<br />
Fishing Equipment<br />
Clothing<br />
Animal Feed<br />
Plaited Ware<br />
LegendsIMythology<br />
Furniture<br />
Animal CagesIRoosts<br />
Fish Poisons<br />
Fire by Friction<br />
S trainers1Filters<br />
ThatchingIRo<strong>of</strong>ing<br />
DyeslPig ments<br />
NetsITraps<br />
Fans<br />
Chewing GumIMasticants<br />
OilsILubricants<br />
CorksIS toppers<br />
O<strong>the</strong>r Uses*<br />
TOTAL 169 434 603<br />
NO USES<br />
-<br />
* O<strong>the</strong>r uses include aphrodisiacs, appetite stimulants, brushes, toilet paper, il-<br />
lumination, soaplshampoo, containers, deodorantslair fresheners, fishnet floats, green
manure, groundcover, meat tenderizer, insect repellen tsl fumigants, love potions, wild<br />
animal food, fishing bait, cigarette wrappers and tobacco.<br />
Moreover, if distinct uses within uselpurpose categories (e.g., tools with distinct<br />
functions, different types <strong>of</strong> fishing equipment, foods or ornamentation for different<br />
occasions or purposes, medicines for different ailments, or plants used for specific parts<br />
<strong>of</strong> boats or houses) are counted (see individual uses for each species as detailed in Part<br />
11), <strong>the</strong> eco<strong>no</strong>mic and cultural utility <strong>of</strong> plants becomes even more pro<strong>no</strong>unced. The<br />
coconut (Cocos nucifera) palm, for example, has 33 reported uses in Nauru (Table 4),<br />
almost undoubtedly a gross underestimate, in light <strong>of</strong> at least 128 reported uses (many <strong>of</strong><br />
which are almost ubiquitous) for <strong>the</strong> coconut palm throughout <strong>the</strong> Pacific Islands<br />
(Thaman 1992). Next in order <strong>of</strong> importance, are 19 species, all with 5 or more reported<br />
uses. These include, in order <strong>of</strong> importance, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Pandanus tectorius,<br />
Scaevola taccada, Morinda citrifolia, Guettarda speciosa, Calophyllum i<strong>no</strong>phyllum,<br />
Cordia subcordata, Terminalia catappa, Artocalpus altilis, Thespesia populnea, Tour-<br />
nefonia argentea, Premna serratifolia, Triumfetta procumbens, Vitex negundo, Ochrosia<br />
elliptica, Cassytha jiliformis, Musa ABB Group, Bambusa vulgaris and Carica papaya.<br />
Of <strong>the</strong>se 20 species, only Cocos nucifera, Artocarpus altilis, Musa ABB Group, Bambusa<br />
vulgaris and Carica papaya, are aboriginal or recent introductions. The rest are probably<br />
indige<strong>no</strong>us or very early aboriginal introductions (e.g., some authorities suggest that<br />
species such as Hibiscus tiliaceus, Morinda citrifolia, Cordia subcordata and Terminalia<br />
catappa might have been aboriginal introductions into some Pacific islands because <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong>ir cultural utility.<br />
A<strong>no</strong><strong>the</strong>r 13 species, 7 <strong>of</strong> which are indige<strong>no</strong>us (Dodonea viscosa, Hemandia<br />
nymphaeifolia, Plumeria rubra, Psidium guajava, Erythrina variegata, Bruguiera<br />
gym<strong>no</strong>rhiza, Barringtonia asiatica, Vigna marina, Glerodendrum inerme, Gardenia<br />
taitensis, Jasminum sambac, Crinum asiaticum and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), have at least<br />
3 uses each. A<strong>no</strong><strong>the</strong>r 22 species have at least two reported uses each (Table 4). There is<br />
some usage overlap between categories, such as supplementary and emergency foods,<br />
medicinal, magical, ceremonial and body ornamentation plants, or plants used for<br />
handicrafts, woodcarving, cordage and clothing. Conversely, <strong>the</strong> categories could be<br />
fur<strong>the</strong>r broken down to yield an even greater list <strong>of</strong> uses. Moreover, <strong>the</strong> list does <strong>no</strong>t<br />
include <strong>the</strong> more strictly ecological functions <strong>of</strong> coastal plants, such as shade, protection<br />
from wind, sand and salt spray, erosion and flood control, coastal reclamation, animal<br />
and plant habitats, and soil improvement, all <strong>of</strong> importance, particularly on an ecological-<br />
ly devastated post-mining Nauru.
Table 4. Species <strong>of</strong> particular cultural utility on Nauru based on an analysis <strong>of</strong> different<br />
individual uses listed under each species in Part I1 (Notes: 1) uses do <strong>no</strong>t include a wide<br />
range <strong>of</strong> ecological functions or uses; A = probably an aboriginal introduction; R =<br />
recent post-European-contact introduction; all undesignated species are possibly indige-<br />
<strong>no</strong>us).<br />
Latin Name Uses<br />
Cocos nucifera (A)<br />
Hibiscus tiliaceus<br />
Pandanus tectorius<br />
Scaevola taccada<br />
Morinda citrifolia<br />
Guettarda speciosa<br />
Calophyllum i<strong>no</strong>phyllum<br />
Cordia subcordata<br />
Terminalia catappa<br />
Artocapus altilis<br />
Thespesia populnea<br />
Toumefortia argentea<br />
Premna serratifolia<br />
Triumfetta procumbens<br />
Vitex spp.<br />
Ochrosia elliptica<br />
Cassytha Jiliformis<br />
Musa ABB Group (R)<br />
Bambusa vulgaris (R)<br />
Carica papaya (R)<br />
Dodonea viscosa<br />
Hemandia nymphaeifolia<br />
Plumeria rubra (R)<br />
Psidium guajava (R)<br />
Erythrina variegata<br />
Bruguiera gym<strong>no</strong>rhiza<br />
Barringtonia asiatica<br />
Vigna marina<br />
Clerodendrum inerme<br />
Gardenia taitensis (R)<br />
Jasminum sambac (R)<br />
Crinum asiuticum (R)<br />
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (R)
Note: Species with two (2) recorded uses each: Polypodium scolopendria, Cyperus<br />
javanicus, Abutilon asiaticum, Ficus prolixa, Pisonia grandis, Sida fallax, Ipomoea pes-<br />
caprae, Spondias dulcis (A), Ageratum conyzoides (R) , Asclepias curassavica (R) ,<br />
Bougainvillea spp. (R) , Cassia occidentalis (R) , Catharanthus roseus (R) , Citrus<br />
aurantifolia (R) , Delonix regia (R) , Lxora casei (R) , Lantana camara (R) , Mangifera<br />
indica (R), Mirabilis jalapa (R), Ocimum basilicum and 0. sanctum (R).<br />
In terms <strong>of</strong> specific uses, cultivated ornamentals and food plants are by far <strong>the</strong><br />
most common. If, however, only indige<strong>no</strong>us plants are considered, <strong>the</strong> most widely<br />
reported uses are for medicine, body ornamentation, general construction, cultivated<br />
ornamentation, boat or ca<strong>no</strong>e building, tools or utensils, handicrafts, scenting coconut oil<br />
or perfumery, firewood or fuel, games and toys, hair conditioners, food parcelization,<br />
woodcarving, covering or insulating <strong>the</strong> ear<strong>the</strong>n oven, magic or sorcery, emergency or<br />
famine foods, cordage or fibre, clothing, plaited ware and furniture.<br />
It must be stressed that <strong>the</strong> analyses are based on traditional uses, many <strong>of</strong> which<br />
have lapsed or are only employed in emergency, because modern tech<strong>no</strong>logy has pre-<br />
empted <strong>the</strong>m. Modern medicine, clothing, fishing lines, matches, crockery, plastic bags,<br />
soap, and emergency food rations (food aid) have, for example, replaced traditional<br />
plant-derived products in Nauru. Moreover, many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> current generation, schooled in<br />
<strong>the</strong> modern educational system and living in <strong>the</strong> cash eco<strong>no</strong>my, <strong>of</strong>ten k<strong>no</strong>w few <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
traditional uses <strong>of</strong> plants, let alone <strong>the</strong>ir vernacular names . . . a state which could be<br />
referred to as "devegetation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mind" . . . and which has undoubtedly contributed to<br />
<strong>the</strong> degradation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> indige<strong>no</strong>us and long-established aboriginal vegetation in Nauru.<br />
Of particular <strong>no</strong>te is <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> traditional food and beverage crops, <strong>the</strong><br />
abandonment <strong>of</strong> which, for highly imported foods such as sugar, white rice and flour,<br />
cabin biscuits, <strong>no</strong>odles canned fish, s<strong>of</strong>t drinks, alcohol and tea, has led, as stressed<br />
above, to dangerous levels <strong>of</strong> food dependency and some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> highest, or most rapidly<br />
increasing, incidences in <strong>the</strong> world <strong>of</strong> vitamin and mineral deficiency and nutrition related<br />
diseases. Diseases such as iron-deficiency anemia, vitamin-A-deficiency-induced night<br />
blindness, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, gout and hyper-<br />
uricemia, some forms <strong>of</strong> cancer and dental disease, which were rarely encountered in <strong>the</strong><br />
past are <strong>no</strong>w serious causes <strong>of</strong> morbidity and mortality in Nauru, and among o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
Pacific island populations (Speake gt d. 1979; Coyne 1984; Taylor 1983; Zimmet gt d.<br />
1977, 1978; Thaman 1982, 1983, 1988a).<br />
CONCLUSION<br />
The vegetation and <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Nauru are among <strong>the</strong> most impoverished, degTaCd,<br />
disturbed and displaced in <strong>the</strong> Pacific islands. Long habitation, almost a century <strong>of</strong> open-<br />
cast phosphate mining, continuous bombing, destruction and displaceme~t <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> people<br />
during World War 11, rapid urbanization and <strong>the</strong> abandonment <strong>of</strong> agriculture and
subsistence activities have arguably produced one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> most severely modified natural<br />
and cultural <strong>flora</strong>s on earth.<br />
Although both <strong>the</strong> vegetation and limited indige<strong>no</strong>us <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Nauru has been<br />
severely degraded and outnumbered by exotic species, many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> native species are still<br />
present, unfortunately <strong>of</strong>ten in an endangered state. The indige<strong>no</strong>us <strong>flora</strong> also still<br />
dominates most habitats, including <strong>the</strong> later stages <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> phosphate-mined pit and<br />
pinnacle topography <strong>of</strong> Nauru. Even in ruderal habitats and in houseyard gardens and<br />
villages, where <strong>the</strong>y are outnumbered by exotics, indige<strong>no</strong>us species constitute importan t<br />
components.<br />
It is argued that, while floristic degradation in Nauru appears to be among <strong>the</strong><br />
most severe in <strong>the</strong> Pacific, <strong>the</strong> current <strong>flora</strong> still constitutes an important ecological and<br />
cultural resource that must be protected as part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> development process, and NOT as<br />
an afterthought. Even in <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> Nauru, it may <strong>no</strong>t be too late.
PART 11<br />
A COMPILATION OF THE VASCULAR FLORA OF NAURU<br />
Part 11, "A Compilation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Vascular Flora <strong>of</strong> Nauru", consists <strong>of</strong> a listing <strong>of</strong>,<br />
and relevant information on, <strong>the</strong> 493 vascular plant species or distinct cultivars and six<br />
widely recognised varieties <strong>of</strong> common species reported to have been present at some<br />
time on Nauru.<br />
It begins with Pteridophyta (ferns and fern allies), followed by Gym<strong>no</strong>sperms and<br />
<strong>the</strong>n Angiosperms. Within Angiosperms, Mo<strong>no</strong>cotyledons precede Dicotyledons. Under<br />
<strong>the</strong>se headings individual families are listed in alphabetical order (e.g. Acanthaceae,<br />
Amaranthaceae, Anacardiaceae . . .), with individual species being listed in alphabetical<br />
order by genus within each family (e.g. Asystasia gangetica, Barleria cristata, Barleria<br />
prionitis, Blechum brownei . . .).<br />
KEY<br />
Under each speciesfentry <strong>the</strong> types <strong>of</strong> information and order <strong>of</strong> presentation is as<br />
follows: 1) Latin or scientific name; 2) common name (s); 3) local vernacular names used<br />
by <strong>the</strong> main ethnic groups in Nauru; 4) sy<strong>no</strong>nyms for <strong>the</strong> Latin or scientific name; 5)<br />
antiquity status <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> species, i.e., whe<strong>the</strong>r it is indige<strong>no</strong>us to Nauru, an aboriginal<br />
introduction or a recent introduction to Nauru; 5) geographical origin <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> species; 6)<br />
abundance or frequency <strong>of</strong> occurrence; 7) description <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> species; 8) habitat or<br />
distribution in Nauru; 9) uses or cultural utility; and 10) an indication <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> persons who<br />
have recorded or collected a given species, including numbers corresponding to her-<br />
barium specimens. This information, its organization and <strong>the</strong> symbols used under each<br />
category are explained below.<br />
Latinfscientific Names<br />
1. The first name listed in bold print is what <strong>the</strong> authors consider to be <strong>the</strong> currently<br />
most widely accepted published Latin bi<strong>no</strong>mial for a given species (usually <strong>the</strong><br />
earliest published name or basionym). All names follow <strong>the</strong> International Code <strong>of</strong><br />
Botanical Nomenclature.<br />
2. The Latin names provided in italics after <strong>the</strong> common and <strong>the</strong> vernacular names<br />
include Latin bi<strong>no</strong>mial sEonyms - (sp.) - or older names - <strong>no</strong> longer -- in -- - use -- for - <strong>the</strong><br />
species, and, in some cases, incorrect names commonly applied to <strong>the</strong> species,<br />
which are indicated by sensu auct. <strong>no</strong>n.
4. The name (s) or <strong>the</strong> abbreviation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> name (s) <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> authority or authorities<br />
(persons responsible for describing and publishing a given species name) are<br />
provided after each species name, e.g., (L.) Anders.<br />
Family<br />
1. Family names (e.g., POLYPODIACEAE, ACANTHACEAE or RUBIACEAE)<br />
are centered in bold capitals immediately before <strong>the</strong> first species entry in each<br />
family.<br />
2. Where a family is k<strong>no</strong>wn by two different names or a species placed in ei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong><br />
two families, both are listed (e.g., FABACEAE OR LEGUMINOSAE, POA-<br />
CEAE OR GRAMINAE or CLUSIACEAE OR GUTTIFERAE)<br />
Common Names<br />
1. English or common names for a species, and o<strong>the</strong>r widely-used names, are<br />
included in quotation marks, e.g., "coconut", immediately to <strong>the</strong> far right <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Latin name.<br />
Vernacular Names<br />
The vernacular names include <strong>the</strong> Nauruan names and o<strong>the</strong>r names used by <strong>the</strong><br />
dominant ethnic communities <strong>of</strong> Nauru. These are found on <strong>the</strong> second line, after<br />
<strong>the</strong> common English names.<br />
The letter (B) after a Nauruan name indicates names listed by Burges (1933). All<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r names were collected by Thaman, Manner and Hassall as part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> current<br />
study.<br />
N, K, T, C, SI, Philippines and Hindi, are used in paren<strong>the</strong>ses to indicate <strong>the</strong><br />
Nauruan, Kiribati, Tuvaluan , Chinese (Cantonese) , Solomon Island, Filipi<strong>no</strong> and<br />
Hindi names, respectively.<br />
The question mark (?) designates unverified or doubtful names.<br />
In terms <strong>of</strong> pronunciation, <strong>the</strong> Nauruan phonetics are difficult to match with <strong>the</strong><br />
accepted sounds and orthography <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Latin alphabet. The closet approximations<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> correct Nauruan pronunciation <strong>of</strong> a given name are provided instead <strong>of</strong><br />
resorhg 30 <strong>the</strong>use <strong>of</strong> strange combinationsuf letters or-special-phonetic symbols.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> cases <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r vernacular languages used in Nauru, <strong>the</strong> 'g' in Tuvaluan is<br />
pro<strong>no</strong>unced as if it were like 'ng' as in <strong>the</strong> word 'sing'; in Kiribati <strong>the</strong> t, when
followed by an i, is pro<strong>no</strong>unced like an s, and when ti falls at <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> a word,<br />
<strong>the</strong> i remains silent, e.g., 'roti' is pro<strong>no</strong>unced as if it were 'rose'.<br />
Antiquity Status<br />
Antiquity status indicates whe<strong>the</strong>r a given species is presumed to be indige<strong>no</strong>us to<br />
Nauru; an aboriginal introduction by Nauruans or o<strong>the</strong>r indige<strong>no</strong>us Pacific Islanders<br />
before European contact; or a post-European-contact introduction. In some cases it is<br />
suggested that a species may have been successfully introduced prior to European<br />
contact, but ei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>no</strong>t successfully established or brought to extinction before botanical<br />
collections or observations <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>flora</strong> were made. In <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> recent introductions,<br />
some species are categorized as to whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>y are assumed to be pre- or post-World<br />
War I1 introductions. This is based on information received from informants and/or<br />
whe<strong>the</strong>r a species was reported present before World War I1 by Burges in 1933. The ?<br />
indicates that <strong>the</strong> true status <strong>of</strong> a species is in doubt (e.g., whe<strong>the</strong>r it is really indige<strong>no</strong>us<br />
or an aboriginal introduction).<br />
Geographical Origin<br />
Geographical origin refers to what seems to be <strong>the</strong> original natural distribution <strong>of</strong><br />
a given species before humans began to acts as dispersal agents for plants. In many cases<br />
it is difficult to be sure what <strong>the</strong> original pre-human or pre-European-contact range <strong>of</strong> a<br />
given species was because species introduced ei<strong>the</strong>r deliberately or accidentally by <strong>the</strong><br />
Pacific Island colonizers <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> islands have <strong>of</strong>ten become naturalized and integral<br />
components <strong>of</strong> what <strong>no</strong>w seems to be indige<strong>no</strong>us vegetation.<br />
With respect to termi<strong>no</strong>logy, Malesia (sometimes spelled Malayasia) is a biogeo-<br />
graphical term referring to an area encompassing insular sou<strong>the</strong>ast Asia, <strong>the</strong> Indonesia,<br />
Philippines and <strong>the</strong> island <strong>of</strong> New Guinea; Indomalaysia refers to an area encompassing<br />
<strong>the</strong> Indian Ocean and Malesia; Indopacific refers to an area extending from <strong>the</strong> Indian<br />
Ocean to <strong>the</strong> Pacific Islands; Paleotropics refers to <strong>the</strong> Old World tropics including<br />
tropical Africa, Asia and <strong>the</strong> tropical Pacific Islands; pantropical indicates that a species<br />
is found throughout <strong>the</strong> Old and New World tropics; and cosmopolitan indicates that a<br />
species is found almost worldwide. In some cases (usually in <strong>the</strong> cases <strong>of</strong> easily dispersed<br />
weedy pioneer species) information is provided on both <strong>the</strong> assumed original distribution<br />
and whe<strong>the</strong>r a species is <strong>no</strong>w more widespread (e.g., pantropical).<br />
Abundance or Frequency Occurrence<br />
- - - -- -- . - -- -- -- - -<br />
The estimates <strong>of</strong> abundance or frequency occurrence or whe<strong>the</strong>r a given species is<br />
<strong>no</strong>w endangered or extinct are based on in-<strong>the</strong> field observations by Thaman, Manner and<br />
Hassall from 1979 through 1987, plus information included in herbarium vouchers <strong>of</strong>
o<strong>the</strong>r collectors. In-<strong>the</strong> field data included in-depth analysis <strong>of</strong> all vegetation associations,<br />
transects at ten locations around <strong>the</strong> coastal plain,. transects across <strong>the</strong> entire island and<br />
extensive sampling using 100 m2 quadrats in areas where open-cast phosphate mining had<br />
occurred .<br />
Species Description<br />
Descriptions <strong>of</strong> individual species (and selection <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> most widely accepted<br />
scientific names and authorities) were based on <strong>the</strong> analysis <strong>of</strong> living plants in Nauru,<br />
herbarium specimens and a syn<strong>the</strong>sis <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> best existing descriptions in <strong>the</strong> works listed<br />
in <strong>the</strong> Bibliography. Works <strong>of</strong> particular value included Fosberg, Sachet and Oliver 1979,<br />
1982, 1987; Haselwood and Motter 1976; Hay, McQuown, Beckett and Beckett 1974;<br />
Henderson and Hancock 1989; Henty and Pritchard 1973; Herklots 1972; Macoboy 1969,<br />
1979; Neal 1965; B.E.V. Parham 1972; J.W. Parham 1972; Purseglove 1972, 1974;<br />
Rotar 1968; St. John 1973; Smith 1979, 1981, 1985, 1988, 1991; Stemmermann 1981;<br />
Stone 1970; Sykes 1970; Whistler 1980, 1983, 1992; Wilder 1934; Wright, Minter and<br />
Carter 1984; and Yuncker 1959.<br />
Uses and Cultural Utility<br />
Eth<strong>no</strong>botanical information (including vernacular names) on uses or cultural utility<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> individual plant species was obtained through in-depth interviews with elderly<br />
person k<strong>no</strong>wn for <strong>the</strong>ir k<strong>no</strong>wledge <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> traditional uses <strong>of</strong> Nauru's plants; o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
respondents, whenever possible; and from information in available documents and<br />
publications. Main informants included Joseph D. Audoa, James Aingimea, Henry<br />
Michael Heine, Daphne Fotu, Jacob Gabwinare, Katarina Satto, Kenia Raidinen, Rey<strong>no</strong>ld<br />
Capelle, Eda Adam and Montiba Star.<br />
Collectors and Herbarium Specimens<br />
The numbers listed at <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> information on each species indicate which<br />
collectors or observers collected or recorded that species as being present on Nauru; <strong>the</strong><br />
numbers in paren<strong>the</strong>ses identify <strong>the</strong> numbers <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> herbarium vouchers or specimens<br />
collected by each collector (s), e.g., 2, 3(58802), 4(168N), 5(92), 6, 7(27812).<br />
The numbers and <strong>the</strong> collectors/observers are as follows:<br />
1 refers to citations by persons such as Finch prior to 1900, about which <strong>the</strong>re is<br />
-<br />
ve~y little information; -<br />
2 refers to citations by Alan Burges <strong>of</strong> Sydney University who collected in 1933<br />
and most <strong>of</strong> whose specimens are lodged at Kew Botanical Gardens, London;
3 refers to citations by F.R. Fosberg <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> National Museum <strong>of</strong> Natural History<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Smithsonian</strong> <strong>Institution</strong>, Washington D.C. in 1980, whose specimens are<br />
lodged with <strong>the</strong> Smi thsonian <strong>Institution</strong>;<br />
4 refers to Brian Scully <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> University <strong>of</strong> California at Riverside who also<br />
collected in 1980 and most <strong>of</strong> whose specimens are also lodged with <strong>the</strong> Smith-<br />
sonian <strong>Institution</strong>;<br />
5 and 6 refer R. R. Thaman, H.I. Manner and D.C Hassall <strong>of</strong> The University <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> South Pacific, Suva, Fiji who collected over two 2-week periods in November<br />
1980 and July 1981, respectively, and whose specimens are lodged with <strong>the</strong> South<br />
Pacific Regional Herbarium at The University <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> South Pacific, Suva;<br />
7 refers to Thaman and Manner (<strong>the</strong>n with <strong>the</strong> University <strong>of</strong> Guam) who collected<br />
again in July-August 1987 and whose specimens are also lodged at <strong>the</strong> South<br />
Pacific Regional Herbarium; and,<br />
8 refers to John Swarbrick, <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> University <strong>of</strong> Queensland, Gatton College who<br />
collected weedy species on Nauru in June 1988, and whose specimens are lodged<br />
in Queensland with duplicates at <strong>the</strong> South Pacific Regional Herbarium..<br />
When possible, F.R. Fosberg <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Smithsonian</strong> <strong>Institution</strong> examined and verified<br />
<strong>the</strong> identifications <strong>of</strong> all herbarium specimens. These include some specimens collected in<br />
<strong>the</strong> early 1980s by Dr. Lynn Raulerson <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> University <strong>of</strong> Guam.
VASCULAR PLANTS OF NAURU<br />
PTERIDOPHYTA (Ferns and Fern Allies)<br />
ASPLENIACEAE<br />
Asplenium nidus L. "bird's-nest fern"<br />
laulu, laukatafa, laukatapa (T)<br />
syns. Neottopteris nidus (L.) Sm. ; N. curtisorus (Christ) Hosok. ; Asplenium<br />
curtisorum Christ; A. phyllitidis D. Don; Neottopteris phyllitidis (D. Don)<br />
J. Sm.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us? Paleotropical. Rare. Large epiphytic fern with a short creeping<br />
rhizome; fronds, up to 1 m or more long and 15 cm wide, simple, bright green,<br />
elongated, swordlike, with prominent midribs, forming a rosette-like cluster; sori<br />
numerous, linear, borne on distal parts <strong>of</strong> fronds, reaching nearly to <strong>the</strong> margin.<br />
Reported by Burgess as an epiphyte on Calophyllum i<strong>no</strong>phyllum in 1935, but seen only as<br />
a ornamental by Thaman, Hassall, and Manner in 1980 and 1981. 2, 5, 6, 7(27813).<br />
DAVALLIACEAE<br />
Nephrolepis biserrata (Sw.) Schott "sword fern"<br />
dakeang, dageang (N); te keang, te keang ni Makin (K); sulufe (T)<br />
syns. Aspidium biserratwn (Sw.); Nephrodiwn biserratum (Sw.) Gaud.; N.<br />
splendens (Willd .) Gaud. ; Aspidium spbndens Willd.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pantropical. Abundant. Terrestrial tufted fern with short scaly<br />
creeping to erect rhizome; stipes, up to 30 cm or longer, clustered; fronds, up to 2 m or<br />
longer and 30 cm wide, oblong-elliptic in outline, pinnate; pinnae up to 15 cm or longer<br />
and 2 cm wide, margins usually serrate, apex acuminate; sori, large, in a row at a<br />
distance from <strong>the</strong> margin (submarginal). Found in colonies and dense populations in<br />
unmirted- areaand -in -pits between pinnacles in mined areas; one--<strong>of</strong>- first--plants to<br />
colonize mined areas; occasional as an ornamental. Leaves used occasionally in garlands.<br />
3(58600), 4(136N), 5(44), 6, 7.
Nephrolepis exaltata (L.) Schott<br />
syn. Polypodium aaltatum L.<br />
"Boston fern"<br />
Recent introduction. Pantropical. Occasional. Fern with graceful spreading fronds.<br />
Ornamental pot plant. 3, 5(86), 6(181).<br />
Nephrolepis hirsutula (F0rst.f.) Presl "sword fern", "fishtail fern"<br />
dakeang, dageang (N); te keang (K); sulufe (T)<br />
syns. Polypodium hirsutulum Forst. f. ; Nephrodium gibbosum (Willd .) Gaud. ;<br />
Aspidium gibbosum Willd.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Indopacific. Occasional. Terrestrial fern with a creeping rhizome;<br />
stipes, clustered, scaly; fronds, up to 50 cm or more long, pinnate; pinnae, up to 10 cm<br />
or more long and 1 cm wide, sessile, oblong-lanceolate, serrullate, obtuse or acutish,<br />
pubescent; sori, large, round, submarginal. "Abundant amongst moist rocks." 8 (9586).<br />
OPHIOGLOSSACEAE (Adder's Tongue Fern Family)<br />
Ophioglossum petiolatum Hook. "adder's tongue fern"<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pantropical. Occasional. Diminutive erect terrestrial fern, about 6 cm<br />
high, with creeping rhizomes; fronds, ovate to rhombic, 2.5 to 6 cm long. Found as<br />
scattered individuals in sandy open and partly shaded areas, primarily in older strip-<br />
mined areas on floors <strong>of</strong> pits between pinnacles. No reported use. 5(151), 6.<br />
POLYPODIACEAE<br />
Polypodium scolopendria Burm. f. "lawai fern" (Hawaii)<br />
dakeang, dageang (N); te keang (K); maile (T)<br />
syns. Phymatodes scolopendria (Burm.) Ching; Polypodium phymatodes L. ;<br />
Phymatodes phymatodes (L.) Maxon; Tectaria phymatodes (L.) Cav.;<br />
Polypodium grossum Langsd. & Fisch. ; P. hemionitis Cav. ; Microsorum<br />
scolopendria (Burm. f.) Copel.<br />
~- - ~ ~~ ---- ~ ~..~ ~-- ~~ -~ ~ ~ ~ ~-<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Paleotropical. Very abundant. Terrestrial and epiphytic fern with a<br />
stout creeping rhizome; stipes, up to 30 cm or longer; fronds, up to 40 cm or more long,<br />
broadly triangular-ovate in outline, simple but deeply and broadly divided into lanceolate<br />
acute lobes; sori, large, commonly in two rows on lower surface <strong>of</strong> lobes. Found in
colonies and dense populations in unmined areas, in pits between pinnacles in mined<br />
areas, and on escarpment and cliffs below <strong>the</strong> plateau. Fragrant fronds used for making<br />
garlands, leis, and o<strong>the</strong>r ornamentation and boiled in coconut oil to scent it. 3(58594),<br />
4(121N), 5(43), 6, 7(278l I), 8(9578A).<br />
Pyrrosia lanceolata (L.) Farw.<br />
syns. Arostichum lanceolatum L.; Pyrrosia adnascens (Sw.) Ching; Cyclophonts<br />
lanceolatus (L.) Alst. ; C. adnascens (Sw .) Desv. ; Polypodium adnascens<br />
S w. ; Niphobolus varius Kaulf. ; Cyclophorus varius (Kaulf.) Gaud. ;<br />
Pyrrosia varia (Kaulf.) Fanv.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Trop. Asia to Polynesia. Rare. Small inconspicuous epiphytic<br />
dimorphic fern with a long creeping slender rhizome; fronds at intervals along slender<br />
rhizomes; sterile fronds, 4 to 10 cm long and 1 to 1.5 cm wide, simple, oblong-elliptic<br />
or oblanceolate; fertile fronds, up to 15 cm or longer and about 7 mm to 1 cm wide;<br />
sori, small, densely packed toge<strong>the</strong>r on lower surface. Growing on tree. 6(173).<br />
Psilotum nudum (L.) Beauv.<br />
ibiribir (N); te kimarawa (K)<br />
PSILOTACEAE<br />
"psilotum", "reed fern"<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Tropics and subtropics. Occasional. Small erect terrestrial perennial<br />
herb, up to about 30 cm or higher, arising from a stout rhizome, with many successively<br />
two-forked green 3-angled, longitudinally-ribbed branches, about 2 mm in diameter;<br />
leaves, minute, scale-like; sporangia, about 1 mm in diameter. axillary, subglobose,<br />
three-lobed. Found as scattered individuals and small clusters in shady areas under<br />
unmined vegetation on <strong>the</strong> central plateau and uncommon under trees and shrubs on<br />
escarpment. No reported use. 2(53.5), 3(58764, 58596), 5(102), 6, 7(22314).<br />
PTERIDACEAE<br />
Adiantum sp. " maiden-hair fern"<br />
-- - -<br />
Recent introduction. Occasional. Fern with finely-dissected fronds and wiry black<br />
stalks. Small ornamental fern grown as a pot plant. 5, 6.
Pteris ensifomis Burm. f. "sword brake"<br />
Recent introduction. Tropical and subtropical Asia to Polynesia. Small dimorphic<br />
fern, 15 to 50 cm high, with a brown scaly rhizome; stipes, up to 30 cm or longer straw-<br />
colored; sterile fronds, 6 to 10 cm long, blades lanceolate, smooth, bipinnate, pinnules<br />
variable in size and shape, mostly oblong to linear-lanceolate, sharply serrate; fertile<br />
fronds, 15 to 25 cm long, pinnate or bipinnate, pinnules, up to 15 cm long and 7 to 10<br />
mm wide, widely-spaced, linear; sori, marginal, near serrate. Rare. Ornamental pot<br />
plant. 6(172).<br />
Pteris tripartita Sw.<br />
dakeang, dageang (N)<br />
syn . P. rnarginata Bory<br />
"sword brake"<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Paleotropical. Occasional. Large terrestrial fern with a short rhizome;<br />
stipes, up to 60 cm or longer, smooth, brown; fronds, up to 1 m or longer, tripartite,<br />
deltoid, each part divided into lanceolate pinnae; sori forming a continuous row along<br />
margins <strong>of</strong> pinnae. Found as individuals or isolated clusters at base <strong>of</strong> limestone cliffs <strong>of</strong><br />
escarpment and in waste places near cliff base; occasionally a planted ornamental.<br />
4(135N), 5(55), 6, 7(27815).<br />
Araucaria heterophylla (Salisb.) Franco<br />
syn. A. excelsa (Lamb.) R. Br.<br />
GYMNOSPERMAE (Gym<strong>no</strong>sperms)<br />
ARAUCARIACEAE (Araucaria Family)<br />
"Norfolk Island pine"<br />
Recent introduction. Norfolk Island. Infrequent. Stately symmetrical tree with<br />
about 5 horizontal or drooping branches, each with many branchlets, radiating from each<br />
tier; leaves, up to about 1.2 cm or longer, evergreen, stiff awl- or scale-shaped,<br />
narrowly-triangular, overlapping, borne on branchlets; cones, 7.5 to 10 cm in diameter,<br />
ovoid, woody; pollen borne in catkins, about 5 cm long, which develop singly at <strong>the</strong> ends<br />
<strong>of</strong> branchlets. Planted immature ornamental trees in home gardens near airport. 5, 6, 7.
CYCADACEAE (Cycad Family)<br />
Cycas circinalis L. "cycad", "sago palm"<br />
te bam (K); laupama, laukimoa (T)<br />
syn. C. rurnphii Miq.; C. seernannii (A. Br.) Schuster; C. undulata Desf.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia, Australia, and <strong>the</strong> Pacific islands. Occasional.<br />
Small dioecious palm-like rarely-branching plant, up to 2 m or taller, with a sturdy<br />
brown-ringed trunk; leaves, up to 1 m or longer and 30 cm or more wide, clustered in a<br />
rosette at <strong>the</strong> crown, frondlike, smooth, pinnate; pinnae, up to 30 cm long and 1 to 2 cm<br />
wide, narrowly lanceolate, with prominant midribs; male inflorescence, up to about 50<br />
cm by 10 cm or more, borne in center <strong>of</strong> leaves, brown, cone-shaped, consisting <strong>of</strong><br />
pollen-bearing scales; female inflorescence and fruit borne on edges <strong>of</strong> modified brown,<br />
woolly leaves, up to 30 cm long; fruit, up to 5 cm long, ovoid, somewhat compressed,<br />
with a thin fleshy orange-brown covering and nutlike seeds, with poiso<strong>no</strong>us kernels.<br />
Planted ornamental. No reported use in Nauru; seed kernels processed into flour as a<br />
famine or ceremonial food in areas <strong>of</strong> Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia. 3, 5(46), 6,<br />
7.<br />
ANGIOSPERMAE (Angiosperms or Flowering Plants)<br />
MONOCOTYLEDONA.<br />
ARACEAE (Arum or Taro Family)<br />
Aglaonema comrnutatum Schott "aglaonema"<br />
Recent introduction. Indonesia to Pacific Is. Rare. Perennial herb, up to 1.5 m;<br />
leaf blades, 8 to 20 cm long and 3 to 10 cm wide, elliptic- to oblong-lanceolate, dark<br />
green with silver markings and 4 to 5 pairs <strong>of</strong> primary side veins; petioles, 5 to 15 cm<br />
long. Ornamental pot plant. 5, 6(274), 7.<br />
Aglaonema costatum N. E. Br . "aglaonema"<br />
- - .-- - ---- -<br />
Recent introduction. S. E. Asia. Rare. Perennial herb, up to 1 m; leaf blade,<br />
about 12.5 by 7.5 cm, stiff, ovate to heart-shaped, dark green with white markings and 5<br />
to 10 pairs <strong>of</strong> primary side veins. Ornamental pot plant. 6(273), 7.
Aglaonema marantifolium B1. " aglaonema"<br />
Recent introduction. S. E. Asia. Occasional. Perennial herb, up to 1 m; leaf<br />
blade, 15 to 35 cm long and 7.5 to 12.5 cm wide, oblong, pointed, dark green with light<br />
green markings along main and side veins. Ornamental pot plant. 5, 6(271), 7.<br />
Aglaonema cv. "Pseudobracteata" "Chinese evergreen", "aglaonema"<br />
Recent introduction. S. E. Asia? Occasional. Perennial herb, up to 80 cm; leaf<br />
blades, 15 to 35 cm long and 7.5 to 12.5 cm wide, dark green with large white and light<br />
and dark green markings; petioles white. Ornamental pot plant cultivar. 5, 6(272).<br />
Alocasia cucullata (Lour.) G. Don<br />
syn. Arum cucullatum Lour.<br />
"Chinese taro"<br />
Recent introduction. India. Occasional. Perennial herb, up to 1.5 m; leaves, up to<br />
30 cm or more in diameter, dark green, long-stalked, rounded heart-shaped; petiole,<br />
long. Ornamental pot plant. 5, 6.<br />
Alocasia lowii Hook. f.<br />
Recent introduction. Malaysia. Rare. Perennial herb, up to 2 m; leaves, 30 cm or<br />
longer, metallic green, heart- or arrow-shaped, with silver-white veins and edges, edges<br />
entire or somewhat wavy; petioles rose colored, up to 30 cm or longer. Ornamental pot<br />
plant. 6.<br />
Alocasia macrorrhiza (L.) Schott "giant taro", "elephant ears"<br />
te kabe (K); taamu (Tuvalu)<br />
syns. Arum macrorrhizon L.; Alocasia indica (Roxb.) Spach; Colocasia gigantea<br />
H0ok.f.; Colocasia macrorrhiza (L.) Schott<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional. Tall thick-stemmed (up to 15 cm in<br />
diameter) herbaceous plant, up to 2 m tall; leaves, up to 1 m long and 60 cm wide,<br />
broadly arrow-shaped, lea<strong>the</strong>ry, entire or wavy margins; petiole, up to 1 m long.<br />
Possibly an aboriginal introduction into Nauru, which was ei<strong>the</strong>r never adopted as a food<br />
*t or was <strong>no</strong>t used at<br />
Planted ornamental and rare<br />
Topside Workshops, where a<br />
pandanus-leaf basket set in <strong>the</strong> ground. Important staple food plant in Samoa and Tonga<br />
and an important supplementary staple food plant in Fiji, eastern ~oi'ynesia and on some
<strong>atoll</strong>s in Tuvalu and <strong>the</strong> Tuamotu and Caroline Islands. Swollen tuberous stem cooked as<br />
a staple vegetable. Wild or naturalized, ornamental (<strong>of</strong>ten variegated), and edible<br />
varieties or cultivars exist in many countries, some <strong>of</strong> which are used only as a famine or<br />
emergency food. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Alocasia sanderiana Bull. "alocasia" , "kris plant"<br />
Recent introduction. Philippines. Occasional. Perennial herb, up to 1.5 m; leaves,<br />
30 cm or longer, heart- or arrow-shaped, dark green with silver-white veins and edges,<br />
reddish below, deeply-lobed edges; petioles up, to 25 to 30 cm long. Ornamental pot<br />
plant. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Alocasia cv. " Amazonica"<br />
Recent introduction. Rare. Potplant. Hybrid cross with A. sanderiana. 6(185).<br />
Anthurium andraeanum Lind. "anthurium"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect perennial, up to 1 m tall; leaves,<br />
15 to 20 cm long and 7.5 to 12 cm wide, oblong, heart-shaped; petiole, longer than<br />
blade; flowers subtended by a plastic-like, bright red or orange-pink, heart-shaped spa<strong>the</strong>,<br />
10 to 12 cm long, flowers borne on a yellow or white spadix, up to 15 cm long.<br />
Ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Caladium bicolor (Ait.) Vent<br />
syn. Arum bicolor Ait.<br />
"artist's pallet", "caladium"<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Occasional. Perennial herb, up to 35 cm tall; leaf<br />
blade, 10 to 30 cm long, attractive, heart-shaped, variegated, patterned with green pink,<br />
red or white spots; leaf stalks, 3 to 6 times longer than blade. Ornamental pot plant.<br />
3(58717, 58793), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott "taro", "dasheen"<br />
detaro (N); te taroro (K); talo (T)<br />
syns. C. antiquorum Schott; Caladium esculentum Vent.<br />
- --<br />
PTe-World WG I -introdSionf poTsibly originiily an u~uccesSfu1~~<br />
a6<strong>of</strong>iginal<br />
introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional. Large perennial herb rising on petioles, up to 1 m,<br />
from an underground tuber; leaves, 25 to 50 cm long and 15 to 30 cm wide, clustered,<br />
green, heart-shaped or ovate-cordate, peltate, tips pointing down; petioles, up to 1 m;
inflorescence shorter than leaves, spa<strong>the</strong> yellow, spadix shorter, cylindrical; tuber or<br />
corm, up to 30 cm long and 15 cm in diameter, <strong>of</strong>ten with up to 2 to 15 side tubers or<br />
cormels. Possibly an aboriginal introduction into Nauru, which was ei<strong>the</strong>r never adopted<br />
as a food plant or was <strong>no</strong>t used at <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> European contact. Food plant in Tuvaluan,<br />
I-Kiribati, and Chinese gardens at Location and Topside workshops; occasionally planted<br />
and mulched in plaited pandanus-leaf baskets. Very important, <strong>of</strong>ten dominant staple in<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r Pacific countries, although recently becoming less important in western Melanesia<br />
because <strong>of</strong> widespread infestations <strong>of</strong> taro leaf blight (Phytophthora colocasiae) and<br />
Alomae and Bobone viruses. Corms cooked as a staple food and <strong>the</strong> tender green leaves,<br />
and sometime <strong>the</strong> petioles, as a spinach or green vegetable. 5, 6, 7(27825).<br />
Cyrtosperma chamissonis (Schott) Merr. "giant swamp taro"<br />
dababai (N); te babai (K); pulaka (T)<br />
syns. Arisacontis cha.missonis Schott; C)lrtospenna edule Schott; C. merkusii<br />
(Hassk.) Schott; Ca.ladium cordifolium Hartzer<br />
Pre-World War I introduction from o<strong>the</strong>r areas <strong>of</strong> Micronesia; possibly originally<br />
an unsuccessful aboriginal introduction. New Guinea and western Pacific Is. Uncommon.<br />
Large massive perennial tuber-forming herb, up to 3 m high, rising from a large corm;<br />
leaf blades, up to 2 m long, but usually less, dark olive-green, erect, ovate-sagittate<br />
(arrow-shaped), only very slightly peltate, tip pointing upward, basal lobes ra<strong>the</strong>r<br />
pointed, sinus deep; petiole, up to 2.5 m or more, but usually less, erect, spiny on <strong>the</strong><br />
lower part. Immature food plant at Location; small patch in poorly-drained area surroun-<br />
ding Buada Lagoon and six plants cultivated in moist area in mulched plaited pandanus-<br />
leaf baskets in Topside Workshop food gardens in 1987. Very important staple root crop<br />
and ceremonial food in Tuvalu and Kiribati and o<strong>the</strong>r low-lying <strong>atoll</strong> countries <strong>of</strong><br />
Micronesia, but evidently <strong>no</strong>t traditionally important in Nauru. Corms cooked as a staple<br />
vegetable. 5, 6, 7(27826).<br />
Dieffenbachia leonii Hort. "dumb cane"<br />
Recent introduction. Colombia. Rare. Perennial herb, up to about 70 cm high;<br />
leaves, variable in shape, green with more or less regular white areas; probably a<br />
horticultural hybrid between D. maculata and D. seguine. Ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Dieffenbachia maculata (Lodd .) Bunt.<br />
syn. D. picta Schott<br />
- - - - - -- - - -- -<br />
"dumb cane"<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Common. Thick-stemmed erect perennial herb, less<br />
than 1 m tall, with a ringed, cane-like stem; leaves, up to 30 cm long and 15 cm wide,<br />
narrowly ovate-oblong but variable, green with many irregular ivory-white flecked
markings, midrib strong with 15 to 20 pairs <strong>of</strong> curved-ascending lateral veins; petiole,<br />
about 12 cm long, broadly grooved. Ornamental pot plant; occasionally planted in<br />
gardens. Sap causes dermatitis when applied externally and causes mouth paralysis and<br />
severe pain when taken in mouth. 3(58677, 58774), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Dieffenbachia seguine (Jacq.) Schott "dumb cane"<br />
Recent introduction. N. S. America and Caribbean. Occasional. Thick-stemmed<br />
erect perennial herb, up to 1 m, with a ringed, cane-like stem; leaves variable, narrowly<br />
oblong or ovate-oblong but variable, dark-green with irregular white spots and 9 to 15<br />
side veins; petiole, <strong>no</strong>t, or only narrowly grooved. Ornamental pot plant. Exhibits same<br />
properties as described for D. maculata. 3(58677), 6, 7.<br />
Epipremnum aureum (Lind. ex Andre) Bunt. "taro vine", "pothos aureus"<br />
syns. Rhaphidophora aurea (Lind. ex Andre) Birds.; Scindapsus aureus (Lind.<br />
ex Andre) Engl.; Pothos aureus Lind. ex Andre; Epipremnum pinnatum<br />
cv. "Aurewn" .<br />
Recent introduction. Solomon Is. Occasional. Branched high climbing vine with<br />
thick rope-like stems with adventitious rootlets; leaf blades, up to 50 cm long and 35 cm<br />
wide, ovate-subcordate, deeply-lobed, petiolate, variegated green and cream or pale-<br />
yellow with irregularly-spaced bands on each side <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> midrib, lateral veins slightly<br />
ascending. Planted ornamental. 3(58724), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Monstera deliciosa Liebm . "monstera" , "fruit salad plant", "taro vine", "ceriman"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. C. America and Mexico. Rare. Perennial<br />
epiphytic stout-stemmed herbaceous vine, <strong>no</strong>des <strong>of</strong>ten with long hanging aerial roots; leaf<br />
blades, up to 80 m long, thick, dark-green, heart-shaped, pinnately-lobed or parted,<br />
grooved, <strong>of</strong>ten conspicuously perforated; petioles, up to 90 cm long; inflorescence with<br />
stalk, up to 15 cm long, spa<strong>the</strong> ra<strong>the</strong>r thick, up to 24 cm long, pale-yellowish, spadix up<br />
to 20 cm long and 5 cm wide, cone-shaped; fruit, edible berries, up to 1 cm long,<br />
numerous, yellowish-green to purplish, edible, borne on spadix. Pot plant and planted<br />
ornamental. 3(58727), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Philodendron hastatum C. Koch & Sellow "philodendron"<br />
- --- -- - - - - -- -- - --<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Perennial herbaceous- climbing vine; leaf<br />
blades, up to 25 cm long, oblong heart-shaped to sagittate or hastate, medium-green,<br />
shiny; petiole, 15 cm or longer. Ornamental pot plant. 6, 7.
Philodendron scandens C. Koch & Sellow ssp. oxicardium (Schott) Bunt."philodendron"<br />
syn. P. oxycardium Schott<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Perennial herbaceous climbing,<br />
twining vine; leaf blades, up to 30 long and 20 cm wide, shiny green, heart-shaped,<br />
tapering to a fine point; petioles 10 to 20 cm long. Ornamental pot plant. 6(238), 7.<br />
Philodendron sp. "philodendron"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Ornamental pot plant. 5 (238), 7.<br />
Scindapsus pictus Hassk. var. argyraeus (Engl.) Engl. "silver vine"<br />
Recent introduction. Indomalaya. Rare. Tall fleshy perennial herbaceous vine;<br />
leaves, up to 30 cm or longer, thick, lea<strong>the</strong>ry, oval to heart-shaped, pointed tips curved<br />
to one side, dark green with silver dots or marbling. Ornamental pot plant. 6(225).<br />
Spathiphyllum cv. " Clevelandii" "spathiphyllum" , "white sails"<br />
Recent introduction. Rare. Hybrid perennial herb, up to 80 cm; leaf blade, up to<br />
25 cm by 10 cm, dark green, narrow ovate or oblong; flowers, arising on long slender<br />
flower stems from <strong>the</strong> base to above <strong>the</strong> leaf tops, bearing attractive white flower bracts<br />
or spa<strong>the</strong>s and white spikes or spadices, 5 to 10 cm long. Ornamental pot plant. 6, 7.<br />
Syngonium angustatum Schott<br />
syn. S. podophyllum sensu Souder <strong>no</strong>n Schott<br />
" syngonium"<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Occasional to common. Climbing or creeping<br />
perennial herb; leaf blades, up to 20 cm long, shining green, palmate, deeply three- to<br />
nine-parted, held erect on rigid stems. Pot plant and planted ornamental. 3(58722), 5, 6,<br />
7.<br />
Xanthosoma lindenii (Andre) Engl.<br />
Recent introduction. Colombia. Rare. Perennial erect herb; leaf blades, up to 30<br />
cmfong-and-775- cm wide;-spear=shaped~-green, principal-midrib and side- veins white;<br />
under surface green; petioles green, up to 30 cm long. Ornamental pot plant. 6.
Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott "tannia" , " yautia" , "cocoyam" , "American taro"<br />
detaro (N); te taororo (K); talo Palagi (T)<br />
syn. Arum sagittifolium L.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. W. Indies. Occasional. Large taro-like tuberous<br />
perennial herb, up to 2 m or higher; leaf blades, up to 50 cm or longer and 40 cm wide,<br />
thick, sagittate (arrow-shaped), glaucous, green to purple-green; petioles, up to 1 m long,<br />
arising from a central tuber or corm with up to 10 or more lateral tubers or cormels,<br />
each 15 to 25 cm long. Food plant in home gardens at Location and near Nauruan home<br />
at Buada; occasionally planted and mulched in pandanus-leaf baskets at Topside work-<br />
shops; found primarily in Tuvaluan gardens. Important staple food crop throughout<br />
Melanesia and Polynesia. Possibly introduced into Nauru in <strong>the</strong> late 19th or early 20th<br />
century, but never becoming as important as in o<strong>the</strong>r areas <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pacific. Side cormels<br />
cooked as a staple and tender young leaves cooked as a green vegetable or spinach. 5, 6,<br />
7.<br />
ARECACEAEIPALMAE (Palm Family)<br />
Caryota urens L. "fishtail palm", "wine palm", "toddy palm"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Rare. Erect single-stemmed palm, up to 10 m;<br />
fronds, up to 5 to 6 m long, drooping, bipinnate, with wedge-shaped fishtail-like leaflets,<br />
irregularly and jaggedly too<strong>the</strong>d; flowers, numerous, grouped in threes, one female<br />
between two male flowers, hanging in clustered panicles, each produced successively<br />
lower on <strong>the</strong> trunk from <strong>the</strong> leaf (frond) <strong>no</strong>des, until <strong>the</strong> lowest <strong>no</strong>de flowers and<br />
produces seed, after which <strong>the</strong> plant dies; fruit, ovoid, red, juicy, surrounding a kidney<br />
shaped seed. Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
Chrysalidocarpus lutescens H. Wendl. "golden cane palm", "golden-fruited palm"<br />
Recent introduction. Madagascar. Rare. Small erect many-trunked clump-forming<br />
palm, up to 5 m or more high, with smooth bamboo-like ringed trunks; fronds, arching,<br />
light green, turning yellow-orange with age, deeply divided into long narrow forked<br />
segments, each about 2.5 cm wide; flowers, borne in clusters among <strong>the</strong> leaves, male and<br />
female flowers separate in <strong>the</strong> same cluster; fruit, yellow, date-like. Planted ornamental.<br />
5, 6.
Cocos nucifera L.<br />
ini (N); te ni (K); niu (T)<br />
"coconut palm"<br />
Aboriginal introduction. S. Asia and Indian Ocean Islands. Abundant. Tall erect<br />
single-stemmed palm with a slender, more or less curved or inclined, trunk, up to 30 m<br />
tall; leaves, up to 4 m or longer, clustered at top <strong>of</strong> trunk, frond-like, pinnate, with<br />
numerous narrow oblong-lanceolate leaflets (pinnae), 25 to 90 cm long; flowers, in<br />
clusters on a simple-branched spadix, up to 1.2 m or longer, which originates in <strong>the</strong> mils<br />
between <strong>the</strong> leaves, with female flowers at <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> branchlets and small male<br />
flowers near <strong>the</strong> tips and over <strong>the</strong> remainder <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> branchlets; each spadix subtended by<br />
a stout woody, boat-shaped, beaked bract or spa<strong>the</strong>; fruit, 15 to 30 cm long, subglobose<br />
to ovoid or ellipsoid, one-seeded, with a thick fibrous husk surrounding a hard nut filled<br />
with hard white oily edible pulp and, when young, with sweet water. Planted extensively<br />
on coastal strip, around Buada Lagoon, near roads in strip-mined areas; occasional on<br />
plateau and escarpment; common along strand; common in Nauruan home gardens and<br />
occasionally planted around contract workers quarters at Location and Topside workshops.<br />
Cultivars include inur, ito, ita, inamaro and ini. Formerly important for copra<br />
production for export; trunks used in house construction and for animal pens; midrib <strong>of</strong><br />
frond used for flooring and walls <strong>of</strong> houses; young fronds used for weaving baskets, food<br />
containers and parcels, mats, housing thatch, fans, hats, dividers for communal fish<br />
farming in Buada Lagoon, and o<strong>the</strong>r plaited ware and for making skirts (ridi); old and<br />
young fronds used for ro<strong>of</strong>ing; coir and dry leaves important as tinder in making fire by<br />
friction and carrying fire; midrib <strong>of</strong> leaflets or pinnules used in brooms and in weaving;<br />
s<strong>of</strong>t endosperm (meat) and water (milk) <strong>of</strong> young, green nuts (ini) consumed; meat <strong>of</strong><br />
I mature nuts (eanikiwi) grated and eaten in a variety <strong>of</strong> ways and squeezed and boiled,<br />
usually with flowers or leaves, to make perfumed coconut oil; coconut endosperm<br />
("meat") has been an important staple throughout <strong>the</strong> small-island Pacific and in coastal<br />
areas <strong>of</strong> larger islands, with some people receiving up to 70% <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir dietary calories<br />
from this source; it was also undoubtedly <strong>the</strong> main staple plant food <strong>of</strong> Nauruans in <strong>the</strong><br />
past and a major food for chickens and pigs; coir or husk <strong>of</strong> both green and mature nuts<br />
used to make strong fibre and cordage (sennit) for strainers, affixing tool handles, boat<br />
and house lashings, fishnets and lines, belts, ca<strong>no</strong>e caulking, corks or stoppers, slings;<br />
dried fronds, husks, and shells used as fuel for cooking; shells used for making charcoal,<br />
one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> main uses being to fuel hand irons in <strong>the</strong> past; shells used to make drinking<br />
cups in <strong>the</strong> past; sap from flower spa<strong>the</strong> tapped to make toddy (karawai) and <strong>the</strong>n <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
boiled down to make a molasses-like syrup (kamaimai); toddy <strong>of</strong>ten allowed to ferment to<br />
become alcoholic "sour" toddy; loose burlap-like tissue (inini) at <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fronds<br />
used to strain coconut milk; dust or pollen collected on lower ends <strong>of</strong> fronds used as a<br />
blood coagulant and disinfectant; coconut oil use to treat tinea; inside <strong>of</strong> very small<br />
immature nuts used in post-natal medicine; very young leaves, without <strong>the</strong> midrib,<br />
chewed and used as a medicine for fever and infantile beriberi. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.<br />
- -~ -- - - ~~<br />
~ ~ -- ~<br />
- ~- ~-~~~~~ ~ - - ~<br />
---- ~<br />
~~ ~ ~
Livistonia chinensis (Jacq.) R. Br.<br />
syn . Latania chinensis Jacq.<br />
"~hinese fan palm", "fountain palm"<br />
Recent introduction. China, Ryukyu and Bonin Islands. Rare. Attractive single-<br />
stemmed erect palm, up to 10 m tall, but <strong>no</strong>rmally less than 5 m, with a ringed gray<br />
trunk; fronds, rounded or palmate, fan-like, about 1.5 m or more in diameter, pleated in<br />
middle and divided radially into 70 to 90 leaflets, about 4 cm wide, each with yellow-<br />
green midribs and split (bifid) drooping tips; petioles, up to 2 m long and 15 cm wide,<br />
with stout tooth-like spines, up to about 1.5 cm long, on <strong>the</strong> lower part; flowers, borne<br />
in large numbers in clusters on branchlets <strong>of</strong> long branched inflorescences; fruit, up to 2<br />
cm long, dull bluish-green, olive-like. Ornamental pot plant and planted ornamental. 6,<br />
7.<br />
Phoenix sp. "date palm"<br />
Recent introduction. Rare. Erect single-stemmed palm with fea<strong>the</strong>r-like pinnate<br />
fronds. Planted ornamental on Command Ridge. 5, 6(61).<br />
Pritchardia pacifica Seem. & Wendl. "Pacific fan palm", "Fiji fan palm"<br />
dabam (N); te bam (K)<br />
syn. Eupritchmdia pacijica (Seem. & Wendl.) 0. Ktze.<br />
Recent introduction. Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa. Rare to occasional. Erect single-<br />
stemmed spineless palm up to 10 m tall; fronds, 1 m long and 1.2 m wide, spreading<br />
from <strong>the</strong> crown, wedge- or fan-shaped, pleated or folded in middle, when young, and<br />
divided radially into numerous leaflets with forked, scarcely drooping tips; petioles, about<br />
1.5 m long, stout; flowers, numerous brownish, borne in clusters on branched axillary<br />
panicles; fruit, about 1.2 cm in diameter, ovoid, green to blackish, 1 seeded. Planted<br />
ornamental at <strong>the</strong> Meneng Hotel. Small edible fruit consumed in Fiji, Tonga and<br />
elsewhere in <strong>the</strong> Pacific but reportedly <strong>no</strong>t eaten in Nauru. 3, 5, 6, 7.<br />
Roystonea elata (Bartr.) Harper "royal palm"<br />
dabam (N)<br />
syns. Palma data Bartr. ; Roystonea regia (HBK.) 0. F. Cook; Oreodoxa regia<br />
HBK.<br />
Recent introduction. Cuba and Florida. Rare. Erect single-stemmed symmetrical<br />
palm, up to 15 m or taller, with a smooth greenish-grey to whitish trunk; fronds, up to 3<br />
m long: pinnate, arching-T%% crownandradiatingfrom aXg gri5icylindeF-dfleaf<br />
sheaths which looks like an extension <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> trunk; leaflets, nearly 1 m long, diverging at<br />
various angles; inflorescence, up to 1 m long, borne below <strong>the</strong> leaves, many-branched,<br />
with a long, slender boat-shaped spa<strong>the</strong>; flowers, usually in groups <strong>of</strong> 3, <strong>of</strong> which 2 are
staminate and 1 pistillate, cream-colored with violet stamens; fruit, less than 2 cm long,<br />
ovoid, purplish, one-seeded. Planted ornamental. 5(137), 6, 7.<br />
BROMELIACEAE (Pineapple Family)<br />
Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill "pineapple"<br />
te bainaboro (K); fara, painapolo (T)<br />
syns. Bromelia comosa L.; B. ananas L.; Ananas sativus Schu1t.f.; A. ananas<br />
(L.) Karst.<br />
Pre-World War I post-European contact introduction. Brazil. Rare. Green to<br />
bluish-grey short-stemmed perennial herb, up to 1 m high; leaves, sword-shaped,<br />
succulent, pointed and sometimes armed (spiny), arranged in a bushy rosette; inflores-<br />
cence, terminal, many-flowered head with small blue flowers; fruit, a pinecone-shaped or<br />
globose syncarp, 15 to 30 cm long, yellow-brown to green, surmounted by a crown <strong>of</strong><br />
small leaves, which is composed <strong>of</strong> many 6-sided berries arranged spirally and embedded<br />
in yellow pulp. Food plant in home gardens at Location and Topside Workshops and<br />
occasionally in expatriate home gardens. Fruit edible. 3, 5, 6.<br />
Nidularium in<strong>no</strong>centi Lem.<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Perennial rosette-forming herb, up to 50 cm <strong>of</strong><br />
higher; leaves, strap-shaped, finely-too<strong>the</strong>d, radiating from a rosette, overlapping bases<br />
forming water-holding reservoirs; flowers, central, small, white with showy red-orange<br />
bracts. Ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Tillandsia usneoides L. "Spanish moss", "Florida moss", "long moss"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Pendulous, rootless epiphyte with<br />
slender, wiry stems, up to 4 m or longer; leaves, 2.5 to 7.5 cm long, grey, narrow,<br />
curved, threadlike, scattered at regular intervals along stem; flowers, nearly 12 mm long,<br />
axillary, inconspicuous, single, yellowish. Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
Vriesia sp. "vriesia"<br />
- - --- - - - - - - -- - - A- -<br />
-- -<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Perennial herb with stiff smooth-edged<br />
variegated leaves arranged in a rosette. Ornamental pot plant. 6.
CANNACEAE (Canna Family)<br />
Canna indica L. "Indian shot", "canna"<br />
Recent introduction. W. Indies. Rare. Perennial herb, to over 1 m high; leaves,<br />
15 to 50 cm long and 10 to 25 cm wide, oval to narrow, ra<strong>the</strong>r fleshy, borne on long<br />
slender erect green stems, up to 1 to 1.5 m long; flowers, orchid-like, red, yellow or<br />
speckled (variegated), in loose erect clusters; fruit, warty, black, capsular, nearly<br />
globose, containing a variable number <strong>of</strong> round black seeds. Planted ornamental. Most<br />
ornamental specimens are showy hybrids or selections. 6(189), 7.<br />
COMMELINACEAE (Dayflower Family)<br />
Dichorisandra thyrisi<strong>flora</strong> Mikan "blue ginger"<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Perennial herb up to 1 m tall; leaves, shiny-<br />
green, spirally arranged; flowers, terminal, blue to violet-blue and white, borne on a<br />
stalk in a cone-shaped flower panicle. Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
Rhoeo spathacea (Sw.) Stearn " tradescantia" , "oyster plant", "Moses in a boat"<br />
syns. Tradescantia spathacea Sw . ; T. discolor L. 'Her. ; R. discolor (L'Her.)<br />
Hance<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico and W. Indies. Occasional. Perennial short-stemmed<br />
herb, up to 40 cm high; leaves, up to 20 to 30 cm long and 4 to 6 cm wide, lance- or<br />
sword-shaped, stiff, succulent, shining green above, purplish beneath, borne in crowded<br />
rosettes; flowers, small, white, in axillary clusters within boat-shaped purple bracts; fruit,<br />
capsular, 3-valved. Pot plant and planted ornamental; planted along borders in ornamen-<br />
tal gardens. 3(58703), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Setcreasia purpurea B. K. Boom "purple tradescantia" , "purple heart"<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Perennial smooth-stemmed trailing herb, up to<br />
30 cm high; leaves, up to 1-5 cm long and 3.5 cm widel ovate-acuminate, black-purple<br />
- -----<br />
above and purple beneath, with woolly hairs along margins; long purple flowering stems,<br />
up to 30 cm, bearing purple bracts and rose-pink flowers in dense clusters. Ornamental<br />
pot plant. 3(56779), 6, 7.
Tradescantia fluminensis Vell. "wandering Jew"<br />
Recent introduction. S. America. Rare. A trailing perennial herb with green or<br />
purplish wiry stems; leaves, 2.5 to 7.5 cm long, oblong, bright green or white-striped,<br />
sometimes purplish beneath; flowers, small rose-purple to whitish, each with two leafy<br />
bracts. Ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Zebrina pendula Schnizl. "purple wandering Jew"<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Occasional. A fleshy trailing perennial herb; leaves,<br />
up to 6 cm long, ovate, reddish-purple beneath and silver-green with purple bands down<br />
<strong>the</strong> middle and around <strong>the</strong> edges above; flowers, 3-petaled, pink to rose-purple, borne in<br />
bract-like leaves near stem tips. Ornamental pot plant. 3(56780), 5, 6, 7.<br />
CYPERACEAE (Sedge Family)<br />
Cyperus alternifolius L. "umbrella plant", "umbrella sedge"<br />
Recent introduction. Madagascar. Rare. Tufted sedge with many stout dark green<br />
flowering stems, up to 120 cm or higher; basal leaves reduced to lanceolate, acurninate<br />
sheaths, 10 to 20 cm long; flower heads, terminal, umbel-like, composed <strong>of</strong> arching leaf-<br />
like bracts, up to 25 cm long and 1 cm wide, borne at <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> stems, and umbel-like<br />
inflorescences, 7 cm across, on rays, up to 10 cm long, with numerous spikelets, up to 3<br />
cm long, crowded at <strong>the</strong> tips; fruit, 3-angled achene, less than 1 mm long. Planted<br />
ornamental. 6, 7.<br />
Cyperus compressus L. 'I sedge"<br />
Recent introduction? Pan tropical. Occasional. Tufted sedge with erect to<br />
spreading thin triangular stems, up to 40 cm long; leaves, 1.5 to 3 mm wide, threadlike,<br />
shorter than sheathing stems, which are up to 3 cm long, and <strong>of</strong>ten reddish; spikelets, 1<br />
to 2.5 cm long and 3 to 5 mm wide, green, 12 or more borne in umbellate clusters<br />
subtended by 3 or more leaf-like bracts, each about 3 mm long; fruit, a 3-angled,<br />
obovoid achene, sides slightly concave, brown to almost black. Weed growing in ra<strong>the</strong>r<br />
dense populations in low ground near Buada Lagoon and swampy area near bottom <strong>of</strong><br />
escarpment. 3(58644), 6.<br />
--
Cyperus iria L. I' sedge"<br />
Recent introduction. Sedge up to 40. cm high; leaves, few, shorter than culms;<br />
inflorescence, branched spikes, about 2.5 cm long, 12- to 20-flowered, spikelets about 6<br />
mm long, bracts longer than inflorescences; fruit, a 3-angled, narrowly ovoid, yellow-<br />
brown achene. Rare weed. 5(90a).<br />
Cyperus javanicus Houtt "sedge", "marsh cypress"<br />
reyenbangabanga (N); te ritanin (K); mouku (T)<br />
syns. C. canescens Vahl; C. pennatus Lam.; C. stuppeus F0rst.f.; Mariscus<br />
javanicus (Houtt.) Merr. ; M. albescens Gaud. ; M. pennatus (Lam .)<br />
Domin; M. stuppeus (F0rst.f.) Merr.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us? Paleotropical. Abundant. Large perennial tufted sedge, up to 1 m<br />
high, with triangular stems; leaves, 7 mm or more wide, are <strong>of</strong>ten longer than flowering<br />
stems, firm, rough, serrulate; inflorescence, compound umbrella-like flower clusters, to<br />
about 15 cm across, with branched rays, up to 10 cm long, bearing spikes, to nearly 2.5<br />
cm to 3.5 cm long, and crowded green to brownish spikelets, about 4 to 8 mm long;<br />
fruit, 1.5 mm long, 3-angled, ellipsoid, dark-brown or black achene. Found growing wild<br />
in isolated clusters and tufts and in colonies or dense populations in moist habitats on <strong>the</strong><br />
coastal strip, surrounding Buada Lagoon, on <strong>the</strong> inner border <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> coastal strand, and<br />
occasionally in mined areas. Stems used as stringers for garlands and for stringing fish;<br />
swollen bottoms eaten occasionally in <strong>the</strong> past. The name "reyenbangabanga" means<br />
literally <strong>the</strong> "surrounding border", referring to <strong>the</strong> way in which C. javanicus surrounds<br />
parts <strong>of</strong> Buada Lagoon. 3(53634), 4(160N), 5(90), 6(218), 7(27824), 8(9576).<br />
Cyperus papyrus L. "papyrus", "Egyptian paper"<br />
Recent introduction. Africa and Mediterranean. Rare. Tall perennial clump-<br />
forming green-stemmed sedge, 1 to 4 m high; leaves, basal ones reduced to bladeless<br />
sheaths, <strong>the</strong> involucral leaves much shorter than inflorescence; inflorescence, umbel-like<br />
flower cluster <strong>of</strong> tufted yellow-green flower heads on drooping threadlike rays, 10 to 40<br />
cm long, with linear spikelets, 6 to 10 mm long and 1 mm across, bearing 6 to 20 scales;<br />
fruit, an oblong, 3-angled achene. Planted ornamental. 5, 6.<br />
Cyperus rotundus L. "nut sedge", "nut grass"<br />
ibugibugi (N); te mutemute (K); mouku (T)<br />
sz. C. _h~exexastachyos - - Rottb.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction? Cosmopolitan. Common. Perennial tufted erect<br />
sedge, 10 to 50 cm high, with hard, scaly brown-black tubers borne on underground<br />
runners or rhizomes; leaves, 5 to 15 cm long and 2 to 5 mm wide, grass-like, folded
along <strong>the</strong> midrib; inflorescence, reddish-brown flower spikelets, 1 to 2 cm long, and 2 to<br />
4 leaf-like bracts, 1 to 12 cm long, borne on unequal rays, to 6 cm long, in loose<br />
terminal umbels borne at <strong>the</strong> top <strong>of</strong> three-angled flowering stems (culms), 10 to 40 cm<br />
tall; fruit, about 1.5 mm long, brown, oblong, 3-sided achene. Weed in gardens; growing<br />
in extensive stands as lawns; in swamps in Meneng. 3(58686), 4(149N), 5(89), 6, 7, 8.<br />
Eleocharis ochrostachys Steud.<br />
syn. E. lmifora (Thw.) H. Pfeiff.<br />
'I sedge "<br />
Recent introduction. Asia. Rare. Erect perennial sedge, 35 to 70 cm tall, with<br />
pithy stems; leaves, reduced to basal sheaths; inflorescence, a cylindrical spikelet, 10 to<br />
20 cm long and 3 to 4 mm across, with numerous green to yellowish-brown scales, 4 to<br />
5 mm long, and 5 to 7 bristles; fruit, 1.5 to 2 mm long, 2-sided, obovate, shiny brown to<br />
gray achene. Planted ornamental. 6(210).<br />
Fibrystylis cymosa R. Br. "sedge", "beach sedge"<br />
ibugibugi, ibiugbiugi; te uteute ni mane (K); mouku (T)<br />
syns. F. spathacea Roth; F. pync<strong>no</strong>cephala Hillebr. ; F. glomerata (Retz.) Nees<br />
ex K. Schum. <strong>no</strong>n (Schrad.) Nees; F. <strong>atoll</strong>ensis St. John; F. wightiana<br />
Nees<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pantropical. Abundant. Perennial tufted sedge, 10 to 50 cm high, with<br />
erect 3-angled stems; leaves, 5 to 30 cm long and 1.5 to 4 mm wide, numerous, stiff,<br />
linear, densely-clumped; inflorescence, a head or simple umbel with 3 to 8 primary rays,<br />
1 to 4 cm long, and single or clustered brown spikelets, 1 to 4 mm long, in globose<br />
heads, 5 to 10 mm in diameter, borne on 3-angled flowering stems (culms), 10 to 60 cm<br />
high; fruit, less than 1 mm long, 2- to 3-sided, obovate, brown-black achene. Found<br />
growing in clusters or tufts in open and semi-open places on <strong>the</strong> coastal strip and in<br />
mined areas on <strong>the</strong> plateau. No reported use on Nauru. 2, 3(58613, 58670), 5, 6(210), 7.<br />
Dioscorea alata L.<br />
te iam (K); 'ufi (T)<br />
DIOSCOREACEAE (Yam Family)<br />
"yam", "greater yam", "winged yam"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. E. Asia. Rare. Herbaceous or shrubby,<br />
twining, K@i-CIimb-ing-tuberous vine witli sqm, Kie lEKwiTggSl ,-uKarmd; -mi-<br />
angled stems; leaves, up to 12 to 25 cm or longer and 8 to 15 cm wide, opposite, ovate<br />
or heart-shaped (cordate), palmately 5- to 11-nerved; petiole, nearly -half, to nearly as<br />
long as blade; flowers, rarely-seen, small, greenish, in narrow terminal axillary panicles,
up to 30 cm or more long; tubers, large, up to 10 kg or more in weight, variable-sized,<br />
globose, cylindrical or lobed, black- to brown-skinned, with white to purplish flesh. Food<br />
plant in home gardens at Location and Denigomodu. Important staple food crop in many<br />
parts <strong>of</strong> Melanesia, Polynesia and Pohnpei (Ponape), Yap and o<strong>the</strong>r high islands in<br />
Micronesia, where numerous named cultivars are recognized, but insignificant in Nauru.<br />
Tuber cooked as a staple vegetable. 5, 6.<br />
Dioscorea esculenta (Lour.) Burkill "lesser yam", "sweet yam", "Goa yam"<br />
syns. Oncus esculentus Lour.; Dioscorea fasciculata Roxb.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. E. Asia. Rare. Herbaceous or woody, twining,<br />
high-climbing tuberous vine with cylindrical thorny or armed stems; leaves, 10 to 15 cm<br />
long and wide, alternate, heart-shaped or orbicular, woolly-pubescent; petioles as long as<br />
<strong>the</strong> blades; flowers, 4 to 5 mm wide, rarely-seen, small, green, borne in slender axillary<br />
panicles, up to 40 cm long; tubers, 15 to 20 cm long, clustered, ovoid, potato-like, with<br />
thin brownish skin and white, slightly sweet flesh. Food plant in home gardens at<br />
Location and Meneng. Important staple in parts <strong>of</strong> Papua New Guinea and Solomon<br />
Islands and a supplementary staple crop in many areas <strong>of</strong> Melanesia, Polynesia and<br />
Micronesia. Tuber cooked as a staple vegetable. 5, 6.<br />
IRlDACEAE (Iris Family)<br />
Gladiolus sp. "gladiolus"<br />
Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Erect herbaceous bulbed annual, up to 1 m<br />
or higher, <strong>of</strong> which many hybrid cultivars exist; leaves, up to over 60 cm long and 2 to 3<br />
cm wide, erect, strap- or sword-shaped; flowers, 5 cm or more in diameter, few to<br />
many, showy, white, yellow, red or purplish, <strong>of</strong>ten variegated, with curved funnel-<br />
shaped tubes and oblong segments, born in 1-sided spikes on flowering stems which are<br />
longer than <strong>the</strong> leaves. Planted ornamental. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Iris sp. %is"<br />
Recent introduction. Origin? Rare. Erect herbaceous rhizomatous perennial, up to<br />
60 cm or higher, <strong>of</strong> which many hybrid cultivars exist; leaves, several, flat, narrow,<br />
forming - a fan-shaped cluster at ~ <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> ~ ~ ~ an ---- erect flower stem; flowers, blue to<br />
- ---- --purplish-blue.<br />
Planted ornamental. 5, 6(lOO).
Tigrida pavonina (L. f.) Ker-Gawl. "tiger flower"<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico and Guatemala. Rare. Erect herbaceous bulbed<br />
perennial, up to 75 cm tall; leaves, about 30 cm long, stiff, narrow, almost pleated;<br />
inflorescence, a branched or unbranched flower stem, up to 60 cm or more, bearing<br />
three-lobed, red, orange, yellow or white, <strong>of</strong>ten spotted, flowers, 7 to 15 cm in diameter,<br />
which appear one after a<strong>no</strong><strong>the</strong>r from bracts, 7 to 12 cm long. Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
LILIACEAE (Including Agavaceae and Amaryllidaceae)(Lily Family)<br />
Agapanthus africanus (L.) H<strong>of</strong>fmannsegg "African lily", "lily <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Nile"<br />
Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Erect perennial herb, up to 60 cm tall;<br />
leaves, strap-shaped, evergreen; inflorescence, tall flowering stems bearing showy flower<br />
heads with many blue, violet-blue or white funnel-shaped flowers, each about 5 cm long.<br />
Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
Agave americana L. "century plant", " malina"<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Large stemless erect perennial succulent herb,<br />
up to 2 m or higher; leaves, 80 to 160 cm long and 15 to 20 cm wide, thick, fleshy,<br />
pointed and spined, variegated with yellow to white margins, borne in a massive rosette<br />
<strong>of</strong> 30 to 60 leaves; flowers, 7.5 cm long, yellow-green, borne in clusters on a tall pole-<br />
like branching stem, up to 6 to 10 m high, arising from <strong>the</strong> center <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rosette. Planted<br />
ornamental. 5(68), 6.<br />
Agave rigida Mill.<br />
te robu (K)<br />
syn. A. sisa.1a.n.a. Perr.<br />
"sisal", "sisal hemp", "malina", "agave"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction? Mexico. Occasional. Large stemless perennial<br />
succulent herb, up to 2 m or higher; leaves, up to 150 cm long and 10 to 15 cm wide,<br />
thick, stiff, fleshy, spine-tipped, bluish, arranged in a large rosette; flowers, up to 5 cm<br />
long, shortly-tubular, yellow-green, borne in panicles on a tall branching stem, up to 8 m<br />
high, arising from <strong>the</strong> center <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rosette. Established locally, especially along edges <strong>of</strong><br />
old strip-mined area. - Grown for export in some tropical areas for <strong>the</strong> fibre from its<br />
--<br />
leaves which is made into rope and o<strong>the</strong>r products. 3(58739), 5, 6(215), 7: - -
Allium ascalonicum L.<br />
te anian (K); ts'ung (C)<br />
"shallot"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Palestine. Occasional. Small erect green herb, up<br />
to 35 cm; leaves, 20 to 35 cm long and 5 to 15 mm wide, narrow, strap-shaped, growing<br />
from many clustered individual white to reddish bulbs, surrounding a single planted bulb,<br />
which separate into segments or "cloves". Cultivated in Chinese food gardens in beds and<br />
containers at Location and Topside workshops. Pungent bulbs and tender leaves eaten<br />
raw or cooked as a spice or vegetable. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Allium cepa L.<br />
te anian (K)<br />
"bulb onion " , "common onion"<br />
Recent introduction. Persia. Rare. Herb with hollow flattened tubular leaves and a<br />
well-developed white or light-green, generally single, bulb with white to yellow-brown<br />
skin. Single immature plant in Chinese food garden at Location. 6.<br />
Allium fistulosum L. "green onion", "spring onion", "Welsh onion",<br />
"Japanese bunching onion" te anian (K); ts'ung (C)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. E. Asia. Occasional. Erect green herb, up to 50<br />
cm tall; leaves, 25 to 50 cm long and 1 to 2 cm wide, green, round, tubular, clustered,<br />
with white, slightly swollen stems which produce <strong>no</strong> bulbs. Cultivated food plant in<br />
Chinese gardens at Location. Pungent tender leaves and stems eaten raw or cooked as a<br />
spice or vegetable. 5, 6.<br />
Allium porrum L. I1leek"<br />
Recent introduction. Eurasia. Rare. Herb with long flattened and folded leaves, up<br />
to 70 cm long, a long white neck below <strong>the</strong> leaves, and a small white bulb. Single plant<br />
growing in food garden at Location. 6.<br />
Allium sativum L.<br />
suen, suen t'au (C)<br />
"garlic "<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. Asia. Occasional. Erect green herb, up to 30<br />
crn high; -. ~~ leaves, ~- 10 ~ to 30 cm long and ~ 1 to 2 cm A wide, flat, ~ strapIshaped, ~- with-a well- ~~developed<br />
segmented bulb with a strong persistent odor, which separates into several<br />
segments or "cloves". Plant in Chinese gardens at Location. Grown from bulbs, mainly<br />
for its pungent edible green leaves which are used as a spice or green vegetable in<br />
Chinese cooking. 5, 6.
Allium schoe<strong>no</strong>prasum L. "chives"<br />
Recent introduction. N. hemisphere. Rare. Erect herb, up to 25 cm high, forming<br />
grass-like clumps; leaves, 10 to 25 cm long and 1.5 to 3 mm wide, fine, tubular, with a<br />
poorly developed bulb. Pot herb cultivated in container at Cliff Lodge. Tender green<br />
leaves used as a spice by European residents. 5, 6.<br />
Allium tuberosum Rottler ex Sprengle<br />
sai ts'ung (C)<br />
"Chinese chives"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. E. Asia. Common. Erect herb, up to 30 cm high;<br />
leaves, 20 to 30 cm long and 3 to 4 mm wide, flat, ribbon-like, with a poorly developed<br />
bulb. Cultivated in Chinese food gardens at Location and Topside workshops for its<br />
edible green leaves. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Asparagus aethiopicus L. "asparagus fern", "Sprenger asparagus"<br />
syns. A. densiflorus (Kunth) Jessup; A. sprengeri Reg.<br />
Recent introduction. S. Africa. Occasional. A much-branched arching wiry-<br />
stemmed perennial, up to 1 m, bearing open whorled fern-like leaf clusters; "leaves", up<br />
to 2 to 2.5 cm long, shiny, flat, narrow, pale-green, lanceolate; flowers, small, fragrant,<br />
pinkish; fruit, small, red, 1- to 3-seeded berries, about 8 mm in diameter. Ornamental<br />
pot plant. 3(58711), 5, 6(167, 180).<br />
Asparagus setaceus (Kunth) Jessup "asparagus fern"<br />
syns. Asparagopsis setacea Kunth; Asparagus plumosus Baker<br />
Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Slightly woody and spiny climbing, many-<br />
branched perennial, up to 1 m, forming flat horizontal fern-like sprays; "leaves", up to 8<br />
mm long, fine, fern-like or needle-like; flowers, minute, white; fruit, small, blackish, 1-<br />
to 3-seeded berries. Ornamental pot plant. 6(169), 7.<br />
Chlorophytum capense (L.) Voss "spider plant", "ribbon plant", "bracket plant"<br />
syns. C. comosum (Thunb.) Jacq. ; C. elatum R. Br.<br />
- - - - -- - --- - - -<br />
Recent introduction. Africa. Rare. Evergreen perennial herb, up to 30 cm or<br />
higher, with tuberous rhizomes; leaves, 15 to 30 cm long and 1.5 to 2.5 cm wide,<br />
rosetted or tufted, grass-like, arching, variegated with mid-green and white or yellow
longitudinal bands; flowers, small, starry-white, 6-parted, borne in loose clusters on<br />
flower stems, up to 1.5 m long, and tipped with leafy <strong>of</strong>fshoots or plantlets; fruit, a<br />
lea<strong>the</strong>ry 3-angled capsule with flat seeds. ornamental pot plant. 3(58690), 6.<br />
Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A. Chev. "cordyline" , " ti-plant" (Hawaii)<br />
te rauti (K) ; ti (T)<br />
syns. Convallaria. fruticosa L.; Cordyline terminalis (L.) Kunth; Taetsia fruticosa<br />
(L.) Merr.; T. terminalis (L.) W. F. Wight<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia or Australasia? Occasional. Woody erect shrub<br />
or tree-like branched or unbranched perennial, up to 2 m or taller; leaves, up to 60 cm<br />
long and 15 cm wide, lanceolate or oblong, smooth, tough, shiny dark-green to rust or<br />
red, borne in rosettes clustered in spirals near <strong>the</strong> tips <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> branches; petioles, 5 to 15<br />
cm long; flowers, numerous, white to lilac-tinted, borne on large branching terminal<br />
panicles, about 30 cm long; fruit, globose, about 5 mm in diameter, thinly fleshy, red,<br />
purplish, or yellowish; seeds,, obovoid, black, glossy; some cultivars with a large edible<br />
tuberous root. Planted ornamental and pot plant. Very important ceremonial and magico-<br />
religious plant, a traditionally important supplementary food plant and famine food, and<br />
important decorative plant, with numerous o<strong>the</strong>r cultural uses in Melanesia and Polyn-<br />
esia, where numerous named cultivars and hybrids exist. The large sweet white tubers <strong>of</strong><br />
some cultivars are baked for days in ear<strong>the</strong>n ovens to be consumed as food, sweets or<br />
confectionery, or, in Hawaii, made into an alcoholic beverage k<strong>no</strong>wn as okolehao; leaves<br />
important for parcelling food and dancing skirts and body ornamentation. Apparently a<br />
recent introduction into Nauru with <strong>no</strong> reported <strong>no</strong>n-ornamental local uses. 3(58676), 5,<br />
6(186), 7.<br />
Crinum asiaticum L. "spider lily", "crinum lily", "grand crinum"<br />
dagiebu, dagibu (N); te kiebu (K); tapua, talotalo (T)<br />
syns. C. peduncula.tum R. Br. ; C. procerum Bak.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional. Perennial erect bulbous herb, up to<br />
1.5 m or taller; leaves, up to 1.5 m long and 20 cm wide, many, arching, fleshy, strap-<br />
shaped, green to yellow, rising from a whitish stalk; inflorescence, an umbel-like<br />
flowerhead bearing 10 or more spider-like, 6-parted, fragrant, white flowers, with<br />
flowering tubes, up to 10 cm long, white filaments and purplish styles, borne on a<br />
flattened fleshy flowering stem (scape); fruit, subglobose, beaked, 1- to 2-seeded; seeds,<br />
large, fleshy. Planted ornamental. Flowers used in garlands; roots crushed for <strong>the</strong><br />
treatment <strong>of</strong> filariasis. 3, 5(122), 6(216), 7.
Crinum augusturn Roxb. "crinum lily", "Queen Emma lily"<br />
dagiebu, dagibu (N); te kiebu (K)<br />
Pre-world War I1 Introduction? Mauritius and Seychelles. Large perennial erect<br />
bulbous herb, up to over 1 m tall; leaves, up to 1.5 m long and 12 cm wide, stemless,<br />
strap-shaped, tapering; flowers, white with dark reddish-purple markings, segments, 15<br />
to 16 cm long by 2 to 2.5 cm wide, filaments and style purple, borne on a flower stalk<br />
which divides into numerous short cluster-bearing stalks. Occasional. Planted ornamental;<br />
flowers used in garlands. 5, 6, 7(22319).<br />
Crinum macran<strong>the</strong>rum Engl.<br />
dagiebu, dagibu (N)?<br />
syn. C rumphii Merr.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Listed as C. macran<strong>the</strong>rum on Burgesses'(l935)<br />
list. Rare? Planted ornamental. 2.<br />
Crinum moorei Hook. f. "veld lily"<br />
Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Perennial bulbous herb, up to 1 m high;<br />
leaves, 60 to 90 cm long and 7.5 to 10 cm wide, lanceolate, smooth; flowers, fragrant,<br />
rose, pink or white, funnel-shaped with curved tubes, up to 10 cm long and 2.5 cm wide,<br />
and segments, up to 10 cm long. Planted ornamental. 5(63).<br />
Dracaena deremensis Engler<br />
syn . Pleomele deremensis (Engler) N. E. Br.<br />
" dracaena"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Rare. Woody palm-like erect shrub, up to 1.5<br />
m or taller; leaves, up to 45 cm by 5 cm, sword-shaped, longitudinally green and white-<br />
striped, apetiolate. Ornamental pot plant. 6, 7.<br />
Dracaena fragrans (L.) Ker-Gawl. "dracaena" , "dragon flower", "pleomele"<br />
syns. Alectris fragrans L.; Pleomele fragrans (L.) Salisb.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Rare. Woody palm-like erect shrub, up to 3 m<br />
or higher; leaves, up to 90 cm long by 10 cm wide, arching, green or longitudinally<br />
- -<br />
green and . yellow-~triped,<br />
~ -~ apetiolate; flowers, fragrant,<br />
~ ~- ~ greenish-yellow,<br />
~~ - borne --- in<br />
panicles; fruit, orange-colored, unpleasant-smelling berry. Ornamental pot plant. 5, 6,
Dracaena sanderiana Sander "dracaena" , "ribbon plant"<br />
syn. Pleomele sanderiana (Sander) N.E. Br.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Rare. Erect woody shrub, up 1 m or taller;<br />
leaves, to about 17 cm long and 3 cm wide, petiolate, arching, dark green, with white<br />
edges, set at intervals along <strong>the</strong> stem; petioles, 7.5 to 10 cm long. Ornamental pot plant.<br />
7.<br />
Furcraea foetida (L.) Haw.<br />
syns. F. gigantea Vent.; Agave foetida L.<br />
"Mauritius hemp"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. S. America. Rare. Stemless perennial herb, up to 1.5<br />
m or higher; leaves, 1 to 1.8 m long and 10 to 15 cm wide, stiff, fleshy, sword-shaped,<br />
spine-tipped, arranged in a rosette; flowers, strong-scented, greenish-white, borne in<br />
terminal panicles on a tall branching stem, up to 7 m high. Found in ruderal sites. May<br />
have been confused with Agave rigida by Swarbrick. 8.<br />
Gloriosa superba L. "climbing lily", "gloriosa" , "glory lily"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Occasional. Climbing perennial lily, reaching<br />
up to 1.5 m in length; leaves, glossy, twisted, narrow, tapering into tendrils; flowers, up<br />
to 7.5 cm long, striking, 6-parted, bright red and yellow, with curled petals which turn<br />
inside out and point upwards when fully open. Planted ornamental and pot plant. 5,<br />
6(l77).<br />
Hippaestrum puniceum (Lam.) Urban "Barbados lily", "amaryllis"<br />
syns. Amaryllyis punicea Lam. ; Hippaestrum equestre (Ait .) Herb. ; Amaryllis<br />
equestris Ait.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Bulbous herb, up to 60 cm or higher; leaves,<br />
30 to 48 cm by 4 cm, 6 to 8 in number, strap-shaped, dark green, developing after <strong>the</strong><br />
flowers have died; flowers, 10 to 12 cm across, funnel-shaped, red or salmon-colored<br />
with green centers, borne in groups <strong>of</strong> 2 to 4 on a stout flowering stem, 30 to 60 cm<br />
high. Planted ornamental. 3(58718), 6, 7.<br />
Hosta plantaginea (Lam .) Asch. "plantain lily", " funkia"<br />
Recent introduction. China and Japan. Rare. Clump-forming herb, up to 50 cm<br />
high; leaves, ovate with many oblique grooves or ribs spreading from <strong>the</strong> midrib;<br />
flowers, funnel- or bell-shaped, small, white or blue-lilac, borne in narrow spikes on a<br />
flower stalk. Planted ornamental. 5(62), 6.
Hyme<strong>no</strong>callis littoralis (Jacq.) Salisb.<br />
lili (N); te ruru ni mane (K); lili (T)<br />
syn. Paneratiurn littorale Jacq.<br />
59<br />
"spider lily"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Erect bulbous perennial herb, up<br />
to 75 cm or higher; leaves, 45 to 75 cm long and 2 to 7 cm wide, strap-shaped, fleshy;<br />
inflorescence, an umbel <strong>of</strong> 3 to 8 striking, white, funnel-shaped, spider-like, fragrant<br />
flowers with narrow tubes, 10 to 17 cm long, and long slender spreading petals,<br />
connected at <strong>the</strong> base by a thin web, borne at <strong>the</strong> top <strong>of</strong> a thick, flattened flowering stem,<br />
30 to 75 cm long; fruit, green, smooth, 3-celled. Planted ornamental. 3(58782), 5(129),<br />
6, 7.<br />
Littonia modesta Hook "climbing lily"<br />
Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Unusual climbing herb, reaching 60 to 90<br />
cm in length; leaves, narrow, shining, green, spaced along an unbranched stem, each<br />
ending in a small tendril; flowers, rich-orange, wide, spreading, bell-shaped, borne<br />
singly in <strong>the</strong> axils <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> leaves. Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
Narcissus sp. "daffodil", "narcissus"<br />
Recent introduction. Europe. Rare. Bulbous herb, up to about 25 cm; leaves, flat;<br />
flowers, fragrant, white to yellow, on individual stalks borne at <strong>the</strong> top <strong>of</strong> a flattened<br />
stem. Ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Sandersonia aurantiaca Hook. f. "golden lily <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> valley", "Chinese lanterns"<br />
Recent introduction. Natal. Rare. Tuberous perennial herb, up to 45 cm; leaves,<br />
stalkless, spear-shaped, tapering to a fine point, borne up <strong>the</strong> slender stem in decreasing<br />
size; flowers, showy, orange, lantern-shaped, borne on long pendant stalks from <strong>the</strong> axils<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> leaves on <strong>the</strong> upper half <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> main stem. Ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Sansevieria trifasciata Prain "bowstring hemp", "mo<strong>the</strong>r-in-law's tongue"<br />
to - 1<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. W. Africa. Occasional. Erect evergreen perennial, up<br />
m high, with orange turmeric-like rhizomes; leaves, 30 to 90 cm long and 2.5 to 7.5<br />
--<br />
cm wide, fleshy, erect, sword-shapeartapering- to aTharpSubulate point, dEEativeTnd<br />
cross-banded on both sides with shades <strong>of</strong> dark green to yellowish to greyish-green, some<br />
varieties with creamy-yellow vertical margins; flowers, whitish to yellowish or greenish,<br />
tubular, borne in clusters on a flowering stem (scape) which is slightly shorter or as long
as <strong>the</strong> leaves; fruit, globose, orange with fleshy seeds. Planted ornamental and pot plant.<br />
3(58637), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Sprekelia formosissima (L.) Herb. " Jacobean lily", "Aztec lily"<br />
Recent introduction. C. America. Rare. Bulbous plant, about 30 cm high; leaves,<br />
strap-shaped, developing after <strong>the</strong> flowers; flowers, 7.5 to 10' cm across, striking<br />
crimson-red, single, irregularly funnel-shaped, 6-segmented, 3 toge<strong>the</strong>r forming a lip, 2<br />
curled back at <strong>the</strong> sides and <strong>the</strong> sixth held upright at <strong>the</strong> top <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> bloom, borne on a<br />
long hollow stem. Ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Yucca gloriosa L. "yucca", "Spanish bayonet"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America and S.E. United States. Rare. Tree-like<br />
perennial shrub, up to 2 m or taller; leaves, about 60 cm long and 5 cm wide, sharp-<br />
pointed, green to grey-blue, borne in rosettes on a branched or unbranched stem;<br />
flowers, up to 7.5 cm across, many, white to creamy, short-stalked, cup- or bell-shaped,<br />
borne in clusters on a much-branched flower stem extending above <strong>the</strong> leaf rosette.<br />
Planted ornamental. 3(58683), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Zephyran<strong>the</strong>s candida (Lindl.) Herb. "zephyr flower", "white star <strong>of</strong> Bethlehem",<br />
"westwind flower", "storm lily"<br />
Recent introduction. Argentina and Uruguay. Rare. Bulbous herb, up to 25 cm<br />
high; leaves, seldom over 25 cm, green, fleshy; flowers, 3.5 to 5 cm long, solitaq, 6-<br />
segmented, white inside, rose-tinged or <strong>no</strong>t outside, borne on erect or bent flowering<br />
stems, 10 to 20 cm long; fruit, a 3-valved capsule with flat black seeds. Planted<br />
ornamental. 6.<br />
Zephyran<strong>the</strong>s rosea Lindl. "pink lady", "pink star <strong>of</strong> Bethlehem", "pink zephyr flower"<br />
susana (T)<br />
syn. Atamosco rosea (Lindl.) Green<br />
Recent introduction. Guatemala and W. Indies. Rare. Bulbous herb, rarely up to<br />
10 cm; leaves, up to 25 cm long, narrow, strap-shaped, downward-curved; flowers,<br />
about 2.5 to 3 cm long, solitary, pink to rosy-red, borne on erect or bent flower stems,<br />
up to 15 cm long. Planted ornamental. 3(58692), 5, 6, 7.<br />
- -- - - -p -- --- - - --
Cala<strong>the</strong>a ornata (Lem.) Koern.<br />
syn . Maranta ornata Lem .<br />
MARANTACEAE (Arrowroot Family)<br />
"cala<strong>the</strong>a"<br />
Recent introduction. Nor<strong>the</strong>rn S. America. Occasional. Perennial herb, up to 45<br />
cm or higher; leaves, up to 65 cm long and 22 cm wide, 1 to 7 in number, narrowly<br />
oval, green with varied striped markings above, which range from rose to white when<br />
young, but to entirely green above and purplish-red below when mature. Ornamental pot<br />
plant. 3(58688), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Cala<strong>the</strong>a wiotiana Makoy "cala<strong>the</strong>a" , "rattlesnake plant"<br />
syns. C. insignis Bull; C. lanceolata Boom<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Perennial, low, bushy herb, up to 30 cm or<br />
taller; leaves, about 30 cm long, wavy-edged, parallel-sided, velvety green, marked with<br />
oblique, dark olive-green blotches above and reddish-purple below. Ornamental pot plant.<br />
6.<br />
Cala<strong>the</strong>a zebrina (Sims) Lindl.<br />
syn. Maranta zebrina Sims<br />
"cala<strong>the</strong>a"<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Perennial unbranched short-stemmed herb, up<br />
to more than 45 cm high; leaves, 30 to 60 cm long and 15 cm wide, oblong, with<br />
somewhat wavy edges, as many as 20 in number, spirally-arranged, tufted, velvety, dark-<br />
green and light- or yellow-green bands above and purple beneath. Ornamental pot plant.<br />
6.<br />
Ctenan<strong>the</strong> lubbersiana (Morr.) Eichl. "ctenan<strong>the</strong>" , "bamburanta"<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Tufted perennial, up to 50 cm high, with<br />
slender forking stems; leaves, 15 to 20 cm long, narrowly oblong, long-stalked, varie-<br />
gated, deep green above, lined and mottled with yellow, and paler beneath. Ornamental<br />
pot plant. 6.<br />
Ctenan<strong>the</strong> oppenheimiana (Morr.) K. Schum. "ctenan<strong>the</strong>" , "never-never plant"<br />
- -- - - - -- - --- - - -- - - - - - - - - -- -- - --<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Clump-forming perennial, up to 75 cm high;<br />
leaves, up to 25 cm or longer, lance-shaped, green with silver-grey bands on <strong>the</strong> upper<br />
surface and purple-red beneath. Ornamental pot plant. 6.
Maranta leuconeura Morr. " maranta", "prayer plant", "rabbit tracks"<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Perennial herb, up to 30 cm high; leaves, up to<br />
15 cm long, oblong, stalked, light emerald green with brown-purple patches both sides <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> mid-vein, lying almost horizontal by day becoming more vertical at night like hands<br />
in prayer; flowers, about 2.7 cm long, white to violet, accompanied by two narrow<br />
bracts. Ornamental pot plant. 6, 7.<br />
MUSACEAE (Banana Family)*<br />
*The <strong>no</strong>menclature for <strong>the</strong> genus Musa is confused, with most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> common<br />
seedless cultivars or clones being triploid crosses <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fertile species Musa acuminata<br />
Colla and M. balbisiana Colla. The Latin bi<strong>no</strong>mials M. nana Loureiro, M. sapientum L.,<br />
and M. paradisiaca L. are commonly used as follows: M. nana for <strong>the</strong> "dwarf Caven-<br />
dish", and M. sapientum for <strong>the</strong> taller bananas, which are generally eaten ripe, but which<br />
are also cooked throughout <strong>the</strong> Pacific as starchy staples, and M. paradisiaca for <strong>the</strong><br />
starchier bananas or plantains, which are usually eaten cooked as a staple starch, but<br />
occasionally eaten ripe as fruit. The <strong>no</strong>menclature most widely used by agro<strong>no</strong>mists is<br />
that developed by Simmonds, which classifies all cultivars or clones on <strong>the</strong> basis <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
assumed genetic background, eg. Musa ABB Group would be a triploid cross <strong>of</strong> one M.<br />
acuminata group and two M. balbisiana groups. Both <strong>no</strong>menclature systems are presented<br />
here to more precisely identify <strong>the</strong> clones that are currently present in Nauru.<br />
Musa (AAA Group) Simmonds "banana", "Robusta" , "poyo" , "Mons Marie"<br />
dabanana (N); te banana (K); fuainaoluga (T)<br />
syns. M. sapientum L.; M. paradisiaca L. var. sapientum (L.) Kuntze; M.<br />
paradisiaca L. ssp. sapientum (L.) Kuntze; M. acuminata Colla cvs<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. E. Asia. Occasional. Clump- or stand-forming<br />
giant perennial herb, up to 6 m tall, with green pseudostems (trunks) composed <strong>of</strong> leaf<br />
sheaths; leaves, up to 2.5 m long and 75 cm wide, broad-bladed, broadly fea<strong>the</strong>r-shaped,<br />
bright green, smooth, at first entire, but soon splitting like a fea<strong>the</strong>r along parallel side<br />
veins, spirally arranged in a terminal crown through which <strong>the</strong> inflorescence emerges,<br />
leaf stems and midribs thick; inflorescence, thick, stalk-like, terminal, and bearing male<br />
flowers, in a large budlike tip with dark purplish-red scales, and female flowers along <strong>the</strong><br />
- -<br />
stalk --- which - turn- -- into --A- large hanging fruit bunches; fruit, seedless, --- blunt-tipped, - - -- medium- -<br />
thick-skinned, greenish-yellow, turning bright yellow on ripening; new pseudostems<br />
sprout from base <strong>of</strong> old pseudostems which die or are cut after bearing fruit. Food plant<br />
in Tuvaluan and I-Kiribati food gardens at Location and Topside workshops; occasional<br />
in Nauruan and expatriate home gardens. Important food and export crop in many areas
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pacific, especially in Tonga and Western Samoa, where bananas are a major<br />
export crop, and in Tuvalu, where bananas are a major staple food. Not a traditional food<br />
plant, and <strong>of</strong> only limited importance on Nauru. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.<br />
Musa (AAB Group) Simmonds "lady's finger banana", "pisang rajah" (Indonesia)<br />
dabanana (N); te banana, te oraora (K); tamatamailima, inisi (T)<br />
syns. Musa x paradisiaca L. var. hort. "Pisang raja" (M. acuminata Colla x<br />
M. balbisiana Colla)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. India. Occasional. Clump- or stand-forming<br />
giant perennial herb, up to 7 m tall, with bronze-green pseudostems (trunks) composed <strong>of</strong><br />
leaf sheaths; leaves, up to 3 m long and 80 cm wide, broad-bladed, broadly fea<strong>the</strong>r-<br />
shaped, bright green, smooth, at first entire, but soon splitting like a fea<strong>the</strong>r along<br />
parallel side veins, spirally arranged in a terminal crown through which <strong>the</strong> inflorescence<br />
emerges, leaf stems and midribs thick; inflorescence, thick, stalk-like, terminal, and<br />
bearing male flowers, in a large budlike tip with dark purplish-red scales, and female<br />
flowers along <strong>the</strong> stalk which turn into large hanging fruit bunches; fruit, tightly-packed,<br />
light-yellow, short, slightly rounded, plump, very thin-skinned, seedless; new pseudos-<br />
tems sprout from base <strong>of</strong> old pseudostems which die or are cut after bearing fruit. Food<br />
plant in Tuvaluan and I-Kiribati gardens at Location and Topside workshops. Eaten ripe<br />
as a fruit throughout much <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pacific and a very important staple in Samoa, where it<br />
is cooked green. Not usually found in Nauruan gardens. 3, 5, 6, 7.<br />
Musa (ABB Group) Simmonds "cooking banana", "plantain", " bluggoe"<br />
dabanana (N); te banana, te umuumu (K); pata (T)<br />
syns. Musa x paradisiaca L. var. hort. "Bluggoe" (M. acuminata Colla x M.<br />
balbisiana Colla )<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction? S. E. Asia and Pacific. Common. Clump- or<br />
stand-forming giant perennial herb, up to 6 m tall, with pale green pseudostem (trunks)<br />
composed <strong>of</strong> leaf sheaths; leaves, up to 2.5 m long and 75 cm wide, broad-bladed,<br />
broadly fea<strong>the</strong>r-shaped, bright green, smooth, at first entire, but soon splitting like a<br />
fea<strong>the</strong>r along parallel side veins, spirally arranged in a terminal crown through which <strong>the</strong><br />
inflorescence emerges, leaf stems and midribs thick; inflorescence, thick, stalk-like,<br />
terminal, and bearing male flowers, in a large budlike tip with dark purplish-red scales,<br />
and female flowers along <strong>the</strong> stalk which turn into large hanging fruit bunches; fruit,<br />
light-green, waxy, thick-skinned, angular, with a tapering blunt-tip; new pseudostems<br />
sprout from base <strong>of</strong> old pseudostems which die or are cut after bearing fruit. Food plant<br />
in well --- mulched areas and planting boxes at Location and near Topside workshops in<br />
Tuvaluan and FKiribati gardens. ImpOitafi tradTtiOn5l si@flemenws€%ple in many areas<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pacific, where it seems to be an aboriginally introduced cultivar and k<strong>no</strong>wn as bata<br />
or pata in Fiji and Polynesia respectively. The most common banana cultivar in Kiribati,<br />
from where it may have been introduced into Nauru. Leaves and'pseudostem used
medicinally to wrap sick persons to lower fevers; leaves used to parcel food and to cover<br />
ear<strong>the</strong>n oven; green fruit cooked as a staple food and ripe fruit eaten raw. Evidently <strong>no</strong>t a<br />
successful aboriginal introduction to Nauru, where Musa cultivars do <strong>no</strong>t seem to have<br />
been a traditional food crop. 5, 6, 7.<br />
ORCHIDACEAE (Orchid Family)<br />
Cattleya sp. "cattleya orchid"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Bulbous or slender-stemmed orchid<br />
with thick, slightly-folded leaves and large showy flowers. Ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Dendrobium undulatum R. Br. "dendrobium orchid"<br />
Recent introduction. Australia. Rare. Orchid with short thick leaves and many<br />
showy flowers borne along a flowering stem. Ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Dendrobium sp. "dendrobium orchid"<br />
Recent introduction. Rare. Orchid with short thick leaves and many showy<br />
flowers borne along a flowering stem. Planted ornamental at H.M. De Robert's home. 6.<br />
Spathoglottis plicata B1. "Malayan ground orchid"<br />
Recent introduction. Indomalaysia. Rare. Terrestrial erect perennial herb, up to 60<br />
cm or taller; leaves, 50 cm to 120 cm long and 5 to 20 cm wide, oblong-lanceolate or<br />
elliptic-lanceolate, plicate, with numerous parallel veins; flowers, 2 to 3 cm wide, pink to<br />
rose-lavender, with some magenta and bright yellow in <strong>the</strong> center, borne in clusters on a<br />
long flowers stalk (scape), up to 150 cm or higher; fruit, a narrow oblong seed-bearing<br />
capsule, about 3.7 cm long. Planted ornamental. 5, 6.<br />
Vanda teres Lindl. "vanda orchid"<br />
Recent introduction. Burma. Rare. Evergreen orchid with tall climbing stems, up<br />
to 2 m ;leaves,-about15 cm l~ng,-darkgreen,-cylidiical; flowers, 2 to 5 flOWeTS, each<br />
10 cm across, with rounded creamy white to rose-tinted sepals, rounded rose-colored<br />
petals, orange or yellow throats with red markings, and <strong>the</strong> middle lobe purple or rose,<br />
borne in clusters on <strong>the</strong> climbing steins. Planted ornamental. 6.
Vanda sp. " vanda orchid "<br />
Recent introduction. S. E. Asia. Rare. Evergreen orchid with showy flowers.<br />
Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
PANDANACEAE (Pandanus Family) *<br />
*The <strong>no</strong>menclature for <strong>the</strong> genus Pandanus is, like Musa, confused, with some<br />
taxo<strong>no</strong>mists classifying many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> common cultivars and wild clones or species, both<br />
edible and <strong>no</strong>n-edible, as forms or varieties <strong>of</strong> P. tectorius. O<strong>the</strong>r taxo<strong>no</strong>mists consider<br />
<strong>the</strong>m distinct species, <strong>of</strong>ten listing numerous species or varieties for a given area. For<br />
example, P. odoratissirnus L.f. has long been thought to be sy<strong>no</strong>nymous with P.<br />
tectorius, but is <strong>no</strong>t considered, by many authorities, to occur east <strong>of</strong> Malaysia. Similar-<br />
ly, P. odoratissirnus L.f. var. pyrifonnis Mart. has been used as a sy<strong>no</strong>nym for a wild<br />
and doubtful variety <strong>of</strong> P. tectorius, whereas Stone (1970) considers P. fragrans Gaud. to<br />
be <strong>the</strong> common wild species on Guam, and does <strong>no</strong>t consider P. tectorius to be present.<br />
Thus, because <strong>the</strong> fruit <strong>of</strong> many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> named cultivars or varieties found on Nauru were<br />
<strong>no</strong>t collected and identified, <strong>the</strong> identifications here must be considered provisional, with<br />
most named cultivars being grouped under P. tectorius. O<strong>the</strong>r widespread forms, such as<br />
P. dubius Spreng., a widespread edible species; and P. spurius Miq. cv. "PUTAT"<br />
(syns. P. tectorius Warb. var. laevis Warb. ; P. odoratissirnus L. f. var. laevis (Warb .)<br />
Mart., which are widely cultivated for <strong>the</strong>ir leaves for use in plated ware, are also<br />
possibly present, but <strong>no</strong>t listed here. P. dubius, if present, however, is a very different<br />
plant, <strong>no</strong>t likely to be confused with P. tectorius. It has <strong>no</strong> edible fleshy tissue, but a<br />
large globose fruit, 30 to 40 cm in diameter, composed <strong>of</strong> many drupes, 8 to 18 cm long,<br />
each containing a single seed with edible white endosperm.<br />
Pandanus tectorius Warb. var. pulposus Warb.<br />
epo, epuh (N); te kaina (K); fala (T)<br />
syn. P. pyrifomis Gaud.<br />
"pandanus" , "screw pine"<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us and probably an aboriginal introduction in <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> some cultivars.<br />
Pacific Is. Common. Stout, branching tree, up to 5 m or more tall, with numerous aerial<br />
roots and thick forking stems; leaves, seldom over 10 cm wide and 1 to 3 m long,<br />
spirally-arranged, pointed, with armed or spiny margins and midribs; male inflorescence,<br />
fragrant, pendant, with cream-yellow bracts and white spikes; female inflorescence,<br />
si=-bu t stnaIkel;n separate trees; f fii7 pEii%ppmilCe, mid; 2OPt0 30cm-long and<br />
10 to 20 cm wide, with 50 or more wedge-shaped, yellow to red-orange, 1 to 12-celled<br />
woody drupes, each about 4 to 8 cm long. Commonly planted on <strong>the</strong> coastal strip in<br />
home gardens and in open areas and in stands on <strong>the</strong> unmined portions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> plateau
(Topside); women were formerly responsible for <strong>the</strong> care and cultivation <strong>of</strong> pandanus,<br />
although men helped in <strong>the</strong> initial clearing <strong>of</strong> land. An important staple to <strong>the</strong> Nauruans<br />
and to <strong>the</strong> I-Kiribati and Tuvaluans on <strong>the</strong>ir home islands. Very important fresh fruit and<br />
staple in Nauru and o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>atoll</strong> and Micronesian countries. Named cultivars which still<br />
exist on Nauru include enaben (enabun), erabaite (erabwaite), eragadibyaw, eragomogom<br />
(eragumugum), inaparabei (inaporabei), inime<strong>no</strong>iya, irireiab, and iriribe; o<strong>the</strong>r named<br />
cultivars, which are reportedly <strong>no</strong>w extinct due to mining, bombing during World War<br />
11, and failure to replant, include eraburabur (eraburbur), eramwimwi, erarapaiwa<br />
(erarapeiwa, erarapwiewa), erkibwir, erokwoi, eronubwe, erwuro, inibiterin, and itoidi<br />
(etoidi). Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se cultivars may be P. dubius (see above). Ripe fruit <strong>of</strong> all cultivars<br />
eaten in Nauru as a vitamin-A-rich snack food and also cooked or fermented and put on<br />
pandanus mats or leaves in <strong>the</strong> sun to dry to make a "rich man's" food k<strong>no</strong>wn as edongo,<br />
which is also a traditional food for <strong>the</strong> sick; leaves, which are commonly soaked in fresh<br />
water or boiled, are plaited into mats (itubare), baskets, and o<strong>the</strong>r plaited ware, and<br />
make <strong>the</strong> best traditional thatching and ro<strong>of</strong>ing; main trunk and stilt roots used in house<br />
construction; wood and dried fruit sometimes burned as fuel; thin outside bark <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> stilt<br />
roots scraped and mixed with coconut juice to cure constipation and poor appetite; I-<br />
Kiribati use leaves as cigarette wrappers. According to Wedgewood (1936), during <strong>the</strong><br />
yearly pandanus harvest (ineded), which usually occurred around August or September,<br />
people used to ieave <strong>the</strong>ir homes on <strong>the</strong> coast to stay in temporary bush huts on <strong>the</strong><br />
pandanus lands in <strong>the</strong> interior. 2, 3(58760), 5(64), 6, 7(27814?).<br />
Pandanus sanderi Hort. ex Masters "variegated pandanus"<br />
Recent introduction. Indomalaysia to <strong>the</strong> Pacific Is. Rare. Perennial shrub with<br />
long pointed variegated green leaves with yellow-white margins. Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
Andropogon sp.<br />
POACEAE OR GRAMINAE (Grass Family)<br />
Recent Introduction. Rare. Small perennial grass. Local on strip-mined land.<br />
3(58736).<br />
Arundo donax L. "giant reed"<br />
Recent intr~diiCtion.~OTd<br />
World. OccTsionnX Lai-ge perenniiil grass or reed with<br />
strong, bamboo-like, erect hollow stems, 2 to 4 cm in diameter, rising in clumps, up to<br />
4 m high; leaves, 50 to 70 cm long and 2 to 6 cm wide, flat, pale bluish-green, smooth;<br />
inflorescence, a large fea<strong>the</strong>ry flowering panicle, up to 70 cm long, with whitish to
purplish spikelets, 8 to 12 mm long. Planted ornamental and spontaneous in some areas.<br />
3(58742), 3(171N), 5(95), 6, 7(22318).<br />
Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. ex Wendl. "common bamboo", "fea<strong>the</strong>ry bamboo"<br />
ebarabaratu, embarabaraba (B)(N) ; te kaibaba (K)<br />
syns. Arundo bambos L.; Bambos arundinacea Retz.; Bambusa arundinaria<br />
Willd. ex Merr. (Sphalm.); B. arundinacea (Retz.) Willd.<br />
Pre-World War I1 post-European contact introduction. Trop. Asia. Rare. Giant<br />
perennial clump-forming woody grass with segmented green to yellowish stems (culms),<br />
up to 15 m tall and 8 cm wide; leaves, 9 to 30 cm long and 1 to 4 cm wide, fea<strong>the</strong>ry,<br />
lanceolate, rough below and on <strong>the</strong> margins; flowers, spikelets, 2 to 3.5 cm long, borne<br />
in large leafy clusters at <strong>the</strong> <strong>no</strong>des. Planted on coastal strip. Woody stems used in <strong>the</strong><br />
construction <strong>of</strong> perches for pet frigate birds, for fishing rods, net handles for <strong>no</strong>ddy-bird<br />
nets and reef and flying-fish nets; splinters used in <strong>the</strong> past to mend fishing nets; parts<br />
used medicinally. 2, 5, 6(217), 7.<br />
Cenchrus brownii R. & S.<br />
eakung, iyakong (N)<br />
syn. C. viridis Spreng.<br />
"Brown's burgrass", "Brown's sandbur"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Annual grass, up to 50 cm or<br />
higher; leaves, 5 to 12 cm long, narrow, slightly hairy; inflorescence, a cylindrical<br />
flowering spike bearing many crowded somewhat delicate globose spiny burrs. Weed in<br />
open places and ruderal habitats on <strong>the</strong> coastal strip. 5(35), 6, 7.<br />
Cenchrus echinatus L. "burgrass", "sand bur"<br />
eakung, iyakong (N); te kateketeke (K); mouku talatala (T)<br />
Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Common. Annual grass, 10 to 60<br />
cm tall, lower parts <strong>of</strong>ten prostrate, rooting at <strong>the</strong> <strong>no</strong>des; leaves, 3 to 10 cm long and 3<br />
to 10 mm wide, narrow, slightly hairy on <strong>the</strong> upper surface near base, smooth on lower<br />
surface; inflorescence, a dense cylindrical spike-like raceme, 3 to 8 cm long, bearing 5 to<br />
15 well-spaced (<strong>no</strong>t crowded) spiny burs, usually bearing 2 to 4 spikelets, 5 to 7 mm<br />
long; fruit, a globose bur, 3 to 6 mm in diameter, purplish or straw-colored with age,<br />
with numerous irregularly arranged spines, up to 5 mm long. Weed occurring in clusters<br />
or tufts in open and ruderal habitats on <strong>the</strong> coastal strip. 2, 3(58607), 4(146N), 5(34), 6,<br />
7, 8. - -
Chloris inflata Link<br />
syn. C. barbata sensu auct. <strong>no</strong>n (L.) Sw.<br />
"finger grass"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Tufted perennial grass, up to 90<br />
cm tall, erect or somewhat bent at <strong>the</strong> base, rooting at <strong>the</strong> lower <strong>no</strong>des, which are <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
purplish; leaves, up to 3 to 20 cm long and 2 to 6 mm wide, flat, usually bluish-green,<br />
rough on <strong>the</strong> edges, <strong>of</strong>ten hairy near <strong>the</strong> base on <strong>the</strong> upper side; inflorescence, flower<br />
heads <strong>of</strong> 2 to 11 conspicuous, purplish, finger-like, fea<strong>the</strong>ry terminal flower spikes, 2.5<br />
to 7.5 cm long, with spikelets, about 3 mm long, with 3 slender bristles, borne at <strong>the</strong> tips<br />
<strong>of</strong> flowering stems (culms), up to 60 to 90 cm high. Weed occurring locally in isolated<br />
clusters or tufts in open and ruderal places on <strong>the</strong> coastal strip. 3(58519), 4(151N),<br />
5(40), 6, 7, 8(9549).<br />
Chrysopogon aciculatus (Retz.) Trin. "needle grass", "seed grass", "golden beard grass"<br />
syns. Andropogon acicu.latus Retz.; Rhaphis aciculatus (Retz.) Desv.<br />
Recent introduction. S. E. Asia and Pacific Is. Occasional. Perennial grass, up to<br />
60 cm high, usually with prostrate or creeping stems; leaves, 2 to 5 cm long and 3 to 6<br />
mm wide, flat or folded, linear-lanceolate, rough on <strong>the</strong> edges; inflorescence, a finely-<br />
branched flower stem, up to 25 cm long, bent at <strong>the</strong> base, bearing slender erect clustered<br />
purplish panicles, 2.5 to 6 cm long, with awned or barbed, spikelets, 3 to 6 mm long.<br />
Weed occurring locally on bare soil, roadsides, waste places, and occasionally in lawns.<br />
3(58625, 58709), 5(82), 6, 7.<br />
Cy<strong>no</strong>don dactylon (L.) Pers. "Bermuda grass"<br />
ibugibugi (N); te uteute (K); mouku (T)<br />
syns. Panicum dactylon L. ; Capriola dactylon (L.) 0. Ktze.<br />
Recent introduction. Old World. Common. Small, low creeping perennial sod-<br />
forming grass, rooting at <strong>the</strong> lower <strong>no</strong>des; leaves, 2.5 to 10 cm long and 3 to 6 mm<br />
wide, rough on <strong>the</strong> edges; inflorescence, a somewhat ascending or erect flowering stem<br />
(culm), up to 10 to 15 cm, bearing 2 to 6, <strong>of</strong>ten 4 to 5, slender, radiating purplish finger-<br />
like terminal flower spikes, 2.5 to 7 cm long, and spikelets, up to 3 mm long. Common<br />
in open places forming mat or sod and in lawns. 3(58625), 5, 6(270), 7.<br />
Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Beauv. " four-finger grass", "beach wire grass",<br />
"crowfoot grass" -<br />
syns. Q<strong>no</strong>surus aegyprius L. ; Dactyloctenium aegyptiacum - (L.) Willd. (orth .<br />
mut.); Elcusine aegyptiaca (L.) Desf<br />
grass,<br />
Recent introduction. Paleotropics. Occasional. More or less prostrate annual<br />
15 to 60 cm high, rooting from <strong>the</strong> lower <strong>no</strong>des; leaves, up to 15 cm to 30 cm
long, but mostly shorter, and up to 6.2 mm wide, flat, <strong>the</strong> edges lined with hairs;<br />
inflorescence, an erect flowering stem (culm), up to 50 cm tall, bearing 2 to 6 radiating<br />
thick, somewhat purplish, dark-colored terminal flower spikes, each up to nearly 3 to 6<br />
cm long, <strong>the</strong> rachis pointed and extending beyond <strong>the</strong> spikelets, <strong>the</strong> spikelets awned, up<br />
to 3 mm long. Weed in clusters or tufts in open and ruderal habitats on <strong>the</strong> coastal strip.<br />
3(58603, 58606), 4, 5, 6(209), 7, 8(9550).<br />
Dactyloctenium cteniodes (Steud.) Besser?<br />
Recent introduction. Africa. Annual grass. Occasional locally in disturbed places.<br />
4(153N).<br />
Dichanthium sp. "blue grass"<br />
Recent introduction. Occasional. Perennial grass with bluish stems (stolons).<br />
Occurs locally in open weedy places. 3(585 l8), 5(85).<br />
Digitaria bicornis (Lam.) R. & S.<br />
syns . Panicum bicorne Lam.<br />
"crab grass", "large crab grass"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional? Perennial creeping grass. Weed in<br />
open and ruderal sites on <strong>the</strong> coastal strip. 4(152N).<br />
Digitaria ciliaris (Retz.) Koel. "crab grass", "large crab grass"<br />
syns. Pmicum ciliare Retz.; Digitaria adscendens (HBK) Henr.; Syn<strong>the</strong>risma<br />
ciliaris (Retz.) Schrader<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional? Perennial creeping and ascending<br />
grass, rooting by runners at <strong>the</strong> lower <strong>no</strong>des and forming dense mats, with smooth,<br />
usually flattened, ascending stems; leaves, 2 to 13 cm long and 3 to 6 mm wide, flat,<br />
green to blue-green, sometimes purplish, slightly hairy on upper surface; inflorescence, a<br />
branched raceme, 4 to 9 in number, up to about 17 cm long, with 2 to 4 slender finger-<br />
like branches, 2.5 to 8 cm long, remaining close toge<strong>the</strong>r, forming compact delicate<br />
heads; rachis, winged; spikelets, about 3 mm long, narrow, ellipsoid. Weed in garden.<br />
3(59604).<br />
~i~itaria radicosa (Presl) ~ i ~ . - I#- crab - grass"<br />
syns. Panicum radicosa Presl . ; Digitaria borbonica Desv . ; D. timorensis<br />
(Kunth) Balansa
Recent introduction. Old World tropics. Occasional? Annual erect or ascending<br />
grass, up to 60 cm high; leaves, 2 to 10 cm long and 3 to 7 mm wide, sheaths puberu-<br />
lent; inflorescence, a branched raceme, 4 to 10 cm long, usually 2 to 3, rarely 6 to 8, in<br />
number, smooth, but puberulent at <strong>the</strong> axils, with fingerlike, very narrow spikelets, 3 by<br />
0.6 to 0.75 mm, linear-lanceolate, on pedicels, 2.5 to 3.5 mm long. Roadside weed.<br />
3(58608)<br />
Digitaria setigera Roth "crab grass", "slender crab grass"<br />
ibugibugi, ibiugibiugi (N); te uteute (K)<br />
syns. Panicurn pruriens Fisch. ex Trin.; Digitaria pruriens (Fisher ex Trin.)<br />
Buse (in Burgess' list 1935); D. rnicrobachne (J. S. Presl) Henr.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. S.E. Asia to Polynesia. Occasional. Densely-tufted creeping or<br />
ascending grass, up to 60 cm high, with smooth slender stems; leaves, 6 to 20 cm long<br />
and 3 to 8 mm wide, smooth hairy, with leaf sheaths at <strong>the</strong> base; inflorescence, an erect<br />
slender raceme, 5 to 15 cm long, 3 or 4, rarely more, somewhat pubescent, with<br />
numerous spikelets, about 2.5 to 3 mm long. Weed occurring in clusters or tufts in open<br />
and ruderal habitats on <strong>the</strong> coastal strip. 2, 3, 5(83), 6(156), 7, 8(9551?).<br />
Digitaria violascens Link. "smooth crab grass", "violet crab grass"<br />
syns. D. argyrostachya (S teud.) Fern.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Rare. Erect to spreading annual, sometimes<br />
perennial, smooth-stemmed grass, up to 60 cm tall, forming dense clumps; leaves, 2 to 9<br />
cm long and 3 to 6 mm wide, flat, slightly reddish, usually smooth, but <strong>of</strong>ten slightly<br />
rough on <strong>the</strong> edges and sometimes with a few hairs near <strong>the</strong> base on <strong>the</strong> upper side;<br />
inflorescence, composed <strong>of</strong> 2 to 9 slender finger-like branches, 2.5 to 10 cm long, at <strong>the</strong><br />
tip or along <strong>the</strong> upper 2.5 to 5 cm <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> flowering stem, and very small dark-brown<br />
spikelets, up to 2 mm. Weed occurring locally near Buada Lagoon. 3(58786).<br />
Echi<strong>no</strong>chloa colona (L.) Link. "jungle rice"<br />
syns. Panicurn colonurn L.; Oplisrnenus colonus (L.) HBK.<br />
Recent introduction. India. Occasional. Tufted erect to ascendant annual grass, 20<br />
to 80 cm high, <strong>of</strong>ten decumbent at <strong>the</strong> base and rooting at <strong>the</strong> lower <strong>no</strong>des, with flattened<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten reddish-purple stems; leaves, 2.5 to 15 cm long and 3 to 10 mm wide, flat,<br />
tapering, margins smooth or sometimes scabrous; inflorescence, a flowering - - stem (culm),<br />
20 to 60 cm-high, bearing a panicle, 4 to 12 cm long, with very short green or purpletinged<br />
alternating racemes, 1 to 3 cm long, with ovate spikelets, 1 to 3 mm long,<br />
crowded in 4 rows on short pedicels. Weed in gardens around buildings. 4(150N), 5<br />
(155).
Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn .<br />
ibugibugi (N); te uteute (K); mouku (T)<br />
syn. Cy<strong>no</strong>surus indicus L.<br />
7 1<br />
"wiregrass", "goosegrass"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. India; long naturalized in Old and New Worlds.<br />
Abundant. Ascending tufted annual or perennial grass, usually growing in tufts, with<br />
flattened pale green stems, with hairy <strong>no</strong>des; leaves, 6 to 30 cm long and 3 to 8 mm<br />
wide, mostly glabrous, scabrous on <strong>the</strong> midvein and upper margins; inflorescence, 2 to 7,<br />
flattened, fingerlike terminal branches or spikes, 4 to 12 cm long and 3 to 7 mm wide,<br />
radiating from <strong>the</strong> tip <strong>of</strong> a flowering stem (culm), up to 30 cm tall, with one or two<br />
spikes slightly below <strong>the</strong> tip; spikelets 3 to 6 mm long; seeds, about 1.5 mm long, dark<br />
green to dark-reddish-brown, ridged, crowded in two rows on one side <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> spike.<br />
Growing in ra<strong>the</strong>r dense concentrations or colonies in gardens and waste places. 2,<br />
3(58660), 4(147N, 154N), 5(65), 6, 7, 8(9544).<br />
Eragrostis amabilis (L.) Wight & Arn. ex Hook. & AiHove grass", "Japanese lovegrass"<br />
ibugibugi, ibiugibiug, bahibahi (N); te uteute n' aine (K); mouku (T)<br />
syn. Poa amabilis L.; Eragrostis tenella (L.) Beauv. ex R. & S.<br />
Recent introduction? Old World. Common. Small, ra<strong>the</strong>r delicate, annual grass,<br />
usually branched or spreading at <strong>the</strong> base but sometimes erect, up to 30 cm tall, with<br />
delicate wiry stems, 15 to 45 cm long; leaves, 3.5 to 10 cm long and 1.5 to 4 mm wide,<br />
slightly rough on <strong>the</strong> upper surface, smooth on <strong>the</strong> lower, with tufts <strong>of</strong> long hairs at <strong>the</strong><br />
summits <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sheaths; inflorescence, a flowering stem (culm), 5 to 15 cm long, bearing<br />
short, ra<strong>the</strong>r delicate, branches and numerous, <strong>of</strong>ten reddish-purple, 4- to 6-flowered<br />
spikelets, about 1 to 1.5 mm long, in open panicles. Weed occurring in scattered clusters<br />
around buildings, paths, and o<strong>the</strong>r ruderal places. 2(28.5), 3(58626), 4(148N), 5(66), 6,<br />
7, 8(9539).<br />
Lepturus repens (Forst. f.) R. Br. var. subulatus Fosb'l bunchgrass", "beach bunchgrass"<br />
ibugibugi, ibiugibiugi (N); te uteute (K); mouku (T)<br />
syns. Rottboellia repens F0rst.f. ; Mo<strong>no</strong>erma repens (Forst. f.) Beauv.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pacific Is. Occasional. Freely-branching, creeping grass with stems,<br />
up to 40 cm long, rooting at <strong>the</strong> <strong>no</strong>des; leaves, 7 to 20 cm long and 3 to 7 mm wide,<br />
narrowly lanceolate to linear, <strong>of</strong>ten with inrolled margins; inflorescence, protruding,<br />
solitary, long-awned spikelets embedded in a narrow, jointed, cylindrical flowering spike,<br />
6 to 15 cm long and 1 to 2 ~nln in diameter, which disarticulates at maturity. Occurring<br />
--<br />
in clu~G~am6~ &and vetation. 3(58605,587%), 5(8q, 5, 7.
Oplismenus hirtellus (L.) Beauv. var. "basket grass"<br />
syns. Panicum hirtellum L.; Orthopogon imbecillus R. Br.; Oplismenus imbecil-<br />
lus (R. Br.) R & S.; 0. undulatifolius (Ard.) Beauv.<br />
Recent introduction. Pantropical. Rare. Slender, much-branched creeping or<br />
ascending perennial grass, up to 30 cm or higher; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long and 8 to 12<br />
mm wide, lanceolate, with an acute tip and an asymmetrical base, pubescent, especially<br />
below, blade wavy; inflorescence, small flower clusters, with purplish bristles, borne on<br />
<strong>the</strong> upper 7 to 15 cm <strong>of</strong> a erect unbranching flower stem. In open wea in Topside forest.<br />
7(22322).<br />
Panicum subquadriparum Trin .<br />
syn . Brachiaria subquadripara (Trin .) Hitch.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Rare. Perennial creeping grass with stems<br />
(culms) 20 to 60 cm long, rooting at <strong>the</strong> lower <strong>no</strong>des; leaves, 2.5 to 12 cm long and up<br />
to 4 to 10 mm wide, acuminate, nerves pubescent, with a hairy leaf sheath; inflores-<br />
cence, an open, slender, elongated panicle, 5 to 15 cm long, with 2 to 10 spike-like,<br />
solitary, horizon,tally spreading racemes, 2 to 10 cm long, bearing lanceolate, sharp-<br />
tipped spikelets, 2 to 5 mm long, in 2 rows on one side. Rare around Buada Lagoon.<br />
5(83), 6(155).<br />
Saccharum <strong>of</strong>ficinarum L. "sugar cane"<br />
tugage (N)("sugarcaneM); te kai tioka, te kai soka ("<strong>the</strong> sugar treeW)(K); kaleve<br />
gau, tolo (T)<br />
syn. S. chineme Roxb. ex Nees in H & A.<br />
Pre-World War I introduction? New Guinea and Trop. Asia. Occasional. Large<br />
clump-forming erect perennial grass with strong thick unbranched stems, 2 to 4 m tall<br />
and 2.5 cm or more in diameter, with short conspicuous inter<strong>no</strong>des filled with solid juicy<br />
pulp; leaves, 45 cm or more long and 3 cm or more wide, smooth, overlapping, finelysaw-too<strong>the</strong>d,<br />
loosely clustered near <strong>the</strong> top <strong>of</strong> stems, with hairy overlapping leaf sheaths;<br />
inflorescence, straight wandlike terminal stalk, panicle about 20 to 50 cm or more long,<br />
borne at <strong>the</strong> top <strong>of</strong> each stem, with numerous densely-branched, fea<strong>the</strong>ry, pinkish to<br />
silvery-white, many-jointed racemes or flower tassels, with spikelets, 4 to 5 mm long,<br />
although most chewing cultivars rarely flower. Food plant in I-Kiribati and Tuvaluan<br />
gardens at Location and Topside workshops. An important supplementary food plant<br />
throughout most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pacific, with <strong>the</strong> sweet juicy pulp a source <strong>of</strong> sugar and an<br />
important --- snack -- food > --- <strong>the</strong> leaves widely used for high quality-house thatching, gd <strong>the</strong><br />
chewing <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fibrous stems rFortedly a main factor in good dental hygiene, which is<br />
ironic, given <strong>the</strong> role <strong>of</strong> processed sugar in tooth decay. Interspecific hybrids <strong>of</strong> S.<br />
<strong>of</strong>icinarum and more fibrous wild canes, such as S. spontaneum and S. robustum, form
<strong>the</strong> basis for <strong>the</strong> export sugar industries <strong>of</strong> Fiji and Hawaii. Apparently <strong>no</strong>t traditionally<br />
important on Nauru. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Sporobolus diander (Retz.) Beauv.<br />
syn. Agrostis diander Retz.<br />
"Indian dropseed"<br />
Recent introduction. Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Asia. Rare. Tufted, smooth, slender, erect<br />
perennial grass, 30 to 70 cm high, arising from an abruptly bent base; leaves, 7.5 to 30<br />
cm long and 2 to 6 mm wide; inflorescence, a smooth and sometimes drooping, spike-<br />
like, flowering stem or panicle, 10 to 30 cm long and 5 cm wide, bearing numerous open<br />
fea<strong>the</strong>ry branches, 1.5 to 4 cm long, with dull grey spikelets, 1 to 2 mm long, and brown<br />
seeds, less tha 1 mm long. Weed in waste place on coastal strip. 6(154).<br />
Ste<strong>no</strong>taphrum micranthum (Desv.) Hubb.<br />
syns. Ophiurinella micrantha Desv.; Ste<strong>no</strong>taphrum subulatum Trin.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Mascarene Is. in <strong>the</strong> Indian Ocean through Malesia to eastern<br />
Polynesia and <strong>the</strong> Marshall Islands in Micronesia. Erect to ascending, tufted, freely<br />
branching grass, up to 45 cm high, with prominent <strong>no</strong>des and slightly compressed<br />
sheaths, rooting at <strong>the</strong> lower <strong>no</strong>des; leaves, 2.5 to 12 cm long and 5 to 12 cm wide,<br />
lanceolate, finely pointed, glabrous; inflorescence, 3 to 15 cm long, a slender to ra<strong>the</strong>r<br />
stout, corky cylindrical raceme; spikelets, 2 to 4 on short branchlets, 1.5 to 3 mm long,<br />
oblong to oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, embedded in <strong>the</strong> rachis. Rare grass, cited by<br />
Fosberg et al. 1987, but <strong>no</strong>t seen or collected in 1979 or 1980.<br />
Tricholaena rosea Nees "Natal grass", "Natal red top"<br />
syns. Rhynchelytrum roseum (Nees) Stapf. & Hubb.; Rhynchelytrum repens<br />
sensu auct. <strong>no</strong>n (Willd.) Hubb. ; Tricholaena repens (Willd.) Hitchc.<br />
Recent introduction. S. Africa. Common. Erect perennial grass, 40 to 90 cm high,<br />
rooting at <strong>the</strong> lower <strong>no</strong>des, usually much-branched at <strong>the</strong> base, with green to bluish-green<br />
stems, <strong>of</strong>ten purplish at <strong>the</strong> joints; leaves, 5 to 15 cm long and 2 to 6 mm wide, flat<br />
bluish-green; inflorescence, a fea<strong>the</strong>ry panicle, 8 to 15 cm-long, bearing dark red or<br />
purplish flowers, which fade to silver-pink when old, borne on fine ascending branchlets;<br />
spikelets, about 5 mm long, clo<strong>the</strong>d with fine silky hairs, about 3 to 5 mm long. Found<br />
in clusters in waste places on coastal strip and plateau and occasionally in mined areas.<br />
3(58655), 4(170N), 5(49), 6, 7, 8(9567).
PONTEDERIACEAE (Pickerel Weed Family)<br />
Eichhornia crassipes (Mart. & Zucc.) Solms-Laub. "water hyacinth"<br />
syns. Pontederia. crassipes Mart. & Zucc. ; Eichhornia speciosa Kunth<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. and Subtrop. America. Rare. Usually floating,<br />
perennial herb, up to 60 cm tall, with masses <strong>of</strong> fleshy, more or less horizontal, black<br />
roots, rooted only at flowering time by long slender roots; leaves, up to 7 to 10 cm wide,<br />
rounded or oblong, on bulbous air-filled petioles which act as floats; inflorescence, a<br />
flower spike, about 40 cm long, bearing showy 6-petaled pale violet flowers, about 5 cm<br />
in diameter, with a blue patch with a spot <strong>of</strong> bright yellow on <strong>the</strong> larger upper lobe,<br />
about eight to a stem, rising above <strong>the</strong> leaves; some forms have pink and yellow flowers.<br />
Water weed in Buada Lagoon and planted in tubs at Location. Commonly planted as an<br />
ornamental; has escaped to become a serious pest in many areas <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world where it<br />
clogs rivers and causes flooding and obstructs navigation. All parts are reportedly edible<br />
6(255).<br />
STRELITZIACEAE (Bird <strong>of</strong> Paradise Family)<br />
Heliconia collinsiana R.F. Griggs "hanging heliconia" , " fish-pole heliconia"<br />
syn. H. pendula Wawra<br />
Recent introduction. Guatemala. Rare. Erect herb, up to 2 m tall; inflorescence,<br />
up to 30 cm or more long, hanging, almost plastic-looking, parrot-beak-, or claw-like,<br />
with bright red flower bracts, each 5 cm or longer, with yellow and green lower<br />
margins, and white waxy powder. Planted ornamental. 5, 6.<br />
Heliconia humilis (Aubl.) Jacq.<br />
syn. Musa humilis Aubl.<br />
" heliconia" , "lobster claw"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. S. America. Rare. Erect herb, less than 2 m tall;<br />
leaves, broad, paddle-shaped, 3 to 6 in number; inflorescence, an erect flowering stalk,<br />
up to 120 cm tall, among <strong>the</strong> leaves, bearing pointed lobster-claw-shaped bright red<br />
flower bracts with dark green upper margins, each up to 12 cm long. Planted ornamental.<br />
5, 6(236).
Heliconia psittacorum L.<br />
75<br />
" heliconia"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. S. America. Occasional. Erect herb, less than 1.5 m<br />
tall; leaves, few, 3 to 5 in number; inflorescence, an erect flowering stalk bearing small<br />
bright orange flowers with green tips. Planted ornamental. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Heliconia sp. " heliconia"<br />
(1 74).<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect herb. Planted ornamental. 5<br />
TACCACEAE (Polynesian Arrowroot Family)<br />
Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) 0. Kuntze "Polynesian arrowroot"<br />
damagmag, damogmog (N); te makemake (K); masoa, vatia (T)<br />
syns. Leontice leontopetaloides L. ; Tacca pinnatifida Forst.<br />
Aboriginal introduction. Paleotropics. Occasional. Large stemless herb, up to 1 m<br />
high; leaves, large, palmately 3-parted, deeply-lobed, on long petioles, 60 cm or more in<br />
length, emerging directly from starchy underground tubers resembling potatoes, 20 to 25<br />
cm in diameter; inflorescence, a hollow flower stalk (scape), up to over 1 m high,<br />
bearing a terminal umbel or cluster <strong>of</strong> 10 to 40 hanging green flowers, about 15 mm<br />
long, surrounded by 6 leafy bracts, 4 to 5 cm long and 2 cm wide, and numerous<br />
hanging green and purplish filaments, up to 25 cm long; fruit, 2 to 2.5 cm in diameter,<br />
fleshy, ribbed, globose, which turns yellow when mature, and is crowned with <strong>flora</strong>l<br />
parts. Occurring spontaneously in old gardens and in escarpment forest. Tubers grated<br />
and washed to eliminate poiso<strong>no</strong>us substances, and made into edible starch in <strong>the</strong> past,<br />
but apparently <strong>no</strong>t used by Nauruans to <strong>the</strong> extent that it was used in o<strong>the</strong>r parts <strong>of</strong><br />
Micronesia and Polynesia. Paste from tuber used as an adhesive for barkcloth and o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
handicrafts in Polynesia and Melanesia and <strong>the</strong> fibers from <strong>the</strong> flower stem for weaving<br />
in parts <strong>of</strong> Polynesia. 5, 6(ll9).<br />
ZINGIBERACEAE (Ginger Family)<br />
Alpinia purpurata (Vieill.) K. Schum.<br />
-<br />
"red ginger"<br />
syns. Guillainia purpurara Vieill. ; Languas purpurata (Vieill .) Kaneh.
Recent introduction. Indonesia to Pacific Is. Occasional. Erect herb, 1.2 to 4 m<br />
tall, with leafy stems; leaves, up to 30 cm long, lance-like; inflorescence, a flower spike,<br />
about 25 to 30 cm long, erect or drooping, with large, open, dark red bracts, each<br />
accompanied by a small inconspicuous white ephemeral flower, about 2.5 cm long, with<br />
new plantlets, which sprout among <strong>the</strong> bracts, taking root as <strong>the</strong> dying flower spike<br />
collapses to <strong>the</strong> ground. Planted ornamental. 3(597 lo), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) Burtt & R.M. Smith "shell ginger"<br />
syns. Costus zerurnbet Pers. ; Alpinia nutans (Andr.) Roscoe; A. speciosa<br />
(Wendl.) K. Schum. ; Catimbium speciosum (Wendl.) Holttum.<br />
Recent introduction. S.E. and E. Asia. Rare. Erect herb, up to 2.5 m tall; leaves,<br />
50 to 70 cm long and 7 to 15 cm wide, oblong-lanceolate; inflorescence, an arching<br />
flower stem, 1.5 to 3 m long, bearing a somewhat lax or pendant open flower cluster.<br />
about 25 cm long, bearing irregularly bell-shaped flowers with waxy white bracts and<br />
red-tipped corollas, up to 5 cm long, with yellow lips with reddish lines or veins; fruit,<br />
about 2 cm in diameter, globose, ridged, red. Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
Hedychium coronariuni Koen . "white ginger"<br />
Recent introduction. India. Rare. Erect herb with stems, up to 1 m tall; leaves,<br />
about 50 to 60 cm long and 10 cin wide, narrowly oblong or lance-shaped, with short<br />
petioles; inflorescence, about 20 cm long, dense, spike-like, terminal, with overlapping<br />
bracts, each bearing 2 to 3 fragrant white flowers, 6 to 8 cm long, with slender tubes and<br />
a pale green spot on <strong>the</strong> lip, which turn yellow with age. Planted ornamental and pot<br />
plant. 3(59671), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Nicolaia elatior (Jack) Horan . "torch ginger"<br />
syns. Alpinia elatior Jack; Phaeomeria speciosa (Bl.) Koord; P. magnzfica<br />
(Roscoe) K. Schum<br />
Recent introduction. Mauritius. Rare. Large clump-forming perennial herb, up to<br />
2 to 5 m high, with arching leaf stems; leaves, 25 to 60 cm long and 10 to 15 cm wide,<br />
pointed, numerous, alternating in two rows up <strong>the</strong> stem; inflorescence, highly ornamen-<br />
tal, consisting <strong>of</strong> numerous red, white-margined bracts, <strong>the</strong> basal bracts being large,<br />
waxy, flowerless and forming a nest for a cone-like flowerhead, about 12 cm long,<br />
composed <strong>of</strong> numerous overlapping bracts, which are spirally arranged and accompanied<br />
by small - - -- flowers. - - - Planted<br />
ornamental. - -- 6.
Zingiber <strong>of</strong>ficinale Roscoe<br />
keung (C)<br />
syn. 2. zingiber Karst.<br />
"ginger"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. India and China. Rare. Erect smooth herb, up to<br />
90 cm high, arising from edible, thick, hard, <strong>of</strong>ten palmately-branched, pale-yellow<br />
(within) rootstalks or rhizomes, about 1.5 to 2.5 cm in diameter; leaves, 5 to 30 cm long<br />
and 2 to 3 cm wide, annual, lance-shaped, shea<strong>the</strong>d at <strong>the</strong> bases; inflorescence, a<br />
flowering stem, about 6 to 12 cm high, bearing flower spikes, 4 to 7 cm long and 1.5 to<br />
2.5 cm wide, with bracts, 2 to 3 cm long, and greenish-yellow three-lobed flowers, about<br />
1.5 to 2.5 cm long. Planted in Chinese food garden at Location. Rhizome used as a<br />
spice. An increasingly important commercial crop for export and local processing in Fiji.<br />
5, 6.<br />
Zingiber zerumbet (L.) Sm.<br />
syn. Amomum zerumber L.<br />
"wild ginger"<br />
Recent introduction; reintroduced recently by Fijian expatriate community Trop.<br />
Asia. Rare. Erect perennial herb, up to 1.5 m tall, with leafy stems rising from tuberous<br />
aromatic rootstalks or rhizomes; leaves, mostly 15 to 30 cm long, usually shorter, oblong<br />
lance-shaped, sheathing at <strong>the</strong> bases; inflorescence, a spike-like flower stalk (scape), up<br />
to 30 cm long, arising from <strong>the</strong> rhizomes, bearing ovoid to cylindrical reddish or green<br />
flower heads, 5 to 20 cm long, with many bracts, 2 to 3 cm long, and inconspicuous<br />
three-lobed white to cream flowers, about 5 cm long. Planted ornamental or medicinal<br />
plant. An important aboriginal introduction throughout much <strong>of</strong> Melanesia and Polynesia,<br />
where it is an important medicinal plant. 3, 6.
DICOTYLEDONAE<br />
ACANTHACEAE (Acanthus Family)<br />
Asystasia gangetica (L.) Anders. "asystasia" , "Chinese violet"<br />
syns. Justicia gangetica L. ; Asystasia coromandeliana Nees<br />
Recent introduction . Paleotropics. Occasional. Perennial trailing herb, or sub-<br />
shrubby plant, with ascending stems, up to 30 to 50 cm or longer, especially if climbing<br />
among taller vegetation; leaves, opposite, ovate to heart-shaped, up to 4 to 6 cm long;<br />
flowers, 6 to 10, tubular or bell-shaped, somewhat narrower or curving upwards at <strong>the</strong><br />
base, and borne in racemose clusters, up to 15 cm or more long, with a 5-parted calyx,<br />
and a light-violet and white, or yellow, in some varieties, corolla, about 2 to 3 cm long,<br />
with five broad' spreading lobes; fruiting capsule club-shaped, four-seeded. Planted<br />
ornamental and naturalized in some ruderal places. 3, 4(127N), 5, 6(23 I), 7.<br />
Asystasia sp .<br />
Recent introduction. Pot plant. 3(58702).<br />
Barleria cristata L. "Philippine violet", "bluebell barleria"<br />
Recent introduction. India. Rare. Small erect shrub, 60 cm to 1.2 m or higher,<br />
with downy branches; leaves, 2.5 to 10 cm long rough, hairy, short-stemmed, oval and<br />
pointed at both ends; flowers, 1 to 3, attractive stemless and funnel-shaped, with a four-<br />
parted calyx, about 2 cm long, and a five-lobed violet or white and violet corolla, about<br />
5 to 7 cm long, developing at <strong>the</strong> leaf axils, each accompanied by 2 spiny-edged green to<br />
white narrow lanceolate bracts, about 2 cm long. Planted ornamental. 3(58797), 6.<br />
Barleria prionitis L. "porcupine flower"<br />
Recent introduction. Paleotropics. Occasional. Erect shrub, up to 1 m high;<br />
leaves, 5 to 6 cm - ---- long - by about 2 cm wide, elliptic - -- to ovate or obovate, obtuse, acute or<br />
even somewhat ~etiolate, narrowed to base; flowers, up to-3.5 cm long, with yellow<br />
corollas and bracts converted into three-forked spines, 1 to 2.5 cm long. Planted
ornamental and naturalized in ruderal sites and on disturbed slope below plateau.<br />
3(58772), 6, 7.<br />
Blechum brownei Juss.<br />
syns. Barleria pyramidatum Lam. ; Blechum pyramidatum (Lam .) Urb.<br />
Recent introduction. Peru. Rare. Erect, prostrate or ascending branched shrub, 10<br />
to 50 cm tall, with pubescent stems; leaves, 2 to 7 cm long, simple, ovate to lanceolate,<br />
pubescent, pointed at both ends, and on short petioles; flowers borne on terminal spikes,<br />
2 to 5 cm long, with greenish or whitish overlapping ovate bracts, 1 to 1.5 cm long,<br />
concealing a white or pale violet funnel-shaped, five-lobed corolla, scarcely longer than<br />
<strong>the</strong> bracts; seed capsule oblong, 5 to 6 mm long. Weed in lawns. 5(60), 6.<br />
Crossandra infundibuliformis (L.) Nees "crossandra"<br />
syns. Justicia in.findibuli$om.is L. ; Crossandra undulaefolia Salisb .<br />
Recent introduction. India. Rare. Shrub, 30 to 90 cm high; leaves, 7.5 to 12.5 cm<br />
long, shiny green, narrow, ovate, wavy-margined, and pointed at both ends; flowers<br />
borne on long narrow downy spikes, about 10 cm long, with overlapping bracts bearing<br />
showy tubular salmon-orange flowers with a five-lobed calyx and a corolla with a narrow<br />
tube, about 2 cm long, and one lip which is 2.5 to 5 cm across and has 3 to 5 shallow<br />
lobes; fruiting capsule, oblong, containing 4 scaly seeds. Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
Eran<strong>the</strong>mum pulchellum Andr. "blue eran<strong>the</strong>mum"<br />
syns. Justicia ncwosa Vahl; Eran<strong>the</strong>mum newosum (Vahl) R. Br.<br />
Recent introduction. India. Rare. A smooth shrub, 60 cm to 1.5 m high; leaves,<br />
10 to 20 cm long, oval, pointed at both ends, with prominent veins and shallow-too<strong>the</strong>d<br />
margins; flowers borne on narrow spikes, 2.5 to 7.5 cm or longer, with overlapping<br />
whitish, green-veined oval bracts bearing a five-lobed calyx and a narrow-tubular bright-<br />
blue corolla, up to 2.5 cm long, <strong>the</strong> five lobes overlapping spirally in bud, but spreading<br />
to a diameter <strong>of</strong> under 2 cm; fruiting capsule ovoid or oblong, 4-seeded. Planted<br />
ornamental. 6.<br />
Fittonia argyroneura Coem. "snail plant" , "nerve plant", " silver-net leaf"<br />
syn . F. versch@icltii var. argyron.eura Nichols.<br />
Recent introduction. Peru. Rare. Perennial creeping herb, up to 30 cm high,<br />
rooting at <strong>the</strong> joints; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long and 2.5 to 6 cm wide, broad, ovate,<br />
ornamental, with a network <strong>of</strong> fine white veins; petioles 0.5 to 3 cm long; inconspicuous<br />
flowers borne on spikes, up to 6 cm long, with obovate bracts, less than 1 cm long, with
a calyx about 0.5 cm long and a two-lipped tubular yellow corolla, 1.5 to 2 cm long.<br />
Ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Fittonia verschaffeltii (Hort. ex Lemaire) Coem. "snail plant", "nerve plant",<br />
"painted net-leaf"<br />
Recent introduction. Peru. Rare. Perennial creeping herb, up to 30 cm high,<br />
rooting at <strong>the</strong> joints; leaves, 6 to 12 cm long and 3 to 8 cm wide, broad, smooth, ovate,<br />
ornamental, with a network <strong>of</strong> fine pink to bright carmine veins; petioles 0.5 to 3 cm<br />
long; inconspicuous flowers borne on erect narrow spikes, up to 6 cm long, with<br />
overlapping obovate greenish bracts, less than 1 cm long, a calyx about 0.5 cm long, and<br />
a tubular yellow two-lipped corolla, 1.5 to 2 cm long. Ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Graptophyllum pictum (L.) Griff. "caricature plant", " morado"<br />
syns. Justicia picta L. ; Graptophyllum hortense Nees<br />
Recent introduction. New Guinea. Rare. Erect shrub, up to 2 m high; leaves, 8 to<br />
20 cm long and 3 to 13 cm wide, smooth, lea<strong>the</strong>ry, variegated, elliptic-oblong, opposite,<br />
with slightly wavy margins, and pointed at both ends, some green, with irregular<br />
yellowish blotches. or markings in <strong>the</strong> center and o<strong>the</strong>r varieties with red-purple leaves<br />
with pinkish to cream-colored blotches along <strong>the</strong> center; petioles 1 cm long or less;<br />
flower spikes with small bracts bearing clusters <strong>of</strong> flowers with a short 5-small-lobed<br />
calyx and a 2-lipped, funnel-shaped crimson-purple corolla, about 4 cm long, <strong>the</strong> upper<br />
lip with 2 short lobes, <strong>the</strong> lower with 3 long narrow lobes; fruiting capsule 2-seeded.<br />
Planted ornamental. 6, 7.<br />
Hemigraphis alternata (Burin. f.) T. Anders. "cemetery plant"<br />
syns. Ruellia alternata Burm. f. ; Hemigraphis colorata (Bl.) Hal1.f. ; Ruellia<br />
colorata B1.<br />
Recent introduction. Java. Rare. Creeping perennial herb, rooting at <strong>the</strong> joints;<br />
leaves, 2 to 8 cm long, ovate to heart-shaped, metallic- to greenish-purple above and<br />
reddish-purple beneath, and with sunken veins and scalloped margins; petioles nearly as<br />
long as blades; erect flowering spikes, 2 to 3 cm long, with crowded overlapping narrow<br />
purple bracts, about 1 cm long, bearing a calyx with 5 narrow lobes, each less than 1 cm<br />
long, and a white, purple-lined corolla, about 2 cm long; fruiting capsule slender, 4- to<br />
20-seeded. Planted ornamental ground cover. 6.<br />
Justicia fulvicoma Schlecht. & Chamisso "shrimp plant", "red shrimp plant"<br />
syns. Beloperone guttata Brand. <strong>no</strong>n Wallich; Justicia brandegeana Wassh. & L.<br />
B. Smith; Drejerella guttata (Brandeg.) Bremek.
Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. A weak-stemmed much-branched shrub, 60<br />
cm to 2 m or higher; leaves, 2.5 to 6 cm long, opposite, entire, pointed, ovate to heart-<br />
shaped, somewhat shiny-green and hairy; petioles, 1 to 2 cm long; flower spikes, up to<br />
10 cm long, consisting <strong>of</strong> conspicuous brick-red, heart-shaped overlapping downy bracts,<br />
1 to 1.5 cm long, those near <strong>the</strong> tip yellow-green with red veins, from which protrude<br />
small white flowers with a calyx with five narrow lobes, and a white corolla, 2.5 to 4 cm<br />
long, two-lipped to near <strong>the</strong> middle, with two rows <strong>of</strong> maroon spots on <strong>the</strong> lower, shortly<br />
three-lobed lip; fruiting capsule, club-shaped and four-seeded. Planted ornamental and pot<br />
plant. 3(58720), 5, 6.<br />
Nicoteba betonica (L.) Lindau<br />
syn. Justicia betonica L.<br />
"white shrimp plant", "squirrel's tail"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Africa to Malaya. Rare. Weak-stemmed shrub, up to<br />
1.5 m or higher; leaves, 7.5 by 3.5 cm or much larger, ovate or narrower, acuminate,<br />
smooth, dark green; flower spikes, about 10 cm long, borne at branch tips in erect<br />
spikes, with white and lilac flowers, each accompanied by three conspicuous overlapping<br />
heart-shaped and ovate pointed bracts which are white with green veins. Planted<br />
ornamental. 6, 7.<br />
Odontonema stricturn (Nees) 0. Ktze. "odo<strong>no</strong>tema" , "red justicia"<br />
syns. 0. tubiforme (Bertol.) 0. Ktze.; Justicia tubaeformis Bertol.; Thrysacan-<br />
thus strictus Nees; 0. nitidum (Jacq.) 0. Ktze.; Justicia coccinea Aubl.(?)<br />
Recent introduction. C. America. Occasional. Erect shrub, up to 1.5 m tall;<br />
leaves, mostly 5 to 20 cm long and 4 to 9 cm wide, ovate-oblong or lanceolate-oblong,<br />
wavy margins, and smooth above and slightly hairy beneath; petioles, 0.5 to 2 cm long;<br />
branching terminal flower spike, with very small bracts and straight slender bright-red<br />
corolla tubes, 2.5 cm long and only about 5 mm across, with 5 lobes, each about 3 mm<br />
long, crowded at branch tips. Planted ornamental. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Pachystachys lutea Nees "yellow shrimp plant"<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Erect branched shrub, up to 45 cm tall; leaves<br />
rich, dark-green, elliptical, and pointed; stems, erect, each terminating in a striking 2.5<br />
to 10 cm-long cone-like spike <strong>of</strong> conspicuous rich yellow overlapping bracts, from which<br />
protrude white tubular flowers, about 4 cm long. Pot plant. 3(58720).
Pseuderan<strong>the</strong>mum bicolor (Schrank) Radlk.<br />
syn. Eran<strong>the</strong>mum bicolor Schrank<br />
Recent introduction. E. Malaysia. Rare. Erect shrub, up to 1 m tall; leaves,<br />
mostly 5 to 15 cm long and up to 6 cm wide, purple or purple-brown, ovate-oblong or<br />
lanceolate-oblong, acuminate, glabrous or finely puberulent; flowers borne in axillary<br />
cymes, <strong>the</strong> uppermost sometimes in racemes, with puberulent calyxes, up to 1 cm long,<br />
and puberulent 5-lobed white tubular corollas, 3.5 to 4 cm long with red throats, one<br />
lobe with a red blotch, and o<strong>the</strong>r lobes white; fruiting capsule 2.5 to 3 cm long. Planted<br />
ornamental. 6, 7(27810).<br />
Pseuderan<strong>the</strong>mum carru<strong>the</strong>rsii (Seem.) Guill. var. carru<strong>the</strong>rsii "false eran<strong>the</strong>mum"<br />
te iaro (K)<br />
syns. Eran<strong>the</strong>rnum eldorado Hort.; Pseudemn<strong>the</strong>mum eldorado (Williams)<br />
Radlk.<br />
Recent introduction. Melanesia? Occasional. Erect shrub, up to 1 m or higher;<br />
leaves, 5 to 15 cm long, smooth, elliptic-ovate leaves, mottled yellow-green, with<br />
conspicuous netlike veins; petioles 1 to 3 cm long; erect spike-like racemes bearing<br />
flowers with inconspicuous bracts, green or reddish 5-lobed calyxes, up to 8 mm long,<br />
and white and purple or rosy-purple tubular corollas, <strong>the</strong> tube, about 1.3 cm long, and<br />
<strong>the</strong> 5 lobes spreading to about 2.5 cm or more in diameter; fruiting capsule, four-seeded,<br />
club-shaped. Planted ornamental shrub. 3, 5, 6(201), 7.<br />
Pseuderan<strong>the</strong>mum carru<strong>the</strong>rsii ( Seem .) Guill. var. atropurpureum (Bull) Fosb.<br />
"purple false eran<strong>the</strong>mum" , "false face" te iaro (K) ; lakauuli (T)<br />
syns. P. atropurpureum (Bull) Radlk. ; Eran<strong>the</strong>mum atropurpurewn Bull. ; P.<br />
versicolor (Hort.) Radlk. ; Eran<strong>the</strong>rnum versicolor Hort.<br />
Recent introduction. Melanesia? Occasional. Erect shrub, up to 1.5 m or more<br />
high; leaves, 5 to 15 cm long, dark purplish-red, elliptic-ovate; petioles, 1 to 3 cm long;<br />
erect spike-like racemes bearing flowers with inconspicuous bracts, green or reddish 5-<br />
lobed calyxes, up to 8 mm long, and 4-lobed white and purple or rosy-purple tubular<br />
corollas, <strong>the</strong> tube and lobes about 1.3 cm long; fruiting capsule, four-seeded, club-<br />
shaped. Planted ornamental shrub. 3(58777, 58792), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Sanchezia speciosa Leonard<br />
syn. S. <strong>no</strong>bilis sensu auct. <strong>no</strong>n H0ok.f.<br />
" sanchezia"<br />
Recent introduction. Ecuador. Rare. Erect shrub, up to 1 m or higher, with<br />
smooth four-angled branches; leaves, 6 to 45 cm long, oval, pointed at both ends, and<br />
green, with yellow mid- and side veins; narrow flowering spikes bearing wide red bracts,
about 2.5 cm long, each pair with clusters <strong>of</strong> 8 to 10 narrow bright-yellow tubular<br />
flowers with corollas about 5 cm long and 5-lobed calyxes; fruiting capsule, narrow,<br />
cylindrical, 6- to 8-seeded. Planted ornamental shrub 6(16l).<br />
Thunbergia alata Bojer ex Sims "black-eyed Susan"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Rare. Herbaceous or slightly woody pubescent<br />
climbing or trailing vine with angular stems, up to 2 m or longer; leaves, 4 to 8 cm long,<br />
mid-green, opposite, deltoid ovate or ovate-lanceolate, pointed, palmately-veined,<br />
irregularly too<strong>the</strong>d; winged petioles, about as long as <strong>the</strong> blade; flowers solitary on<br />
axillary stems (pedicels), up to 5 cm long, 2 large bracts, about 2 cm long, calyx ring-<br />
like, corolla, yellow-orange to cream, 3 to 4 cm across, with a purple tube, 2 cm long;<br />
fruiting capsule depressed-globose, beaked, about 1 cm long; seeds warty and ribbed.<br />
Planted ornamental vine. 5.<br />
Thunbergia erecta (Benth .) T. Anders.<br />
syn . Meyenia. erecta. Ben th .<br />
"bush thunbergia"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. W. Africa. Occasional. Erect, somewhat sprawling<br />
shrub, up to 2 m tall, with 4-angled stems; leaves, 3 to 8 cm or longer, opposite, oval-<br />
ovate, palmately 5- to 7-nerved; petioles, slender, up to 4 cm or longer, winged nearly to<br />
base; flowers solitary on axillary stems (pedicels), 1 to 2 cm long, with 2 large bracts, up<br />
to 2 cm long, calyx, 3 to 6 mm long, corolla curved, funnel-form, 3.5 to 6 cm in<br />
diameter and tube 2 or 3 cm long, irregularly 5-lobed, deep blue-violet or white with a<br />
yellow throat; fruiting capsule 2 to 2.5 cm long. Planted ornamental erect shrub.<br />
3(58700), 5(110), 6, 7.<br />
Thunbergia grandi<strong>flora</strong> (Roxb. ex Rottler) Roxb."Bengal clock vine", "Bengal trumpet",<br />
"large-flowered thunbergia"<br />
syn. Flemingia grandzj7ora Roxb. ex Rottler<br />
Recent introduction. India. Rare. Climbing vine; leaves, 7.5 to 20 cm long, dark<br />
green, nearly as broad, cordate, palmately lobed, 5 to 7- nerved, pubescent; petioles, 4 to<br />
12 cm long; flowers in pendent racemes, calyx pubescent and reduced to a narrow ring,<br />
corolla violet or whitish, 6 to 8 cm in diameter, <strong>the</strong> tube pale yellow, 3 to 3.5 cm long;<br />
capsule up to 1.5 cm, <strong>the</strong> beak to 3 cm long. Planted ornamental. 6(187).
Achyran<strong>the</strong>s canescens R. Br.<br />
syn. A. velutina H. & A.<br />
AMARANTHACEAE (Amaranth Family)<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us? Extinct? Somewhat shrubby herb, up to 1 rn tall; leaves, up to 12 cm<br />
or longer, opposite, ovate or elliptic, acuminate, slightly blunt; erect unbranched flower<br />
spikes bearing spiny bracts, <strong>of</strong>ten pinkish or purplish, and greenish calyx and corolla<br />
green, about 6 mm long; fruit, 5-seeded, adherent to fur or clothing. Reported by<br />
Schumann (1888) as collected by Finsch; reported present by Burges, 1933; <strong>no</strong>t seen<br />
since. Extinct? 2.<br />
Alternan<strong>the</strong>ra ficoidea L. var. bettzickiana (Reg.) Backer "joyweed", "alternan<strong>the</strong>ra",<br />
" telan<strong>the</strong>ra" , "calico plant"<br />
syns. Telan<strong>the</strong>ra bettzickiana. Reg. ; A. versicolor Reg. ; Alternan<strong>the</strong>ra bettzick-<br />
iana (Reg.) Nichols.<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Small erect variable herb with red branching<br />
stems, 15 to 30 cm high; <strong>no</strong>des usually with tufts <strong>of</strong> white hair; leaves, about 2.5 cm<br />
long, opposite, lanceolate-ovate or ovate, variegated green, pink, red, yellow, and<br />
sometimes cream; petiole equal to or longer than <strong>the</strong> blade; flowers, small white in<br />
sessile heads in axils <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> upper leaves. Planted ornamental border. 6.<br />
Alternan<strong>the</strong>ra sessilis (L.) R. Br. ex R. & S. "joyweed"<br />
syns. Gomphrena sessilis L.; Alterna.n<strong>the</strong>ra denticulata R. Br.; A. <strong>no</strong>dljlora R.<br />
Br.; A. am.0en.a (Lem.) Voss<br />
Recent introduction. Pantropical. Rare. Spreading or semi-prostrate branching<br />
herb, up to about 50 cm long, rooting at <strong>the</strong> lower <strong>no</strong>des; inter<strong>no</strong>des with 2 pubescent<br />
lines; leaves, 1 to 6 cm long and 0.4 to 1 cm wide, opposite, green, narrowly elliptic-<br />
obovate or oblanceolate, obtuse or acutish, minutely too<strong>the</strong>d; petiole up to about 1 cm<br />
long; flowers, white, small, stemless (sessile) in compact headlike clusters in <strong>the</strong> leaf<br />
axils; fruit enclosed in a small bladder which does <strong>no</strong>t split open. Garden weed. 6(188).<br />
Amaranthus dubius Mart. ex Thell. "spleen amaranth"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. erect herb, up to about 70<br />
cm high; stem, smooth, except upper portions which are slightly hairy; leaves, 3.5 to 8<br />
cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide, ovate, smooth on both surfaces, margin smooth; petiole, 2<br />
to 7 cm long; flowers, greenish, in dense axillary and terminal clusters, male and female
flowers separate, each with 5 sepals; seeds, small, oval, black. Weed in home gardens<br />
and at Location. 3, 6, 7(22309, 22312).<br />
Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. "prince's fea<strong>the</strong>r"<br />
syn. A. hybridus L. var. hypochondriacus (L.) Robins.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Smooth erect herb, up to 1 m or<br />
higher; leaves, bright red-purple to purple-green; flowers, bright red-purple in thick<br />
showy fea<strong>the</strong>ry panicles. 6.<br />
Amaranthus spi<strong>no</strong>sus L.<br />
ma si han (C)<br />
"spiny amaranth " , "thorny amaranth"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction? Pantropical. Occasional. Smooth erect, branched<br />
herb, 25 to 70 cm high, armed with a pair <strong>of</strong> sharp needle-like spines, about 1 to 2 cm<br />
long, at <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> each petiole; leaf blades, 2.5 to 10 cm long and 1.5 to 4.5 cm wide,<br />
green, alternate, broadly lanceolate, pointed at <strong>the</strong> tip; petioles, about as long as leaf<br />
blades, clasping <strong>the</strong> stem; female flowers, pale green, clustered at leaf axils; male<br />
flowers, pale green, borne in terminal panicles; fruit a circumscissile utricle; seeds, very<br />
small, lens-shaped, shiny dark-brown. Weed in waste places and in gardens; occasionally<br />
cultivated in Chinese contract workers' gardens at Location. Used as a medicinal plant<br />
and leaves reportedly occasionally cooked for spinach by Chinese. 5, 6(140).<br />
Amaranthus tricolor L. "Joseph's coat", "Chinese spinach". "amaranth", "pigweed"<br />
te mota, te moota (K); in ts'oi (C)<br />
syns. A. gangeticus L; A. melancholicus L.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction? Trop. Asia. Occasional. Erect unarmed,<br />
branching herb, up to 1.5 m tall; leaves, 3 to 7 cm long, oval, pointed to blunt, long-<br />
petiolate, green or blotched with red or purple; flowers in rounded stemless clusters in<br />
leaf axils and in terminal panicles, about 5 cm long; fruit, a 1-seed utricle; seed, small,<br />
disc-shaped, dark brown, shiny. Food plant in Chinese gardens at Location and Topside<br />
workshops. 5(27), 6.<br />
Amaranthus viridis L. "slender amaranth", "green amaranth", "pigweed"<br />
syn. A. gmcilis Desf.<br />
---<br />
Recent introduction. Pantropical. Occasional. Erect or decumbent, unarmed h&b,<br />
up to 20 to 60 cm high; stems, reddish, longitudinally-grooved; leaf blades, 3 to 7.5 cm<br />
long and 2.5 to 5 cm wide, alternate, green above, lighter below, broadly lanceolate or<br />
ovate, obtuse or slightly <strong>no</strong>tched at tips, smooth on both surfaces; petioles, 2.5 to 5 cm
long; flowers, greenish to purplish, in small dense axillary clusters and terminal panicles;<br />
fruit, a 1-seeded utricle; seed, small, disc-shaped, dark brown. Weed in waste places,<br />
primarily at Location. 4(143N), 5(26), 6.<br />
Celosia argentea L. var. cristata (L.) Ktze.<br />
syn. C. cristata L.<br />
"cock's comb"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Americas. Erect annual herb, 30 cm to 75 cm high,<br />
stems usually ribbed; leaves, 2 to 16 cm long and up to 5 cm wide, although usually<br />
smaller, alternate, narrow lanceolate to ovate, <strong>of</strong>ten reddish-green; inflorescence, a<br />
dense, flatly-crested, elongated, fan-shaped flower head, 6 to 15 cm across, bearing<br />
numerous tiny flowers, pinkish or yellow, but usually magenta or bright red; each fruit<br />
with two small, glossy, black seeds. Rare. Planted ornamental. 7.<br />
Gomphrena globosa L. "globe amaranth", "pearly everlasting"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect branched annual herb, up to 45<br />
cm high; leaves, 10 by 5 cm or smaller, opposite, obovate-oblong, pale-green, hairy,<br />
petioles clasping; flowers, numerous, crowded, in globose heads, about 1.5 to 2.5 cm in<br />
diameter, white, yellow, pink, red, purple or variegated, borne at <strong>the</strong> ends <strong>of</strong> branches,<br />
each head having two leafy bracts. Planted ornamental. Flowers used by Nauruans in<br />
head garlands and o<strong>the</strong>r ornamentation. 5(93)<br />
Iresine herbstii Hook. f. "iresine", "bloodleaf", "achyran<strong>the</strong>s"<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Fast-growing, erect shrubby perennial herb, up<br />
to 30 to 70 cm high, with bright red stems and branches; leaves, up to 6 cm long,<br />
opposite, fleshy, round to heart-shaped, <strong>the</strong> tip blunt or <strong>no</strong>tched, brilliant red-purple to<br />
bronze-red, with wide, arching prominent veins, <strong>the</strong> blade continuing down <strong>the</strong> petiole;<br />
flowers, which may <strong>no</strong>t develop, greenish-yellow, minute, numerous, in fine, much-<br />
branched panicles, up to 50 cm long. Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
ANACARDIACEAE (Cashew or Rhus Family)<br />
Mangifera indica L. -<br />
damanko (N); te mangko (K); mago (T)<br />
" mango"<br />
Pre-World War I introduction. Indo-Burma. Common. Large dense, broad-<br />
crowned tree, with dark roughened bark, up to 20 m high; leaves, 10 to 35 cm long and
2 to 8 cm wide, green to light-green, alternate, spirally arranged, simple, oblong-<br />
lanceolate, acute to acuminate, lea<strong>the</strong>ry (coriaceous) and somewhat shiny, pinnately-<br />
nerved, midrib prominent, young leaves <strong>of</strong>ten reddish; petioles up to 5 cm or more long,<br />
somewhat flattened on <strong>the</strong> upper surface; flowers, small, about 4 to 8 mm in diameter,<br />
numerous, yellowish-white to pinkish-white, 4- to 5-parted corolla, densely covered with<br />
short yellowish hairs, in large branched terminal panicles, 10 to 50 cm long; fruit, 8 to<br />
20 cm long, fleshy, fibrous, ovoid, pointed or rounded edible drupe, with thick, smooth,<br />
green to yellow-orange or reddish skin, sweet, juicy, yellow-orange to dark orange pulp,<br />
and a large, flattened, fibrous, ribbed seed case containing one seed. Large fruit and<br />
shade tree planted in home gardens and found growing in mature spontaneous stands near<br />
Buada Lagoon. Fruit eaten ripe and green, with ripe fruit occasionally made into jam on<br />
Nauru; used for firewood. The leaves, and sap from leaves and fruit, can cause an<br />
allergic rash. Common introduckd fruit tree, found in houseyard gardens, agricultural<br />
areas and naturalized throughout Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia, possibly an<br />
aboriginal introduction in some areas, but <strong>no</strong>t on Nauru; an important cash crop for local<br />
sale and export in Polynesia, Melanesia and <strong>the</strong> larger islands <strong>of</strong> Melanesia. 2, 3(58643),<br />
5(147), 6, 7.<br />
Spondias dulcis Park. "Polynesian vi apple", Polynesian plum", "Otaheiti apple"<br />
dagimadere, "Egigu's tree" (N)<br />
syn. S. cy<strong>the</strong>rea: Sonn.<br />
Aboriginal introduction? Pacific Islands. Rare. Medium to large stiff-branched,<br />
smooth, grey-barked, deciduous tree, up to 15 m or taller; leaves, 20 to 40 cm long,<br />
alternate, odd-pinnate, clustered at branch ends; leaflets, up to 8 cm or longer and 2.5<br />
cm wide, commonly 4- to 12-paired, with a single unpaired terminal leaflet (8 to 25 in<br />
total), shiny, bright green, oval-lanceolate or oblong, acuminate, base acute, entire to<br />
finely too<strong>the</strong>d (crenulate); flowers, tiny, 5-parted, male, female and perfect, develop in<br />
large, lax crowded panicles; fruit, up to 8 cm or longer, oval-obovate edible drupe with<br />
green to yellow-orange skin and light green to dark yellow pulp, surrounding a single, 5-<br />
ridged, fibrous seed case with 1 to 5 seeds. Reported present by Burgess in 1935. The<br />
tree, which formerly stood near Buada Lagoon, was reportedly damaged during World<br />
War 11, and although <strong>the</strong> Nauruans tried to save it by shoring it up with cement, it died<br />
shortly <strong>the</strong>reafter. Four seeds sent by R. Thaman to J. Audoa in 1981 in an attempt to<br />
reintroduce S. dulcis, but <strong>the</strong> result <strong>of</strong> plantings is unk<strong>no</strong>wn. One tree, 3 m tall, seen re-<br />
established in fenced food garden surrounding Buada Lagoon in July 1987. Ripe fruit<br />
eaten. Tree features in <strong>the</strong> well-k<strong>no</strong>wn Nauruan legend concerning a young woman,<br />
Egigu, who became <strong>the</strong> Nauruans' "woman in <strong>the</strong> moon", after climbing <strong>the</strong> tree<br />
(dagimadere), restoring <strong>the</strong> sight <strong>of</strong> a blind women Enibarara who lived at <strong>the</strong> top, and<br />
marrying her third son,Maramen (<strong>the</strong> moon). 2, 7.
Spondias mombin L.<br />
syn. S. lutea L.<br />
"hog plum"<br />
Extinct? Trop. Asia. Reported present by Burges. Possibly a doubtful iden-<br />
tification. 2.<br />
An<strong>no</strong>na muricata L.<br />
dawatsip (N)<br />
ANNONNACEAE (Custard Apple Family)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Common. Small tree, rarely over<br />
8 m tall; leaves, about 10 to 16 cm long and 4 to 7 cm wide, bright green, alternate,<br />
entire, oblong or oblong-elliptic, acute or acuminate, glabrous, somewhat glossy above,<br />
pungent; petioles short; flowers, 2 to 3 cm or more long, yellowish-green, solitary or in<br />
pairs, with 3 thick, broadly deltoid or heart-shaped light yellow sepals and 6 cordate<br />
outer petals, borne on <strong>the</strong> branches and trunk (cauliflorous); fruit, up to 25 cm or longer<br />
and weighing 0.5 to 2 kg, fleshy, oblong or ovoid, irregularly heart- or kidney-shaped,<br />
with green to yellowish-green skin, covered regularly spaces, short, slightly curved fleshy<br />
spines, and white, juicy, somewhat acid, aromatic, cotton-like, edible pulp; seeds, about<br />
2 cm long, numerous, black, embedded in pulp. Planted in home gardens by Nauruans<br />
and o<strong>the</strong>rs and spontaneous on coastal strip, in some areas <strong>of</strong> escarpment forest, and in<br />
<strong>the</strong> Buada Lagoon area. Ripe fruit eaten raw, <strong>of</strong>ten with ice cream. Common recently<br />
introduced fruit tree throughout <strong>the</strong> Pacific. 2, 3(58586), 5, 6, 7.<br />
An<strong>no</strong>na reticulata L. "custard apple", "bullock's heart"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Small to medium tree,<br />
rarely over 9 m tall; leaves, up to 20 cm long and 6 cm wide or more, light green,<br />
smooth, alternate, elliptic- or oblong-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, pinnately nerved,<br />
brittle; petioles about 12 mm long; flowers, about 2.5 cm long, greenish, axillary, in<br />
groups <strong>of</strong> 2 or 3 on lateral peduncles; fruit, 7 to 13 cm in diameter, yellowish- to<br />
greenish-red, ovoid or heart-shaped, with whitish pulp, surface divided by impressed<br />
lines into rhomboidal or hexagonal sections; seeds, numerous, glossy brown, embedded<br />
in pulp. Planted fruit tree; found growing, possibly spontaneously, behind settlement on<br />
Military Ridge. 2, 5(146), 6, 7.
An<strong>no</strong>na squamosa L.<br />
dawatsip (N); nameana (T)<br />
"sweetsop", "sugar apple"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Small tree, rarely<br />
over 8 m tall; leaves, 7 to 14 cm long and 4 to 5 cm wide, pale bluish-green (glaucous),<br />
two-ranked, thin, oblong or elliptic-lanceolate, acute, sparsely puberulent on both<br />
surfaces when young; petioles, about 1 cm long; flowers, about 2.5 cm long, greenish-<br />
yellow, axillary, solitary, pendent, petals narrowly lanceolate, obtusish, concave at base;<br />
fruit, about, 8 cm in diameter, light grey-blue-green, subglobose, somewhat heart-shaped,<br />
surface divided into prominent protruding k<strong>no</strong>bs or tubercles, which separate, sweet,<br />
edible cream-colored s<strong>of</strong>t pulp; seeds, numerous, blackish, embedded in pulp. Fruit tree<br />
planted in home gardens and growing spontaneously in inland coastal and lower es-<br />
carpment forest. Ripe fruit eaten raw. 3(58589), 5(37), 6, 7.<br />
Cananga odorata (Lam.) H0ok.f. & Thoms. " ylang-ylang" , "perfume tree"<br />
derangerang, derangirang (N)<br />
syns. Canangium odorutum. (Lam. ) Baill. ex King; Uvaria odorata Lam.<br />
Recent introduction. Indomalaysia. Uncommon. Tree, up to 15 m or taller, with a<br />
crooked trunk, smooth grey bark and drooping, brittle branches; leaves, 7 to 20 cm long<br />
and 4 to 9 cm wide, dark green, alternate, simple, entire, elliptic-oblong, acute, base<br />
rounded, obtuse, slightly pubescent, pinnately nerved, midrib prominent; petiole, mostly<br />
less than 2 cm; flowers, yellowish-green turning yellow, drooping, very fragrant, sepals<br />
3, petals 6, up to 6 or 8 cm long, wavy, linear-lanceolate, on long puberulent pedicels, in<br />
axillary hanging (pedunculate) umbellate clusters <strong>of</strong> 4 to 12 flowers; fruit, 1.5 to 2.5 cm<br />
long, greenish-black, oblong, olive-like, fleshy, borne in bunches from a stalk which<br />
leng<strong>the</strong>ns as <strong>the</strong> fruit develops; seeds, 6 to 12. Planted ornamental tree in home gardens<br />
in Buada Lagoon area. Flowers used in garlands and for scenting coconut oil. An<br />
important aboriginal introduction <strong>of</strong> considerable cultural importance throughout<br />
Melanesia and Polynesia, where <strong>the</strong> flowers are used in garlands and to scent coconut oil.<br />
Used in <strong>the</strong> commercial production <strong>of</strong> essential oil in <strong>the</strong> Philippines and Indonesia.<br />
5(17), 6, 7.<br />
APIACEAE OR UMBELLIFERAE (Parsley Family)<br />
Apium petroselinum L. "parsley"<br />
syns. Pgrosel@um pegylinum (L.) -- Karst.; - P. crispum - - (Mill.) -- - Mansf. -<br />
Recent introduction. S. Europe and W. temperate Asia. Rare. Erect biennial or<br />
short-lived perennial herb, up to 25 to 40 cm tall, with a stout tap root; leaves, aromatic,<br />
shiny, dark green, in dense, tufted rosettes, 2 to 3-pinnate, with leaflets, 1 to 2 cm long,
deltoid-ovate, but deeply too<strong>the</strong>d or lobed, <strong>of</strong>ten much crisped; flowers, 2 mm in<br />
diameter, greenish-yellow, umbellets, 10 to 20 flowered, borne in flat-topped compound<br />
umbels, 2 to 5 cm in diameter; fruit (carpel), 2 to 3 mm long, grey-brown, ovoid,<br />
laterally compressed, with 5 slender ridges. Pot herb in European home gardens; planted<br />
in a halved 50-gallon drum on Command Ridge. Leaves and stems used by European<br />
inhabitants as a spice in cooking. 5.<br />
Coriandrum sativum L. "coriander", "cilan trow, "Chinese parsley"<br />
dhania (Hindi), uen sai (C)<br />
Recent introduction. S. Europe and <strong>the</strong> Mediterranean region. Occasional. Erect<br />
annual herb, 15 to 30 cm high; lower leaves, bright green, broad with crenately-lobed<br />
margins, upper leaves finely cut with narrow linear lobes; flowers, white to pinkish, in<br />
terminal umbels; fruit, about 3 mm in diameter, globose, yellow-brown, ribbed, 2-<br />
seeded, with an unpleasant smell when unripe, but later becoming pleasantly aromatic.<br />
Pot herb grown in Chinese home food gardens at Location and at Topside workshops.<br />
Aromatic leaves used as a spice by Chinese and Indians. Dried, imported seeds an<br />
important spice in curries. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Adenium coetanum Stapf<br />
syn. A. obesum Balf.<br />
APOCYNACEAE (Dog-bane Family)<br />
"desert rose", " mock azalea"<br />
Recent introduction. E. Africa. Rare. A smooth succulent shrub, 40 to 150 cm<br />
high, with a thick trunk, short branches and milky sap which is said to be poiso<strong>no</strong>us;<br />
leaves, 2.5 to 10 cm long, dark green, shiny, ovate, arranged spirally in tufts at branch<br />
tips; flowers, about 5 cm long and 3.8 cm across, red-pink, short-stemmed, funnel-<br />
shaped, developing in clusters, 2 to 10 toge<strong>the</strong>r. Pot plant in home gardens. 3(58716), 5,<br />
6(176), 7.<br />
Allamanda hendersonii Bull "allamanda", "cup <strong>of</strong> gold"<br />
syn. A. cathartics L. var. hendersonii (Bull) Bailey & Raff.<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Robust woody vinelike climbing shrub, with<br />
milky poiso<strong>no</strong>us sap+ave% 8 to 1-54m longand--mostly 4 to-5 cm wide, brightgreen,<br />
shiny, opposite in pairs or in whorls <strong>of</strong> 3 or 4, elliptical to sub-obovate, but broadest<br />
above <strong>the</strong> middle, abruptly acuminate, entire, thick and somewhat lea<strong>the</strong>ry (coriaceous),<br />
midrib prominent; petiole very short; flowers, corolla tube 4 to 5 cm long, showy bright<br />
yellow, slightly fragrant, trumpet-shaped, 5-parted with broad, spreading rounded lobes,
totalling 6 to 7 cm or wider, borne in axillary and terminal racemose clusters <strong>of</strong> about 10<br />
flowers; fruit, a prickly capsule. Planted ornamental. 3(58697), 5, 6.<br />
Allamanda violacea Gardn. & Field "purple allamanda"<br />
Recent introduction, Brazil. Rare. Woody vinelike climbing shrub; leaves, similar<br />
to A. hendersonii, but bearing short, stiff hairs; flowers, similar to A. cathartics, but red-<br />
purple and 5 to 6.5 cm in diameter. Planted ornamental. 3, 5, 6.<br />
Catharanthus roseus ( L.) G. Don "periwinkle", "Madagascar periwinkle"<br />
denea (N); te buraroti (K); losa (T)<br />
syns. Vincu. rosea. L.; Lochnera rosea (L.) Reichenb.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Madagascar. Common. An everblooming erect<br />
perennial herb, up to 50 cm or taller, with white milky sap; leaves, 2.5 to 8 cm long and<br />
2 to 3 cm wide, opposite, oblong or oblong-obovate, apex rounded, tipped with a sharp<br />
point, base acute, finely puberulent on both surfaces; midrib pale; flowers, showy white<br />
or pink, with or without a red throat, 5-parted, corolla tube, 2.5 to 3 cm long, lobes, 1.5<br />
to 2 cm long, calyx, about 6 mm long, with awl-shaped lobes; fruit, up to 3 cm long,<br />
with paired, 2.5 cm long puberulent podlike cylinders containing several cylindrical<br />
seeds. Planted ornamental. Flowers used in garlands and reportedly boiled by some<br />
people and drunk as a cure for diabetes. 3(58758), 5(127), 6, 7.<br />
Cerbera manghas L. "cerbera" , "sea mango"<br />
dereiongo, dereiyongo (N) ; te reiango (K?)<br />
syns. C. oclollam sensu auct. <strong>no</strong>n Gaertn.; C. lactaria. (G. Don) Ham.; Tan-<br />
ghinia. lacraria G. Don<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Trop. Asia to <strong>the</strong> Pacific Is. Rare. Medium-sized tree, up to 7 m or<br />
taller, with white sap; leaves, 15 to 30 cm long and 5 to 8 cm wide, dark green, shiny,<br />
simple, entire, lanceolate or obovate-lanceolate, acuminate, base acute-decurrent, spirally<br />
and closely arranged; petiole 2 to 3 cm long, narrowly winged by decurrent blade<br />
margins; flower, 2.5 to 6 cm wide, tube about 2.5 cm long, 5-petaled, white with red<br />
throat, fragrant, calyx with 5 narrow lobes, 1.3 cm long, borne in branching terminal<br />
clusters about as long as <strong>the</strong> leaves; fruit, globose or ovoid, 5 to 7 cm long, smooth,<br />
deep purple to black when ripe, single or paired; seed, a woody stone, poiso<strong>no</strong>us. Found<br />
n_w homes on <strong>the</strong> coastal strip and near church at Buada. Seems to be planted, or at<br />
least protected in built-up areas. No reported use by Nauruans, but its poiso<strong>no</strong>us fruit is<br />
reportedly used medicinally and to poison fish in Samoa, Tonga and elsewhere in <strong>the</strong><br />
Pacific. 5(16), 6, 7.
Nerium oleander L. var. oleander<br />
te orian (K)<br />
"oleander"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. Europe to Iran. Occasional. Large erect shrub,<br />
up to 4 m or higher, with arching stems rising from <strong>the</strong> ground, young growth finely<br />
pubescent, young branches slightly 3-angled and all parts extremely poiso<strong>no</strong>us; leaves, 10<br />
to 20 cm long and 2 to 3.5 cm wide, dull grey-green, narrowly oblong-lanceolate, acute<br />
at both ends, entire, flat, lea<strong>the</strong>ry (coriaceous), midrib prominent, lateral nerves<br />
numerous, fine; flowers, 4 to 5 cm wide, showy, white, pink to deep red, slightly<br />
scented, with five too<strong>the</strong>d appendages in <strong>the</strong> corolla throat, borne in terminal cymose<br />
clusters; fruit, 10 to 20 cm long, seldom seen, sometimes developing from single<br />
flowers. Planted ornamental. 2, 3(58783), 4, 6, 7.<br />
Nerium oleander L. var. indicum (Mill.) Deg. & Deg. "oleander", "sweet scented<br />
oleander" te orian (K)<br />
syns. N. indicum. Mill.; N. odorum Soland.<br />
Post World War I1 introduction? Iran to Japan. Occasional. Large erect shrub, up<br />
to 4 m or higher, with arching stems rising from <strong>the</strong> ground, young growth finely<br />
pubescent, young branches slightly 3-angled and all parts extremely poiso<strong>no</strong>us; leaves, 10<br />
to 20 cm long and 1.5 to 3 cm wide, dull grey-green, narrowly oblong-lanceolate, acute<br />
at both ends, entire, edges rolled back, lea<strong>the</strong>ry (coriaceous), midrib prominent, lateral<br />
nerves numerous, fine; flowers, 4 to 5 cm wide, corolla usually double, showy, white,<br />
pink to deep red, fragrant, funnel-shaped, with fringed appendages in <strong>the</strong> corolla throat,<br />
borne in terminal cymose clusters; fruit, 10 to 20 cm long, paired, pod-like, seldom seen,<br />
sometimes developing from single flowers. Planted ornamental shrub. 3, 5, 6, 7.<br />
Ochrosia elliptica Labill.<br />
eorara, eoerara (N)<br />
syn. Bleekeria elliptica (Labill.) Koidz.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Australia to <strong>the</strong> Pacific Is. Occasional to common. Small to mediumsized<br />
tree, up to 8 m or higher, with white milky sap; leaves up to 15 cm long, oval or<br />
inverted ovate, blunt or short-pointed, lea<strong>the</strong>ry (coriaceous), arranged in pairs, threes or<br />
fours, with blades tapering into petioles about 1.2 cm long; flowers, small, creamcolored,<br />
fragrant, stemless, developing in short cymose clusters at or near <strong>the</strong> branch<br />
tips; fruit, 2.5 to 4.5 cm long, bright red, ovoid drupe, slightly keeled or flattened on <strong>the</strong><br />
margins, pointed, twinned, with mealy violet, scented pulp surrounding one or two seeds.<br />
Tree in fs~est remnants on rocky-outcrqs-on <strong>the</strong>-central plateau, in escarpment forests<br />
on sou<strong>the</strong>rn half <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> island, and occasionally in home gardens on coastal strip. Wood<br />
used by Nauruans for rafters and small timber; leaves used medicinally, being crushed<br />
with coconut cream to treat rashes, especially for children; fruit used in children's<br />
games, and fruit and flowers used in garlands. 2, 3(58802), 4(168N), 5(92), 6, 7(27812).
Plumeria obtusa L. "white frangipani", "plumeria"<br />
demeria (N); te meria (K); melia, pua Solomona, melia Solomona (T)<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Common. Small to medium-sized, s<strong>of</strong>t-<br />
wooded, broad-crowned, k<strong>no</strong>bby, branching evergreen tree, up to 5 m or taller, with<br />
thick fragile branch tips and white milky sap; easily planted from cuttings; leaves, 20 to<br />
35 cm long and 6 to 10 cm wide, dark green, glossy, alternate, obovate rounded, blunt,<br />
smooth (glabrous), tapered at <strong>the</strong> base, pinnately nerved, midrib prominent, lateral nerves<br />
loop-connected near margin, clustered near <strong>the</strong> ends <strong>of</strong> branches; petioles, 4 to 9 cm,<br />
stout; flowers, 4 to 6 cm in diameter, all white with a central yellow eye, fragrant, but<br />
less so than P. rubra., 5-parted, narrowly tubular, petal lobes obovate, longer than tube,<br />
borne in terminal cymose clusters; fruit, 15 to 24 cm long, dark green later black, single<br />
or twinned, cylindrical, fusiform, with many flat winged overlapping seeds. Flowers used<br />
in garlands and dried in sun and used to scent coconut oil (eir). 3(58775), 5(111), 6, 7.<br />
Plumeria rubra L. "frangipani", "plumeria", "temple tree", "graveyard tree"<br />
demeria, arabaneit (N); te meria (K); melia, pua Fiti, melia Nauru (T)<br />
syns. P. a.cuminata. Ait.f. and P. a.cutifolia Poir.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Common. Small to medium-sized,<br />
s<strong>of</strong>t-wooded, broad-crowned branching deciduous tree, up to 5 m or taller, with thick<br />
fragile branch tips and white milky sap; easily planted from cuttings; leaves, 20 to 35 cm<br />
long and 6 to 10 cin wide, pale green to grey-green, alternate, elliptic-oblong, acute or<br />
acuminate, smooth (glabrous), tapered at <strong>the</strong> base, pinnately nerved, midrib prominent,<br />
lateral nerves loop-connected near margin, clustered near <strong>the</strong> ends <strong>of</strong> branches; petioles,<br />
4 to 9 cm, stout; flowers, 3 to 5 cin in diameter, waxy-white to yellow, pink, deep red<br />
or multicolored variations, very fragrant, 5-parted, narrowly tubular, petal lobes obovate,<br />
longer than tube, borne in terminal cyi<strong>no</strong>se clusters; fruit, 15 to 20 cm long, dark green<br />
later black, single or twinned, cylindrical, fusiform, with many flat winged overlapping<br />
seeds. Planted ornamental. The name demeria seems to be applied to all color forms and<br />
to both species <strong>of</strong> Plumeria, with <strong>the</strong> older name arabaneit being reserved for <strong>the</strong> bright<br />
yellow to yellow-white cultivars, which are longer established in Nauru. Leaves used<br />
medicinally and mixed with coconut oil for curing fever; flowers used in garlands and<br />
dried in <strong>the</strong> sun and used to scent coconut oil (eir). 2, 3(58654), 5(50), 6, 7.<br />
Tabernaemontana divaricata (L.) R. Br. "false gardenia", "paper gardenia",<br />
"crepe jasmine", "scentless gardenia"<br />
syns. Nqiim- divaricatu_m L. ; N._ coronzrium Jacq. ; Tabernaemontana coronaria<br />
(Jacq.) Willd.; Ervatamia divaricata (L.) ~urkilc E. coronaria (J&~.)<br />
Stapf; Tabernaemontana alternvolia L. ; Nyctan<strong>the</strong>s acuminata Burm. f.
Recent introduction. India. Occasional. Smooth erect shrub, up to 2 or 3 m tall,<br />
resembling a gardenia, with scanty, white milky sap; leaves, 6 to 15 cm long and 2 to<br />
4.5 cm wide, dark green, lighter below, glossy, opposite, elliptic oblong, acute or<br />
obtuse, acute at base, glabrous, thin, with 6 to 10 pairs <strong>of</strong> curving veins; petiole short,<br />
mostly about 1 cm long, clasping <strong>the</strong> stem; flowers, 2.5 to 5 cm in diameter, usually<br />
several, up to about 8, toge<strong>the</strong>r or rarely solitary, in flat-topped corymbose clusters near<br />
branch tips or leaf ads, white, nearly odorless, calyx about 5 mm long, segments ra<strong>the</strong>r<br />
broad, deltoid and obtuse, corolla, 5-parted, tube 1.5 to 2.5 cm long, cylindrical, lobes,<br />
about 2 cm long, <strong>of</strong>ten doubled and ruffled, crinkled or crepe-like; fruit, rarely seen in<br />
cultivation, 3 to 7 cm long, yellow-orange, paired, oblong, podlike, with 1 to 3 ridges,<br />
pubescent, red within; seeds, many, embedded in pulp. Planted ornamental. 3(58706), 5,<br />
6(222), 7.<br />
Thevetia peruviana (Pers.) K. Schurn. " be-still tree", "yellow oleander"<br />
syns. Cerbera peruviana Pers.; C. <strong>the</strong>vetia L.; Thevetia neritfolia Juss. ex<br />
Steud.; T. <strong>the</strong>vetia (L.) Millsp.<br />
Recent introduction. Peru. Occasional. Everblooming shrub or small tree, up to 8<br />
m or taller, propagated from seeds and cuttings; all parts reportedly poiso<strong>no</strong>us; leaves, 5<br />
to 15 cm long and 0.5 to less than 1 cm wide, numerous, dark green, somewhat shiny<br />
above, paler beneath, lea<strong>the</strong>ry (coriaceous), alternate, linear-lanceolate, acute or<br />
subobtuse, acute at base; petiole, very short, about 3 mm long; flowers, about 4 to 7 cm<br />
long, 5-parted to more than halfway down, showy yellow, mildly fragrant, funnel- or<br />
trumpet-shaped, borne in terminal cymose clusters; calyx, 1 to 1.3 cm long, 5-lobed,<br />
acute-acuminate; fruit, 4 to 5.5 cm broad, a juicy red drupe, ripening to black, con-<br />
taining a thin layer <strong>of</strong> pulp and 2 oily seeds. Planted ornamental. 3(58704), 5(78), 6, 7.<br />
AQUIFOLIACEAE (Holly Family)<br />
Ilex sp. "holly"<br />
Recent introduction. Eurasia. Rare. Evergreen shrub with short-stemmed leaves<br />
bearing several strong spines. Planted ornamental. 6(164).
ARALIACEAE (Panax Family)<br />
Polyscias balfouriana (Andre) Bailey llpanax"<br />
Recent introduction. Melanesia. Rare. Large erect shrub, up to 3 m or taller, with<br />
few, rapidly ascending branches; leaves, 20 to 50 cm long, compound, 1-pinnate;<br />
petioles, 8 to 22 cm long, petiolules, 2 to 4 cm long; leaflets, 5 to 20 cm long and 5 to<br />
18 cm wide, ovoid to orbicular, cordate, shiny, dark-green, opposite, mostly 3 or 5 in<br />
number, terminal leaf largest, crenate. Planted ornamental, commonly in hedges. 5, 6,<br />
7(22324).<br />
Polyscias cumingiana (Presl) Fern. -Vil . "panax"<br />
lautagitagi (T)<br />
syns. Paratropia cumingiana Presl; Nothopanax cumingii Seem.; Aralia Jilicifolia<br />
C. Moore ex Fourn. ; Polyscias Jilicifolia (Moore) Bailey<br />
Recent introduction. Malesia, possible to Melanesia. Rare. Large erect shrub, up<br />
to 3 m or taller, with few, rapidly ascending weak branches; leaves, mostly 15 to 70 cm<br />
long, alternate, 1-pinnate, uppermost leaves turning a showy light-yellow, giving <strong>the</strong><br />
plant a fea<strong>the</strong>ry appearance; petioles, 5 to 20 cm long, petiolules, 1 to 2.5 cm long;<br />
leaflets, 6 to 15 cm long and about 5 cm wide, opposite, entire to sharp-too<strong>the</strong>d or<br />
narrowly lobed, 6 to 7 pairs, plus terminal leaflet (13 to 15 leaflets), anise-scented;<br />
petioles 1 to 2 cm long. Planted ornamental, commonly in hedges. 6, 7.<br />
Polyscias fruticosa (L.) Harms<br />
te mamara (K?); lautagitagi (T)<br />
syns. Panax fruitcosum L. ; Nothopanax fruticosus (L.) Miq.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. India to W. Polynesia. Occasional. Erect, ra<strong>the</strong>r<br />
few-branched shrub, 1 to 3 in tall; leaves, up to 30 cm or longer, alternate, pinnate,<br />
usually bi- or tri-pinnate; leaflets, 5 to 10 cm long, terminal leaf usually <strong>the</strong> largest,<br />
green or variegated, coini<strong>no</strong>nly edged with white, glabrous, anise-scented, irregularly-<br />
shaped, more or less lanceolate, usually too<strong>the</strong>d, lobed laciniate or pinnatifid; flowers,<br />
small, greenish-white, borne in small umbels, forming large terminal paniculate clusters;<br />
fruit, flattened, orbicular, ribbed 2-seeded. Planted ornamental, commonly in hedges or<br />
as a living fence. 2, 3(58698), 5, 6(171), 7(22323).<br />
- - - --<br />
Polyscias guilfoylei (Cogn. & ~arch .) ~aile~ "panax", "hedge panax"<br />
te toara (K); lautagitagi (T)<br />
syns. Aralia guilfoylei Cogn. & March.; Nothopanax guilfoylei (Cogn. &<br />
March.) Merr.
Pre-World war I1 introduction. Melanesia to S . Polynesia. Common. Large shrub,<br />
2 to 6 m tall, with weak, rapidly ascending vertical branches and light grey bark; leaves,<br />
mostly 15 to 50 cm long, alternate, variable, but commonly broadly ovate or elliptic and<br />
coarsely sharply-too<strong>the</strong>d or laciniate, rarely subentire, commonly variegated with white<br />
or pale yellow margins, or sometimes all dark green, shiny; petioles, 2 to 3 cm long,<br />
clasping <strong>the</strong> stem; flowers, rarely seen, small, 5-parted, petals, 2.5 by 1.2 mm, in<br />
umbels, borne on a large, much-branched terminal panicle; fruit, usually 3- to 4-celled,<br />
with 3 to 4 seeds, 4 by 5 mm. Planted ornamental, commonly as a hedge or living fence.<br />
2, 3(58696), 5(20), 6, 7(27822).<br />
Polyscias scutellaria (Burm. f.) Fosb. "panax"<br />
te toara (K); lautagitagi (T)<br />
syns. Crassula scutellaria Burm. f. ; Polyscias pinnata J.R. & G. Forst. ; Notho-<br />
panax scutellaria. (Burm . f. ) Merr .<br />
Recent introduction. S.E. Asia. Occasional. Medium-sized erect shrub, 1 to 3 m<br />
tall, with weak, ascending branches; leaves, simple (unifoliate) or pinnate, with 3 or<br />
sometimes 5 leaflets; petioles, at least 12 cm, petiolules, 2 to 5 cm or longer; leaflets, 5<br />
to 14 cm in diameter, <strong>the</strong> terminal leaflet <strong>of</strong> compound leaves largest, orbicular-cordate,<br />
concave and saucer-like, glossy, base subcordate-cordate, sometimes obliquely so, green<br />
or with white or yellow variegations, some forms wavy or with blunt or rounded teeth<br />
(crenate); flowers, borne in umbels on a much-branched panicle, small, about 3 mm<br />
long, petals, about 2.5 mm long, 6 or 7 in number; fruit, flattened, 2-seeded (rarely 3-<br />
celled and 3-seeded). Planted ornamental, commonly as a hedge or living fence.<br />
3(58693), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Polyscias tricochleata (Miq .) Fosb. "panax"<br />
syn . P. pinnata. Fosb. cv. tricochleata. Stone; Nothopanax tricochleatus Miq.<br />
Recent introduction. Pacific Islands. Rare. Erect shrub, 1 to 2 m tall; leaves<br />
usually trifoliate (rarely 1 or 5 leaflets); leaflets, orbicular, white- or yellow-margined;<br />
flowers and fruit unk<strong>no</strong>wn. K<strong>no</strong>wn to be a mutant form <strong>of</strong> P. pinnata. Planted erect<br />
ornamental shrub with white-margined leaflets. 3(58674), 7(22325).<br />
Schefflera acti<strong>no</strong>phylla (Endl.) Harms "Queensland umbrella tree", "octopus tree"<br />
syn. Brassaia acri<strong>no</strong>phyllu End1 .<br />
Recent introduction. N. Australia. Occasional. Small to medium-sized, s<strong>of</strong>t-<br />
wooded tree, up to 10 m or taller, with thick branches marked by conspicuous leaf-scars,<br />
sometimes epiphytic; leaves, large, up to 90 cm or wider in diameter, palmately-<br />
compound, umbrella-shaped, with 7 to 15, usually 7 to 9, leaflets, forming rosettes at <strong>the</strong>
anch ends; main petioles 15 to 45 cm long, petiolules, 2.5 to 8 cm long; leaflets, 10 to<br />
30 cm long, elliptic-obovate, oblong, sub-acuminate, <strong>the</strong> central ones longest, shiny,<br />
dark-green, lea<strong>the</strong>ry (coriaceous); flowers, in small red heads, arranged more or less<br />
spicate-racemosely along stout wide-spreading axes, up to 60 cm or longer, several <strong>of</strong><br />
which radiate, like <strong>the</strong> tentacles <strong>of</strong> an octopus, from a central hub-like axis arising from<br />
each leaf cluster; fruit, 10- to 12-seeded, nutlets, red-purple. Planted ornamental.<br />
3(58672), 5, 6, 7.<br />
ASCLEPIADACEAE (Milkweed Family)<br />
Asclepias curassavica L. "milkweed", "butterfly weed", "red cotton bush", "bloodflower"<br />
dupaimdupaim, dupaimdupwaim (N)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction? Trop. America. Rare. Slender erect, branched,<br />
woody perennial herb, up to 1 m or higher, with milky sap; leaves, 6 to 15 cm long and<br />
1 to 3 cm wide, opposite, oblong-lanceolate, acute at both ends, pinnately-nerved,<br />
pubescent on nerves beneath; flowers, many, small, about 60 mm in diameter, borne in<br />
4- to 15-flowered terminal and axillary umbels on finely pubescent peduncles, 3.5 to 6<br />
cm long; corolla, 7 to 9 mm long, red to reddish-purple, with 5 deeply-parted lobes, bent<br />
backward (reflexed), and a protruding orange to yellowish-orange scaly crown, 3.5 to 4<br />
mm long; fruit, 5 to 7.5 cin long, erect, pointed, ovoid, podlike, smooth or downy,<br />
containing numerous round, flat seeds, 6 to 7 mm long, each bearing a tuft <strong>of</strong> long,<br />
silky, white hairs, 2 to 2.7 mm long. Planted ornamental; flowers used for body<br />
ornamentation and making garlands; reportedly poiso<strong>no</strong>us to livestock. 5, 6.<br />
Calotropis gigantea (L.) R. Br.<br />
te bumorimori (K)<br />
syn. Asclepias gigantea L.<br />
"crown flower", "giant milkweed"<br />
Recent introduction. India to Indonesia. Rare. A large shrub, up to 4 m or higher,<br />
with thick downy branches and copious milky sap; leaves, 7.5 to 25 cm long, nearly<br />
stemless (shortly petiolate), broad ovate-oblong, thick, pale green, downy, woolly<br />
beneath, indented at base; flowers, about 3 to 4 cm in diameter, pale lavender or white,<br />
sweetish fragrance that deteriorates when crushed, with 5 curled-back petals and a<br />
prominent symmetrical crown, sometimes only consisting <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> flower crowns. Planted<br />
ornamental at <strong>the</strong> Meneng Hotel. 3(58771), 5, 6(152), 7.
Hoya car<strong>no</strong>sa (L.) R. Br.<br />
syns. Asclepias car<strong>no</strong>sa L.<br />
"wax plant", "wax flower"<br />
Recent introduction. S. China. Rare. Fleshy waxy climbing vine, climbing by<br />
roots, up to 2 m or longer; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long, opposite, narrow to broad ovate-<br />
oblong, mid-green, thick, fleshy, shiny, flat; flowers, 1 to 1.3 cm in diameter, 5-parted,<br />
white with pink centers, convex, wheel- or star-shaped, waxy, fragrant. Planted ornamen-<br />
tal. Single specimen; could have been <strong>the</strong> Australian species, H. australis R. Br. (syn. H.<br />
bicarinata Gray). 6, 7.<br />
ASTERACEAE OR COMPOSITAE (Aster, Sunflower or Composite Family)<br />
Ageratum conyzoides L.<br />
bwiyat tsige, bwiyat ziege (N)<br />
"goat weed", "ageratum"<br />
Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Erect to somewhat<br />
sprawling, branching, weak-stemmed, strong smelling, annual herb, up to 80 cm high;<br />
leaves, 2 to 10 cm long and 1 to 5 cm wide, opposite, ovate or rhombic-ovate, acutish,<br />
base rounded and acute at petiole, edges scalloped, pubescent on both surfaces, glandular<br />
dorsally; petiole up to 5 cm or longer; flowerheads, small, 4 to 6 mm long, bluish,<br />
corymbose, in loose, terminal and axillary clusters; involucral bracts, 3 mm long, acute-<br />
acuminate, subglabrous; florets, about 75 per head, about 1 mm long, white or light<br />
purplish-blue; fruit (achenes), 1.5 to 2 mm long, numerous, angled, nearly glabrous;<br />
pappus, <strong>of</strong> 5 awned scales. Found on low ground near Buada Lagoon and occasionally in<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r ruderal habitats. Leaves and flowers used in garlands and body decoration and for<br />
scenting coconut oil. 3(58652), 5(1 l), 6, 7, 8(9574).<br />
Bidens alba (L.) DC. "cobbler's peg", "Spanish needle" kauen oe, kawen oe (N)<br />
syns. Coreopsis albu. L.; C. leucan<strong>the</strong>ma L.; C. leucantha L.; B. pilosa L. var.<br />
radiata sensu auct. <strong>no</strong>n Sch.-Bip.; B. leucantha (L.) Willd.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect branching annual herb (in big<br />
plants, <strong>the</strong> branches sometimes straggling), up to 1.5 m tall; leaf blades, 1 to 12 cm long<br />
and up to 6 cm wide, lower leaves simple, ovate and serrate, but upper leaves trifoliate<br />
or imparipinnate, leaflets ovate or ovate-oblong, acute, basally decurrent, petiolulate,<br />
serrate; petioles, up to 6 cm long; flowerheads, few, in panicles; involucral bracts, about<br />
7 or 8, linear-spatulate; - -- heads, 6 - to - - 8 - mm -- - long and -- 6 to --- 8 mm - wide; -- ray florets bright<br />
white, 6 to 8 mm long; disc-florets yellow; fruit (achenes), linear, 7 to 13 mm long,<br />
black or dark brown, about 1 mm wide, flat, 4-angled, short-strigose or glabrous, with2<br />
to 4 barbed awns, about 3 mm long, at <strong>the</strong> tip. Weed on dirt pile near Topside sports<br />
oval; <strong>no</strong>t seen in 1987. 4(142N), 5(76), 6.
Bidens pilosa L. "cobbler's peg"' Spanish needle"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Common? Slender, erect, branching annual<br />
herb, 20 to 90 cm tall; stems, 4-angled, glabrous; leaves, mostly 1 to 5 cm long, simple<br />
to compound or deeply 3 to 5-lobed, opposite; lobes or leaflets ovate to lanceolate, acute,<br />
decurrent at <strong>the</strong> base, serrate, mostly glabrous; flowerheads, 5 to 10 mm long, on<br />
terminal or upper axillary panicles or solitary on long stalks (peduncles), up to 3 cm<br />
long; involucral bracts, 2 to 3-ranked, lanceolate, <strong>the</strong> outer ones somewhat leaflike; ray<br />
florets usually absent; disc-florets, yellow, tubular; fruit, 6 to 12 cm long, a black,<br />
ribbed, straight or curved, linear achene, tipped with 2 to 4 barbed awns, which adhere<br />
to clothing. Weed in wasteplaces, ruderal habitats and gardens. 8.<br />
Conyza bonariensis (L.) Cronq. "hairy horseweed"<br />
syns. Erigeron bonariensis L.; E. crispus Pourr.; E. albidus (Willd. ex Spr.) A.<br />
Gray; Conyza albida Willd. ex Spr.<br />
Recent introduction. Pantropical. Rare. Slender, erect annual herb, 30 cm to 1 m<br />
or higher, with pubescent stem, <strong>the</strong> lower portion with leaf scars; leaves, 2.5 to 12 cm<br />
long, dark greyish-green, narrowly lanceolate, lower ones, oblanceolate, coarsely dentate,<br />
upper ones, linear, entire, pubescent on both surfaces, attached to stem by a broad base;<br />
flower heads, 1 to 1.3 cm in diameter, in racemes or racemose panicles; involucral<br />
bracts, about 5 mm long, grey-pubescent (downy); ray-florets, usually many, in-<br />
conspicuous, white to cream; fruit, about 1.6 mm long, narrow, oblong, pale achene<br />
tipped with a pappus <strong>of</strong> light silky hairs, 3 to 5 mm long. Weed in waste places.<br />
4(133N), 5.<br />
Dahlia pinnata Cav. "dahlia"<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Perennial herb, up to 1 m or higher, with<br />
tuberous roots; leaves, opposite, simple or divided fea<strong>the</strong>r-fashion one to three times;<br />
leaflets, too<strong>the</strong>d or lobed, arranged in pairs with an extra leaflet at <strong>the</strong> tip; flowerheads,<br />
2.5 to 10 cm in diameter, long-stemmed, single or double, flat to globose; ray-florets,<br />
yellow central florets surrounded by conspicuous flat, tubular or rolled outer ray-florets,<br />
ranging in color from white and yellow to pink, purple and red, which range from eight<br />
to many and <strong>of</strong>ten conceal <strong>the</strong> central ray-florets; fruit, tiny, narrow, flattened and tipped<br />
with 2 teeth or untipped. Planted ornamental. 5(79), 6.
Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC. "purple sow thistle", "<strong>flora</strong>s paintbrush"<br />
syn. Cacalia sonchifolia L.<br />
Recent introduction. Pantropical. Occasional. Erect, s<strong>of</strong>t-stemmed, branching<br />
annual herb, 10 to 40 cm tall, lower stems pubescent, upper ones nearly glabrous; leaves,<br />
3 to 15 cm long and 5 to 7 cm wide, simple, alternate; lower leaves, deeply irregularly<br />
lobed or dentate, subdeltoid to spoonshaped, clasping stem at <strong>the</strong> base; upper leaves,<br />
smaller, lanceolate, too<strong>the</strong>d to subentire, sometimes purplish beneath on midrib and<br />
bluish-green (glaucous) on blade; flower heads, 0.8 to 1 cm long and 2.5 to 6.5 mm<br />
wide, few, cylindrical, on slender lax peduncles in loose, branching terminal clusters;<br />
involucral bracts, about 8, cylindrical, fused, which split apart and reflex at maturity,<br />
almost covering <strong>the</strong> flowers; ray-florets absent; disc-florets, 30 to 60 in number, 5-lobed,<br />
white below, lavender to pink at <strong>the</strong> tips, tubular, just slightly longer than <strong>the</strong> involucre;<br />
fruit, about 2.5 to 3 mm long, brown, prism-shaped, 5-ribbed achene, with a pappus <strong>of</strong><br />
numerous, silky white bristles, 6 to 8 mm long. Weed in waste places and as a pioneer in<br />
recently mined areas. 5(115), 6, 7(22313), 8.<br />
Gerbera jamesonii Bolus "Transvaal daisy", "gerbera" , "African Daisy"<br />
Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Hairy perennial herb, 30 to 35 cm high;<br />
leaves, 15 to 30 cm long (blade about 213 as long as stem)), many, deeply lobed, fea<strong>the</strong>r-<br />
fashion, woolly beneath, arranged in. a basal rosette; flowerheads, 7.5 to 10 cm in<br />
diameter, attractive, daisy-like, pink, red, orange, yellow or cream-colored, solitary,<br />
borne on <strong>the</strong> crest bare flower stalks, about 25 to 40 cm long; central disc-florets, many,<br />
surrounded by 1 or 2 rows <strong>of</strong> narrow orange ray-florets; many single and double hybrid<br />
forms exist. Planted ornamental. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Gynura aurantiaca (Bl.) DC. "purple passion flower", "velvet plant"<br />
Recent introduction. Java. Rare. Erect or semi-climbing, up to 75 cm; ovate,<br />
deeply lobed or too<strong>the</strong>d, leaves, dark green, covered with thick, bright purple hairs,<br />
giving <strong>the</strong> plant a velvety appearance; flowerheads, about 2.5 cm in diameter, like a<br />
petal-less daisy; disc-florets orange. Ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Synedrella <strong>no</strong>di<strong>flora</strong> (L.) Gaertn.<br />
syn. Verbesina <strong>no</strong>dzpora L.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Coarse, - -- erect<br />
" synedrella" , "<strong>no</strong>deweed"<br />
to ascending,<br />
branched Gnual herb, 10 to 75 cm high, <strong>of</strong>ten rooting at lower, decumbent-<strong>no</strong>des;<br />
leaves, 1.5 to 8 cm long and 1.5 to 5 cm wide, larger leaves usually at <strong>the</strong> top, simple,<br />
opposite, ovate to elliptic, acute tip and cuneate base, subentire to crenate-serrate,<br />
scabrous, 3-nerved from base,; petiole, about 1 to 1.5 cm long, winged, pubescent on
oth surfaces; flowerheads, 0.6 to 1.2 cm long and 5 to 6 mm across, 10 to 20-flowered,<br />
subsessile, solitary or few toge<strong>the</strong>r on short axillary or terminal peduncles; involucral<br />
bracts, nearly 1 cm long, only 4 or 5, lanceolate, 2-ranked (2-seriate); ray-florets, about<br />
3.5 to 4 mm long, yellow, strap-shaped, 3-lobed; disc-florets, yellow, with tubular<br />
corollas; fruit, 4 to 5 mm long, a black or dark-brown achene, those <strong>of</strong> ray-florets flat,<br />
oval and spiny-edged or winged with 2 terminal awns, those <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> disc-florets cylin-<br />
drical, unwinged with 2 erect spiny terminal awns about half as long as <strong>the</strong> achene. Weed<br />
in low ground around Buada Lagoon and in o<strong>the</strong>r ruderal habitats. 3(58648), 4(134N),<br />
5(97), 6, 7, 8(9573).<br />
Tagetes erecta L. "marigold", "Aztec marigold", "African marigold"<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Erect, smooth, few-branching, strongly-<br />
scented, annual herb, up to 60 cm high; lower leaves opposite, upper leaves alternate,<br />
pinnately parted or pinnate, up to 12 cm long, <strong>the</strong> segments more or less oblong, acute,<br />
distally dentate, up to 9 cm long and 1.5 cm wide; flower heads, 4 to 8 cm in diameter,<br />
solitary, flat to globose, borne on peduncles which flare distally; involucral bracts, about<br />
2 cm long, arranged cylindrically; ray-florets yellow to red-orange, many, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
concealing <strong>the</strong> central disc-florets; fruit, achene tipped with pappus, about 1 cm long, and<br />
several short scales, 3 to 4 mm long. Planted ornamental. 5, 6.<br />
Tridax procumbens L. "wild daisy", "coat buttons"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Common. Pubescent perennial<br />
herb with prostrate to ascending stems, up to about 80 cm long; leaves, 1 to 6 cm long<br />
and 1 to 3.5 cm wide, opposite, broadly lanceolate, coarsely too<strong>the</strong>d, acute or subacute,<br />
cuneate at base, hispid on both surfaces; petioles, 5 to 15 mm long; flowerheads, about 1<br />
cm long and 2 cm wide, terminal, borne on erect pilose peduncles, 10 to 30 cm long;<br />
involucral bracts, 2- or 3-ranked, puberulent; ray-florets, about 4 to 5 mm long, 5 or 6 in<br />
number, with a narrow corolla tube and broad ligulate limb, about 3 by 5 mm, white to<br />
light yellow; disc-florets, many, <strong>the</strong> corolla narrow-campanulate, about 8 mm long,<br />
bright yellow, 5-lobed and hairy at top; fruit, about 2 mm long, dark grey-brown,<br />
densely hairy achene, with a spreading pappus, 5 to 6 mm long, <strong>of</strong> plumose hairs. Weed<br />
in settled areas and near airport; pioneer in recently mined areas. 2, 3(58657), 4(145N),<br />
5(25), 6, 7, 8(9548).<br />
Ver<strong>no</strong>nia cinerea (L.) Less. "iron weed"<br />
syns. Y. pawi<strong>flora</strong> Reinw. ex Bl.; V. cinerg var. pawl<strong>flora</strong> (Reinw. ex Bl.);<br />
Conyza cinerea L.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. Asia. Common. Erect loosely branching<br />
annual herb, 15 to 60 cm tall, stems longitudinally ribbed; leaves, 1 to 7 cm long and 1
to 2.5 cm wide, simple, alternate, lanceolate to ovate, acute, or variably shaped, <strong>the</strong><br />
upper ones narrower, smaller and subsessile, <strong>the</strong> lower ones with surfaces minutely<br />
puberulent, base decurrent, irregularly too<strong>the</strong>d, with winged petioles, 1 to 3 cm long;<br />
flowerheads, 6 to 7 mm long, in loose terminal paniculate clusters on slender peduncles;<br />
involucral bracts, 4 to 5 mm long, green with brownish tips, lanceolate, 4-ranked (4-<br />
seriate), puberulent; ray-florets, absent; disc-florets, about 4 mm long, 20 to 25 in<br />
number, tubular, violet or pinkish violet, exerted; fruit, 1.5 to 2 mm long, a grey-brown,<br />
cylindrical, appressed pubescent achene, 1.5 to 2 mm long, bearing a terminal pappus <strong>of</strong><br />
numerous white bristles which spread apart at maturity. Weed in settled areas; pioneer in<br />
recently mined areas. 2, 3(5861 l), 4(118N), 5(67), 6, 7, 8(9538).<br />
Wedelia trilobata (L.) Hitchc.<br />
syn. Silphium trilobatum L.<br />
" wedelia"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Perennial creeping herb,<br />
reaching a thickness (height) <strong>of</strong> about 40 to 70 cm; leaves, 2.5 to 7 cm long, bright<br />
green, simple, opposite, three-lobed to lanceolate, too<strong>the</strong>d; petioles, short, extremely-<br />
winged, or lacking, clasping <strong>the</strong> stem; flowerheads, about 2 to 2.6 cm in diameter, daisy-<br />
like, solitary, on slender peduncles, about 5 to 7 cm long; involucral bracts, 6 to 9 mm<br />
long, green, lanceolate, 2-ranked, 5 short inner and 5 longer outer bracts; ray-florets,<br />
about 1 cm or longer and 0.5 cm wide, 8 to 10 in number, bright yellow; disc-florets,<br />
about 8 mm long, light yellow, tubular, 20 to 30 in number, fruit, <strong>no</strong>t seen. Planted<br />
ornamental groundcover. 3(58609), 5, 6(237), 7.<br />
Zinnia elegans Jacq. "zinnia"<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Erect annual herb, up to 60 cm tall, stems branched;<br />
leaves, 2.5 to 14 cm long and 1.5 to 6 cm wide, opposite, ovate to elliptic or oblong,<br />
obtuse or acute, hispid, sessile; flowerheads, 3 to 8 cm in diameter, solitary, showy,<br />
developing at stem and branch tips; involucral bracts, about 1 cm long, chaffy, in about<br />
3-ranks; ray-florets, about 2 cm long and 1 cm wide, 14 to 20 in number, pistillate,<br />
violet, pink, orange, yellow or white; receptacle, convex, paleaceous, bearing numerous<br />
5-lobed central disc-florets, about 5 mm long, yellow; fruit, 3-angled, compressed<br />
achene, with 1 to 3 terminal awns. Planted ornamental. 5(128), 6.
B ALS AMINACEAE (Balsam Family)<br />
Impatiens balsamina L. "balsam", "garden balsam"<br />
Recent introduction. India or Africa. Rare. Succulent, watery, erect, branching<br />
annual herb, up to about 60 cm high; leaves, up to 5 cm long and 4 cm wide, simple,<br />
alternate, lanceolate, acuminate, too<strong>the</strong>d (serrate); petiole, usually glandular at <strong>the</strong> base;<br />
flowers, up to 2.5 cm or more in diameter, short-stemmed, borne on short axillary<br />
pedicels on <strong>the</strong> stem below <strong>the</strong> leafy tip; sepals, 3 or 5, one usually spurred; petals, 3-<br />
lobed, lateral ones bifid, commonly double or long-spurred, showy yellow, white, pink,<br />
purple or red flowers; fruit, a woolly, 5-valved capsule, explosively dehiscent, <strong>the</strong> valves<br />
incurling instantly when separated; seeds, subglobose, usually brown, finely pitted.<br />
Planted ornamental. 5(117), 6.<br />
Impatiens walleriana Hook. f. "snapweed", "patience plant", "Zanzibar balsam"<br />
syn. I. sultan.ii H0ok.f.<br />
Recent introduction. Zanzibar. Rare. Erect, branching, sub-shrubby perennial<br />
succulent herb, up to 50 cm high; leaves, alternate along <strong>the</strong> stem and arranged in a<br />
rosette at branch tips, narrow-ovate, acuminate at tip and base, too<strong>the</strong>d or scalloped, with<br />
s<strong>of</strong>t point at each indentation; flowers, 2.5 to 3.5 cm in diameter, petals in one plane,<br />
borne, singly or 2 to 3 toge<strong>the</strong>r, on long axillary pedicels; sepals, 3 or 5, 1 usually<br />
spurred; petals, showy, bright scarlet or red to pink, accompanied by a long spur; fruit.<br />
which may or may <strong>no</strong>t develop in cultivation, a 5-valved capsule. Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
BASELLACEAE (Basella Family)<br />
Basella rubra L. "Indian spinach " , "Ceylon spinach " , " Malabar nightshade"<br />
sham ts'oi (C)<br />
syn. B. alba L.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional. Succulent dark-green to reddish-<br />
purple-stemmed, glabrous, branching, herbaceous, perennial twining vine, up to 4 m or<br />
longer; leaves, 5 to 15 cm long and 4 to 14 cm wide, alternate, entire, broad-ovate,<br />
almost heart-shaped, tender, fleshy; petioles, 1 to 2.5 cm long, green or purplish;<br />
flowers 4 to 5 mm in diameter sessile closed white to light reddish-purple, clustered<br />
l - - - - Z ---- , , -p -~p~---<br />
on axillary spikes, 2 to 20 cm long; fruit, about 8 mm in diameter, ovoid, black, berry-<br />
like. Food plant in Chinese gardens and containers at Location. Leaves and tender stems<br />
cooked as a spinach. 5(138), 6.
BEGONIACEAE (Begonia Family)<br />
Begonia coccinea Hook. f. "angel-wing begonia"<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Occasional. Smooth shrub-like herb, up to 1 m or<br />
higher, with bamboo-like stems; leaves, 10 cm or longer, oblong, pointed, glossy green<br />
above, reddish below, finely edged with red, with a deep indentation at <strong>the</strong> base and<br />
wavy edges; flowers, about 2.5 cm in diameter, coral-red, borne in branched red-<br />
stemmed drooping clusters; male flowers, about 2.5 cm in diameter, 4- petaled, with two<br />
petals larger than <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r two; female flowers, showy, with red, 3-winged ovary, about<br />
2.5 cm long. Ornamental pot plant. 5, 6.<br />
Begonia rex Putz x B. spp. "hybrid begonia"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Erect perennial herb, up to 30<br />
cm or higher, with short, thick, underground stems; leaves, variable, more or less ovate,<br />
pointing downward, angled or lobed, sometimes waxy, commonly with a silvery, pink,<br />
red, copper or bronze patterning on a background <strong>of</strong> all shades <strong>of</strong> green zone, and<br />
reddish beneath; flowers, variable small, pale pink, in small clusters rising from <strong>the</strong><br />
leaves. Ornamental pot plant. 7.<br />
Begonia spp. "begonia" cultivars<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Pot plants and planted ornamen-<br />
tals. 5(262), 6, 7.<br />
BIGNONIACEAE (Big<strong>no</strong>nia Family)<br />
Jacaranda mimosifolia D. Don "jacaranda"<br />
syns. J. acutifolia Humb. & Bonpl. ; J. ovalifolia R. Br.<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Tree, up to 15 m or higher; leaves, up to 50<br />
cm or longer, opposite, compound, fernlike, <strong>the</strong> primary axis with 20 to 40 branchlets<br />
(10 to 20 pairs <strong>of</strong> divisions), each which bears 14 to 24 pairs <strong>of</strong> oblong, hairy, pointed<br />
leaflets,Tbout 63Tm Im;-Rowers~teFminaI and SiIlZii~40 to 90 in number, %fie3<br />
erect or drooping panicles, about 20 to 30 cm long; corolla, about 5 cm long, showy<br />
light blue-violet, perfumeless, bell-shaped, 2-lipped, 5-lobed; fruit, about 5 cm in
diameter, a round, flattened, wavy-edged capsule, which looks like a brown bivalve<br />
mollusc. One immature seedling planted as an ornamental. 6, 7.<br />
Spathodea campanulata Beauv. "African tulip tree", "flame <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> forest",<br />
"fountain tree"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Occasional. Medium-sized tree, up to 20 m<br />
tall, with s<strong>of</strong>t, weak wood and a ridged or buttressed trunk; leaves, 30 to 50 cm long,<br />
dark-green, shiny, opposite, odd-pinnate, divided fea<strong>the</strong>r-fashion; leaflets, 4 to 12 cm<br />
long and 2.5 to 5.5 cm wide, 3- to 9-paired with a terminal leaflet, elliptic or ovate,<br />
acute-acuminate, entire, deep-veined, pubescent dorsally on nerves; petioles, 1 to 3 mm<br />
long; flowers, up to about 10 to 13 cm long, in showy terminal racemose clusters,<br />
opening a few at a time; calyx, hairy, closed in bud, opening along one side, boat-<br />
shaped, curving upward, nearly as long as corolla, containing water when closed;<br />
corolla, about 10 cm long and 5 cm wide, with 5 oval lobes, vivid red-orange to<br />
vermilion, <strong>the</strong> margins dark yellow, obliquely campanulate, gaping, segments crisped-<br />
undulate, somewhat tulip-shaped; stamens with yellow filaments; fruit, 15 to 20 cm long<br />
and 4 to 5 cm wide, black flattened ca<strong>no</strong>e-shaped capsules; seeds, woody, with a wide<br />
parchment-like circular wing. Planted ornamental tree. Flowers used in garlands and for<br />
ornamentation. 3(58682), 5(123), 6, 7.<br />
Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. ex HBK. "yellow elder", "yellow bells", "tecoma" ,<br />
"ginger Thomas" yellow flower (N); nei karairai (Miss or Mrs. Karairai)(K);<br />
neikarairai (T)<br />
syns. Big<strong>no</strong>nia stans L. ; Ste<strong>no</strong>lobium stuns (L.) D. Don<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Common. Erect shrub, up to 4 m tall;<br />
leaves, 10 to 30 cm long, opposite, pinnate; leaflets, 3 to 10 cm long and 2 to 3 cm<br />
wide, 5 to 13 in number, lanceolate to elliptic-oblong, serrate, acute-acuminate, base<br />
cuneate, sessile or short-petiolate, pinnately nerved; flowers, in large terminal racemose<br />
clusters; pedicels to 1 cm long; calyx, 3 to 5 mm long, tubular, campanulate, 5-too<strong>the</strong>d;<br />
corolla, 3 to 5 mm long, bright yellow, slightly fragrant, funnel-form-campanulate or<br />
bell-shaped, slightly bilabiate, with 5 wavy lobes; fruit, 10 to 20 cm long and 5 to 6 mm<br />
wide, narrow, flattened, rostrate capsule; seeds, many, winged. Planted ornamental.<br />
Showy flowers used in garlands and for ornamentation, especially by I-Kiribati. 3-<br />
(58656), 5(193), 6, 7, 8(9570).
BOMBACACEAE (Bombax Family)<br />
Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. "kapok tree", " silk-cotton tree" duwoduwo (N)<br />
s y n s . Bombax pentandrum L. ; Eriodendron anfractuosum DC . ; Ceiba casearia<br />
Medic. ; Bombax orientale Spreng .<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. India or Africa. Occasional. Tall deciduous, s<strong>of</strong>t-<br />
wooded, light-grey-barked tree, up to 25 m or higher, with a buttressed trunk, commonly<br />
spiny below and cylindrical and smooth above, and horizontal tiers (whorls) <strong>of</strong> widely-<br />
spaced spreading branches; leaves, palmately compound, with 5 to 9 leaflets; leaflets, 7<br />
to 18 cm long and 1 to 3.5 cm wide, elliptic to oblanceolate, acuminate, blue-green<br />
(glaucous) beneath, en tire or obscurely too<strong>the</strong>d, distinctly petiolate; petioles, 7 to 20 cm<br />
long; flowers, which appear just before <strong>the</strong> leaves, clustered on branches; corolla, 5-<br />
petaled, cream-white or pale pink, pubescent; petals about 2.5 cm long; fruit, 7 to 15 cm<br />
long, oblong-ellipsoid, capsular, smooth, pendulous, 5-celled, eventually dehiscent, filled<br />
with numerous long, s<strong>of</strong>t silky or cotton-like fibers, each 0.8 to 3 cm long; seeds, many,<br />
brown. Planted; some possibly spontaneous near Buada Lagoon. Fiber used in <strong>the</strong> past<br />
for stuffing pillows and mattresses. 3(58642), 5, 6, 7.<br />
BORAGINACEAE (Heliotrope Family)<br />
Cordia subcordata Lam. "sea trumpet", "kou" (Hawaii)<br />
eongo, mongo, eowongo (N); te kanawa (K); kanava (T)<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Indian Ocean to Hawaii. Rare to occasional. Medium-sized tree, up to<br />
10 m or taller, with spreading branches and pale greyish slightly fissured bark; leaves, 5<br />
to 20 cm long and 4.5 to 15 cm wide, alternate, pale green, thinly coriaceous, ovate,<br />
acute, base rounded, obtuse or truncate, lateral nerves 4- to 6-paired, margins entire or<br />
slightly wavy; petiole, 2 to 8 cm long; flowers, few to several, in short-stalked axillary<br />
and terminal cymose clusters; calyx, about 15 mm long, 3- to 6-lobed, lobes shortdeltoid,<br />
pubescent ventrally; corolla, 2.5 to 4 cm long and 3 to 5.5 cm across <strong>the</strong> mouth<br />
(limb, which is plicate in bud)), pale to bright orange, crepe-like, trumpet-shaped,<br />
scentless, 5 to 7-lobed, lobes 15 to 25 mm long, rounded; fruit, 2 to 3 cm long, ellipsoid<br />
or nearly round, apiculate-acute, enclosed in a fibrous, somewhat corky calyx, green<br />
when mature but aging to brown or black; seeds, 1 to 2 (rarely 3 or 4), coarsely<br />
muricate. Found on coastal strip near settlement areas, ei<strong>the</strong>r planted or protected. S<strong>of</strong>t,<br />
durable wood considered by Nauruans to be excellent timber for woodcarving, boatbuil-<br />
_ -<br />
ding,-conicfion %id furGTure; leaves crushed and mixed with coconut milk to prevent<br />
baldness; flowers used in garlands. Trunk highly prized for woodcarving and ca<strong>no</strong>e hulls<br />
throughout Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia. 3(58756), 5(77), 6, 7.
Heliotropium procumbens Mill. var. depressum (Cham .) Fosb . & Sachet "heliotrope"<br />
syns. H. gracile var. depressum Cham. ; H. corornandelianurn var. depressurn<br />
(Cham.) A. DC.; H. ovalijolium Forsk. var. depressum (Cham.) Men.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Trop. America. Rare. Prostrate branched perennial herb with a stout<br />
taproot; leaves, up to 3 cm long and mostly 3 to 6 mm wide, greenish-gray, pubescent,<br />
oblanceolate or linear-oblong, subsessile; flowers, only moderately crowded, ra<strong>the</strong>r<br />
sparsely pubescent, borne on one-sided coiled spikes on slender forked stalks (cincinni),<br />
5 to 6 cm long; calyx lobes, unequal, longest to nearly 3 mm, lanceolate; corolla, 1.5 to<br />
2 mm long, 5-lobed, white; fruit, globose, breaking into 2 to 4 1-seeded nutlets, about 1<br />
mm high. Found on coastal strip near limestone outcrops? 4(l4 1 N), 7(223 16).<br />
Tournefortia argentea L. f. "beach heliotrope"<br />
irin (N); te ren (K); tausunu, tauhunu (T)<br />
syns. Messerschmidiu argentea (L. f.) I. M. Johnst. ; Argusia argentea (L. f.)<br />
Heine; Tourncfortia sericea Cham.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Indian Ocean to S.E. Polynesia. Common. Small to medium-sized,<br />
wide-spreading, short-trunked tree, 2 to 12 m tall, with ra<strong>the</strong>r stout twigs and deeply<br />
grooved bark; leaves, 10 to 30 cm long and 3 to 12 cm wide, alternate, spiralled,<br />
crowded near branch ends, obovate-oblanceolate, decurrent at base, rounded-obtuse to<br />
acute at apex, densely appressed, silvery-grey-pubescent on both sides, s<strong>of</strong>tly coriaceous,<br />
somewhat fleshy; petiole, stout, winged; flowers, small, about 6 mm across, tube 2 mm<br />
long, numerous, white, sessile, borne terminally on crowded, many-branched clusters <strong>of</strong><br />
tightly-coiled, densely-pubescent, scorpion-tail-like spikes or cymes; fruit, 5 to 8 mm in<br />
diameter, round, greenish-white to brown, 4-parted, minutely apiculate; seeds (nutlets), 2<br />
to 4, embedded in corky tissue. Found on flats behind beaches. Leaves eaten by pigs;<br />
tender leaves and ~neristem pounded to prepare medicines for curing children's rashes,<br />
diarrhea, and fish poisoning; fruit blown through hollow papaya petioles by children.<br />
3(58669), 5(32), 6, 7.<br />
BRASSICACEAE OR CRUCIFERAE (Cabbage or Mustard Family)<br />
Brassica alboglabra Bailey "Chinese kale"<br />
kai laan ts'oi (C)<br />
syns. B. olcracea var. albijlora 0. Kunze; B oleracca var. alboglabra (Bailey)<br />
-- Musil-<br />
-- - --- - - -- --- - - - -<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Asia. Occasional. Erect, sometimes branching<br />
perennial herb, up to 30 cm or higher, grown as an annual; leaves, 6 to 20 cm long and<br />
4 to 15 cin wide, alternate, ovate, pale bluish-green (glaucous), glabrous, dull to shiny,
petiolate or <strong>no</strong>t clasping; petioles, 4 to 10 cm long; flowers, up to 2.5 cm in diameter,<br />
white, perfect, 4-sepaled, 4-petaled, without bracts, borne on slender pedicels along an<br />
elongated fleshy terminal flower stem (raceme); fruit, a long, narrow pod, with a conical<br />
beak; seeds, small, globose. Planted in Chinese food gardens at Location. Leaves, stems<br />
and flowers cooked as a vegetable. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Brassica chinensis L. var. chinensis "Chinese cabbage", "Chinese white cabbage"<br />
te kabiti n Tiaina (K); kapisi Saina (T)<br />
syn. B. chinensis Juslenius<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Asia. Common. Erect, loose-heading , biennial<br />
herb, grown as an annual, up to 40 cm or higher, with a tap-root; leaves, 10 to 40 cm<br />
long and 5 to 20 cm wide, alternate, shiny, dark-green, prominently white-veined, ladle-<br />
shaped, terminally rounded, upstanding, radical (coming from <strong>the</strong> roots) leaves <strong>no</strong>t lobed,<br />
stem leaves usually clasping, <strong>no</strong>t forming a compact head; petiole, 3 to 12 cm long,<br />
thickened, ivory-white, somewhat fleshy; flowers, about 1 to 1.5 cm in diameter, light to<br />
bright yellow, perfect, 4-sepaled, 4-petaled, without bracts, held above u<strong>no</strong>pened buds,<br />
petals orbicular, borne on slender pedicels, 1 to 4 cm long, along an elongated terminal<br />
flower stem (raceme), up 50 cm long; fruit, 3 to 6 cm long, slender pods, with a conical<br />
beak, usually 2-grooved, opening lengthwise; seeds, about 1 to 1.5 mm in diameter,<br />
globose, brown to blackish-grey. Commonly cultivated in Chinese food gardens at<br />
Location and Topside workshops. Leaves and stems cooked as a green vegetable. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Brassica chinensis L. var. parachinensis (Bailey) Tsen & Lee<br />
"flowering white cabbage" paak ts'oi sum (C); te kabiti n Tiaina (K)<br />
syns. B. parachinensis Bailey; B. chinensis var. oleifera Maki<strong>no</strong><br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Asia. Common. Erect, branched, biennial, <strong>no</strong>n-<br />
heading herb, grown as an annual, up to 50 cm or higher; leaves, 10 to 50 cm long and 4<br />
to 10 cm wide, darker-green above, lighter below, stem leaves <strong>no</strong>t clasping, central stem<br />
leaves, long and narrow, ovate to lanceolate to oblong, upstanding, <strong>no</strong>t heading, radical<br />
leaves more similar to those <strong>of</strong> var. chinensis; petiole, 3 to 12 cm long, slender, light<br />
green; flowers, about 1 cm in diameter, light yellow, perfect, 4-sepaled, 4-petaled,<br />
without bracts, borne on slender pedicels, 1 to 4 cm long, along an elongated terminal<br />
and sometimes axillary flower stem (raceme), up 40 cm long; fruit, 3 to 6 cm long,<br />
slender pod, with a conical beak, opening lengthwise; seeds, about 1 to 1.5 mm in<br />
diameter, globose, brown to blackish-grey. Commonly cultivated in Chinese food gardens<br />
at Location. Leaves, stems, and flcrwers cooked as a green vegetable.3,d.
Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. "mustard cabbage", "Indian mustard", "Chinese mustard"<br />
kai ts'oi (C); te kabiti n Tiaina (K)<br />
syn. Sinapis juncea L.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Asia. Occasional. Erect, much-branched, <strong>no</strong>n-<br />
heading, annual herb, up to 80 cm or higher, with a deep tap root; stem leaves, <strong>no</strong>t<br />
clasping, basal (radical) leaves, up to 20 cm long, stalked, usually lyrate-lobed with very<br />
large ovate terminal segment; flowers, about 1 cm in diameter, bright yellow, perfect, 4-<br />
sepaled, 4-petaled, without bracts, <strong>no</strong>t held above <strong>the</strong> central u<strong>no</strong>pened buds, petals oval<br />
to obovate with a long claw, borne on slender pedicels along an elongated terminal and<br />
sometimes axillary flower stem (raceme), up 40 cm long; fruit, about 1.5 to 4 cm long,<br />
slender pod, rounded in cross section, with a 4-angled short beak, opening lengthwise;<br />
seeds, about 1 mm in diameter, globose, blackish-grey. Food plant in Chinese food<br />
gardens at Location. Leaves and stems cooked as a green vegetable. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata L.<br />
te kabiti ni Imatang (K); kapisi Palagi (T)<br />
"English cabbage"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Europe. Rare. Biennial herb, usually grown as an<br />
annual, up to 30 cm or higher, or 30 cm in diameter, with a short stem and an arrested,<br />
compact, much-swollen terminal bud surmounted by a mass <strong>of</strong> thick overlapping whitish-<br />
green to light blue-green leaves forming a loose or compact, round or somewhat pointed<br />
head; flowers, virtually never seen, <strong>no</strong>t developing during <strong>the</strong> first year. Planted in<br />
gardens near Buada Lagoon. Leaves cooked as a vegetable. 3, 6, 7.<br />
Brassica pekinensis (Lour.) Ruprecht "celery cabbage", "Shantung cabbage",<br />
"Peking cabbage", "pe-tsai" wong pa'ak, wong bok (C); te kabiti n Tiaina (K)<br />
syns. B. chinensis var. pekinensis (Rupr. ) Sun; B. petsai Bailey<br />
Recent introduction. N. China. Rare. Erect, loose- to compact-heading, biennial<br />
herb, grown as an annual, up to 50 cm or higher, somewhat resembling a large yellow-<br />
green romaine or cos lettuce; leaves, 15 to 50 cm long and 5 to 25 cm wide, alternate,<br />
light yellow-green, thin, veiny, crinkled undulate, dentate, without distinct petiole, <strong>the</strong><br />
wide, flat, long whitish base with a dentate wing, radical leaves <strong>of</strong>ten forming a compact<br />
head, with midrib on <strong>the</strong> lower surface sometimes having sparse bristle-like hairs;<br />
flowers, <strong>no</strong>t seen; seeds, plump, without grooves. Planted in Chinese food garden at<br />
Location. Leaves and stems cooked as a vegetable. 6.
Rhaphanus sativus L. var. longipinnatus Bailey "white radish", "daikon" , "Chinese,<br />
Japanese or Oriental radish" loh paak (C)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. E. Asia. Occasional. Erect annual bristly herb, up<br />
to 50 cm or higher, with a large white cylindrical tap root, up to 30 cm long and 10 cm<br />
in diameter, or larger, and <strong>no</strong>rmally weighing up to 500 g to 1 kg or more; radical<br />
leaves, up to 50 cm and 12 cm wide, dark green, bristly (setulose), lyrate-pinnatifid, with<br />
8 to 11 pairs <strong>of</strong> pinnaeTflowers, rarely seen, white to lilac, small, 4-petaled; fruit, 3 to 7<br />
cm long, up to 1.5 cm in diameter, inflated, indehiscent, with 6 to 12 seeds; seeds, about<br />
2.5 to 3 mm in diameter, dark brown, globose. Cultivated in Chinese food gardens at<br />
Location. Leaves and fleshy white tap root cooked as vegetables or eaten raw. 5, 6.<br />
CACTACEAE (Cactus Family)<br />
Cephalocereus sp. " Cephalocereus"<br />
Recent introduction. Tropical America. Rare. Jointed cactus with short, funnel-<br />
shaped, night-blooming flowers. Planted ornamental. 6(204).<br />
Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britt. & Rose "night-blooming cereus"<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Large fleshy, green, epiphytic, rambling or<br />
climbing, branching, night-blooming cactus, with 3-angled (3-winged) stems, about 4 to 5<br />
cm in diameter, with scalloped margins, which become more or less horny and bear<br />
cushions 2.5 cm or more apart, each with 1 to 3 short spines, and with aerial roots<br />
growing from <strong>the</strong> underside <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> stems; flowers, about 25 cm long, night-blooming,<br />
lasting only until about <strong>no</strong>on <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> following day, beautiful and showy, fragrant with a<br />
mildly spicy odor, waxy, cup- or funnel-shaped, with many narrow, curved, yellowish-<br />
green outer segments surrounding many white, erect petals, which are longer than <strong>the</strong><br />
mass <strong>of</strong> long, yellow-tipped stamens and a long style tipped with a radiating stigma<br />
having about 24 lobes; fruit, rare, oblong, about 10 cm long, red, containing numerous<br />
black seeds in white pulp, which is refreshing to eat. Immature ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Opuntia sp. "prickly pear cactus"<br />
- Recent introduction. TropicalL!unerica. Rare. Succulent, -erect, shrub4ke cactus,<br />
up to 2 m or higher, with flattened light-green, thick (up to 1 cm wide), oboval, paddleblade-like<br />
joints or cushions, about 12 to 30 cm long and 5 to 10 cm wide, smooth or<br />
with spines, up to 1 cm long; leaves, small, nearly cylindrical, short-lived; flowers and<br />
fruit, <strong>no</strong>t seen. Planted ornamental. 5, 6.
Schlumbergia truncata (Haw.) Moran "Christmas cactus", "Easter cactus", "crab cactus"<br />
syn. Zygocactus trmcatus (Haw .) Schum.<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Small, smooth, day-blooming cactus, up to 30<br />
cm or higher, with numerous, flat, dark glossy-green, jointed branches, about 4 to 5 cm<br />
long and 1.5 to 2 cm wide, coarsely too<strong>the</strong>d, blunt-ended, that fork repeatedly in pairs,<br />
resembling crab's claws; flowers, many, 5 to 6 cm long and 1 to 1.5 cm wide, rose-red,<br />
ra<strong>the</strong>r narrow tubular, curved, with many narrow oblong petals and sepals bent back<br />
from long, clustered, protruding white, yellow-tipped stamens and a purple style; fruit.<br />
Ornamental pot plant and planted ornamental. 6.<br />
Unk<strong>no</strong>wn cactus "cactus"<br />
Recent introduction. Rare. Small cactus pot plant. 6.<br />
CAPPARIDACEAE (CAPPARACEAE) (Caper Family)<br />
Capparis cordifolia Lam. "oceanic caper"<br />
ekabobwiya, ekabobwija (N)<br />
syns. C. mariana Jacq.; C. spi<strong>no</strong>sa var. mariana (Jacq.) K. Schum.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Micronesia and Polynesia. Common. Small, sometimes sprawling,<br />
spineless, woody shrub, up to about 1 m high, with ra<strong>the</strong>r s<strong>of</strong>t and light wood; leaf<br />
blades, about 3 to 5 cm long (rarely to 7 cm) and 2.5 to 5 cm wide, alternate, grayish-<br />
green, slightly fleshy, broadly ovate or orbicular, rounded at both ends or truncate or<br />
nearly subcordate at base, sometimes <strong>no</strong>tched at <strong>the</strong> apex, lateral nerves 5- to 8-paired;<br />
petiole, slender, about 8 to 14 mm long; flowers, large, attractive, fragrant, pea-flower-<br />
like, asymmetric, axillary, solitary, borne on pedicels, 3 to 5 cm long, <strong>the</strong> bud opening<br />
late in <strong>the</strong> evening and wi<strong>the</strong>ring <strong>the</strong> next morning; sepals, up to 2 cm long, 2-seriate,<br />
reflexed at an<strong>the</strong>sis, geleate; petals, 4, up to 2 cm long, attractive, white, glabrous,<br />
obovate-suborbicular, glabrous; stamens, numerous (80 to 108), 3 to 4 cm long, showy,<br />
white, but fading to pink or even purple; an<strong>the</strong>rs, 3 mm long, purple; fruit, up to 4 to 5<br />
cm long, an oblong or ellipsoid berry, with reddish ribs and elsewhere green, ripening to<br />
dull yellow; seeds, about 3 mm long, dark brown, reniform. Found on limestone cliffs<br />
and limestone rock outcrops on coastal strip. Crushed leaves used by Nauruans as a fish<br />
poison. 2, 3(58636), 4(132N), 5(101), 6, 7.
Capparis quini<strong>flora</strong> DC.<br />
syn. C. richii A. Gray<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. E. Indonesia (Celebes and Lombok) to Melanesia and Nauru.<br />
Occasional. Thorny, woody, high-climbing vine, with paired recurved spines, 1 to 3 mm<br />
long; leaves, up to 10 cin long and 6 cm wide or larger, variable, narrowly lanceolate to<br />
ovate; petioles, 5 to 20 mm long; flowers, small, 2 to 10 in number, serially arranged in<br />
axillary or subterminal rows on pedicels, 6 to 20 mm long, which thicken and reach 5 cm<br />
long when in fruit; sepals, up to 5 by 3 mm; petals up to 7 by 4 mm; fruit, about 40 by<br />
35 mm, subglobose-ellipsoid. Found in plateau forest and on limestone pinnacles and<br />
cliffs <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> escarpment. 3(5859 1, 58799, 58804a), 5, 6.<br />
Cleome rutidosperma DC.<br />
Recent introduction. Origin? Common. Slender ascending to sprawling or<br />
creeping, elongate, sparingly pilose, annual or short-lived perennial, odorless or nearly<br />
odorless herb; leaves trifoliate on very slender petioles, up to 2.5 cm long; leaflets, 2 to<br />
2.5 cm by about 1 cm, thin, <strong>the</strong> middle leaflet longest; flowers, axillary, small, petals<br />
blue-violet or pink, fading to white, on filiform pedicels, up to 3 cm long; fruit, 3 to 4<br />
cm long, a linear-fusiform capsule, on stipes 5 to 10 mm long; seed depressed-globose,<br />
conspicuously rugose with long curving ridges or wrinkles, dark reddish-brown. Weed in<br />
waste places, around buildings, and in areas recently cleared for phosphate mining.<br />
3(586Ol, 58616, 5875 l), 4(108N), 5, 6, 7(22303), 8(9540).<br />
Cleome viscosa L.<br />
syns. C. icosa.ndra. L. ; Polonisia. icosandra (L.) W. & A. ; P. viscosa (L.) DC.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia or Old World Tropics. Common. Erect, sticky,<br />
scarcely branching annual herb, up to 20 cm high, with longitudinally-grooved and<br />
densely glandular hairy stems and a <strong>of</strong>fensive odor; leaves, up to 7 cm by 7 cm,<br />
alternate, compound, palmately 3- to 5-foliate, long petiolate, glandular pubescent;<br />
leaflets, 1.5 to 4 cm long, <strong>the</strong> terminal leaflet longest, obovate to elliptic, tip acute to<br />
rounded, base cuneate to oblique, margins entire; petiole, about as long a terminal<br />
leaflet; flowers, solitary in upper leaf axils, on pedicels, 8 to 25 mm long; calyx,<br />
caducous, 4-lobes, about 5 mm long, falling soon; petals, 4, about 7 to 12 mm long,<br />
yellow, oblanceolate; fruit, 3 to 7 cm long, podlike, curved, longitudinally grooved,<br />
densely pubescent, 2-valved, splitting longitudinally (dehiscent); seeds, about 1.3 mm in<br />
diameter, roughly circular, numerous, small, reddish-brown, ridged (reniform). Weed<br />
found -- primarily - -- - - - in -- -- lowland waste<br />
phosphate mining. 3(58653),
C ARICACEAE (Papaya Family)<br />
Carica papaya L. "papaya", "pawpaw"<br />
dababaia, dababaiya (N); te mwemweara, te babaia (K); olesi (T)<br />
Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. S<strong>of</strong>t-wooded, un- or<br />
few-branched, ra<strong>the</strong>r palm-like, small, quick-growing tree, up to 4 m or higher, with<br />
thick, hollow, tapering, nearly smooth trunks or stems with light bark and numerous<br />
almost heart-shaped leaf-scars, copious, thick, sticky, irritating milky sap, and leaves that<br />
drop as <strong>the</strong> tree grows; trees usually male or female, although some are bisexual<br />
(hermaphroditic) with both male and female flowers on <strong>the</strong> same tree; leaves, up to 60<br />
cm or more across, alternate, clustered near top, large, round in outline, deeply pal-<br />
mately 7- to 11-lobed, <strong>the</strong> lobes irregularly acuminately too<strong>the</strong>d and lobed; petioles,<br />
longer than blade, <strong>of</strong>ten over 1 m long, hollow; male flowers, about 2 cm wide,<br />
numerous, white or cream-colored, fragrant, borne on loose clusters on long axillary<br />
peduncles, 30 to 90 cm long; female flowers, about 4 to 6 cm wide, white, fragrant,<br />
subsessile, 5-petaled, solitary or few toge<strong>the</strong>r in leaf axils; fruit, 10 to 40 cm long,<br />
variably shaped from subglobose or pear-shaped to cylindrical, green turning yellow or<br />
orange, with orange to red-orange flesh; seeds, 3 to 5 mm long, globose, many, around<br />
<strong>the</strong> edges <strong>of</strong> a central cavity, dark gray-green to black, wrinkled, caper-like, enclosed in<br />
a firm gelati<strong>no</strong>us membrane. Fruit tree in home gardens and in contract worker gardens<br />
at Location and <strong>the</strong> Topside Workshops. Ripe fruit eaten, and made into jam, primarily<br />
by resident European community; fruit k<strong>no</strong>wn to be a laxative; juice and flesh from<br />
green fruit (which contains <strong>the</strong> enzyme papain) used to tenderize pork and beef; white sap<br />
from small immature fruit used as a cure for ringworm; fragrant flowers used in<br />
garlands; and hollow leaf petioles used by children as "pea shooters" for <strong>the</strong> fruit <strong>of</strong><br />
Tourncfortia argcwtca (irin) . Common, <strong>of</strong>ten naturalized, in houseyard gardens and<br />
agricultural areas and an important local cash crop throughout <strong>the</strong> Pacific, and a<br />
commercial export crop in areas such as Hawaii, Fiji, Tonga and <strong>the</strong> Cook Islands. 2,<br />
3(58694), 5, 6, 7, 8.<br />
CASUARINACEAE (Casuarina Family)<br />
Casuarina equisetifolia L. "casuarina" , "she oak", "ironwood", "beefwood"<br />
tanenbaum (German for Christmas tree)(N); te katurina, te burukam (K); toa (T)<br />
syn. C. litorca L.<br />
- -- -- - - -- - -- - - -- -- - -- - -<br />
Pre-World War I introduction. Indian Ocean to Polynesia and Micronesia.<br />
Occasional. Medium to large, hard-wooded, fast-growing, pine-like tree, up to 15 m or<br />
higher, with numerous, short-lived, long, thin, drooping, needle-like, gray-green,<br />
cylindrical, jointed, striate, photosyn<strong>the</strong>tic branchlets; leaves, whorled, reduced to
lanceolate or subulate, awl-shaped scales at each branchlet <strong>no</strong>de; flowers, unisexual, in<br />
catkins; male flowers, brown, terminal, with whorled bracts, in spike-like inflorescences<br />
at <strong>the</strong> ends <strong>of</strong> branchlets; female flower heads, reddish-brown, condensed, lateral, each<br />
flower in <strong>the</strong> axil <strong>of</strong> a bract, protected by two lateral bracteoles, <strong>the</strong> female catkin<br />
enlarging, <strong>the</strong> bracts becoming woody in fruit; fruit, 1 to 2 cm long, globose, cone-like,<br />
dull-green ripening to brown, many-seeded. Planted, occasionally as a street tree or<br />
windbreak, and spontaneous on <strong>the</strong> coastal strip, and as a naturalized pioneer on some<br />
mined areas to where <strong>the</strong>y have spread from trees planted near <strong>the</strong> Topside workshops.<br />
Although a common indige<strong>no</strong>us tree on sandy and rocky shores, and sometimes inland,<br />
throughout most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> western Pacific, and possibly an aboriginal introduction to some<br />
groups, such as Samoa, <strong>the</strong> casuarina seems to have been a recent post-European<br />
introduction to Nauru. 2, 3(58776), 5(81), 6, 7.<br />
CHENOPODIACEAE (Goosefoot or Saltbush Family)<br />
Atriplex nurnmularia Lindl. "Australian saltbush"<br />
Said to have been introduced in 1916, but <strong>no</strong>t seen in 1978 or later.<br />
Beta vulgaris L. var. cycla L. "Swiss chard", "silverbeet", "leaf beet"<br />
Recent introduction. Europe. Rare. Biennial glabrous herb, up to 40 cm or taller;<br />
leaves, up to 40 by 20 cm or more, dark green, shiny, alternate, simple, fea<strong>the</strong>r-shaped,<br />
fleshy with thickened white midribs; flowers, rare, small, 3- to 4-flowered cymes<br />
arranged on a spike, each subtended by a small narrow leaf; fruit, mostly an aggregate<br />
formed by <strong>the</strong> cohesion <strong>of</strong> 2 or more fruits forming an irregular nutlike cluster held<br />
toge<strong>the</strong>r by swollen perianth bases. Food plant in Chinese garden at Location. Leaves<br />
cooked as a spinach. 5, 6.<br />
Spinacea oleracea L.<br />
poh ts'oi (C)<br />
"spinach"<br />
Recent introduction. S. W. Asia. Rare. Small biennial herb, up to 25 cm high;<br />
leaves, 5 to 15 cm long and 3 to 8 cm wide, ovate to cordate, acuminate or somewhat<br />
sagittate; petioles, 2 to 10 cm long; fruit, an aggregate formed by <strong>the</strong> cohesion <strong>of</strong> 3 to 6<br />
fruits forming an irregular nutlike cluster. Food plant in garden at Location. Leaves<br />
-<br />
- - - -- - - - - - --<br />
c55Ym asT @inacK5,6:7.
CLUSIACEAE OR GUTTIF'ERAE (Mangosteen Family)<br />
Calophyllum i<strong>no</strong>phyllum L. "Portia tree", "Alexandrian laurel", "beach mahogany",<br />
" toma<strong>no</strong>" (Hawaii) iyo, ijo (N); te itai (K); fetau, itai (T); fetau (T)<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Trop. Africa to E. Polynesia and Micronesia. Very abundant.<br />
Medium to large, hard-wooded, <strong>of</strong>ten crooked, slow-growing tree, 10 to 20 m tall, with a<br />
broad, low-branching, spreading crown, rough gray bark, and sticky yellowish sap;<br />
leaves, 10 to 20 cm long and 6 to 10 cm wide, simple, opposite, dark green, glossy,<br />
glabrous above, densely covered with minute silvery-white scales beneath, stiff, lea<strong>the</strong>ry,<br />
elliptic-oblong, rounded or emarginate, base acute, pinnately nerved, with a stout pale<br />
yellow-green midrib, lateral nerves very fine, numerous, parallel; petioles, 1 to 2.5 cm<br />
long, stout, caniculate; flowers, about 2 cm in diameter, showy, waxy white, very<br />
fragrant when fresh, 4- to -5 petaled (rarely 6 to 8), with numerous yellow stamens,<br />
borne on pedicels, up to 3 cm long, in solitary axillary, 4 to 15-flowered racemose<br />
clusters, up to 10 cm long; sepals, 4, concave-orbicular, <strong>the</strong> outer pair smaller, about 8<br />
mm long, <strong>the</strong> inner pair, 10 inm long; fruit, about 2.5 to 5 cm long, green to purple-<br />
black, globose, hard, heavy, thin-fleshed, with a bony shell which encloses a somewhat<br />
poiso<strong>no</strong>us single kernel or seed surrounded with cork, hanging from a long stalk.<br />
Dominant large tree in original pre-mining plateau (Topside) forest vegetation, common<br />
on escarpment slopes and on coastal strip. Timber provided <strong>the</strong> best wood for house posts<br />
(iyor, yor), furniture, woodcarving and for ca<strong>no</strong>e hulls in <strong>the</strong> past; sticky sap (erebeniyo)<br />
used for caulking ca<strong>no</strong>es; kernel <strong>of</strong> green and mature fruit (i kuan iyo ) crushed to yield<br />
oil which is applied to hair to make it long and black; old decayed fruit skewered on<br />
coconut midribs (engow) in past and burned as traditional Nauruan light; and mature fruit<br />
burned as a mosquito repellent. Trees <strong>no</strong>w being indiscriminately felled and burned as<br />
refuse at a Topside dump to prepare land for phosphate mining. A tree highly valued for<br />
its timber and o<strong>the</strong>r purposes throughout <strong>the</strong> Pacific, <strong>the</strong> seed kernel (k<strong>no</strong>wn commercial-<br />
ly as "punnai nut") yielding a dark green oil formerly exported from Fiji. 2, 3(58740),<br />
4(164N), 5(120), 6, 7.<br />
COMBRETACEAE (Terminalia Family)<br />
Quisqualis indica L. Rangoon creeper"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional. An erect, vigorous shrub, growing<br />
a large woody , vine from 2 to 7 In long L _ with slender stems and rusty-brown young<br />
into - _<br />
growth; leaves 7 to 15 cm long, light green, s<strong>of</strong>t, opposite, oval or oblong, acute, base<br />
rounded; flowers, borne in short showy drooping clusters in <strong>the</strong> leaf axils, changing color<br />
from pink to white as <strong>the</strong>y open, and <strong>the</strong>n darkening to red, pleasantly fragrant, calyx<br />
tube, 0.5 to 7.5 cm long, tipped with 5 short points, 5 oblong petals and 10 short
stamens; fruit, about 2.5 cm long, dry, narrow ovoid, 5-angled, 1-seeded. Planted<br />
ornamental. 3(58790), 5(113), 6, 7.<br />
Terminalia catappa L. "beach almond", "Indian almond", "Malabar almond", "tropical<br />
almond", "coastal almond" etetah, eteto (N); te kunikun (K); talie, te ipe (T)<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Trop. Asia and Australia to W. Polynesia and Micronesia. Common.<br />
Medium to large, deciduous or semi-deciduous tree, up to 30 m tall, with whorled,<br />
horizontal, wide-spreading branches arranged in tiers, and reddish timber; leaves, 15 to<br />
30 cm long and 10 to 22 cm wide, clustered in rosettes at <strong>the</strong> ends <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> branches entire,<br />
lea<strong>the</strong>ry, shiny, dark-green turning red and yellow before dropping, new leaves appearing<br />
almost immediately, obovate, broadly rounded, obtuse or acute, base narrowing,<br />
narrowly and abruptly obtuse at petiole, pinnately-nerved, midrib slightly pubescent;<br />
petioles, 0.5 to 1 cm long, stout; flowers, small, numerous (35 to 80 ), white, petal-less,<br />
with a 5-lobed, bell-shaped calyx, which soon falls, and 10 stamens, borne in axillary,<br />
spikelike racemes, about 10 cm to 24 long, near ends <strong>of</strong> branches; fruit, 5 to 7 cm long,<br />
green turning yellow, <strong>the</strong>n red, ovoid, subelliptic or subobovoid, hard, flattened, two-<br />
keeled (narrowly-winged), drupe, with thin fleshy pulp surrounding a single edible<br />
almond-like kernel. Tree in original plateau forest, on escarpment and on <strong>the</strong> coastal<br />
strip; occasionally planted or protected in home gardens. Timber used in light construc-<br />
tion and for woodcarving; roots used by some people to prepare a cure for dysentery;<br />
outside rind <strong>of</strong> fruit eaten when yellow and kernel eaten after <strong>the</strong> mature fruit has fallen;<br />
fruit strung as necklaces and used in black magic or sorcery. 3(58662), 5(116), 6, 7.<br />
CONVOLVULACEAE (Morning-Glory Family)<br />
Ipomoea aquatica Forsk. "water spinach", "swamp cabbage", "water convolvulus"<br />
Lorenzo (N); ung ts'oi (C); cangcong (F)<br />
syns. I. reptans Poir.; Convolvulus reptans L.; 1. repens Roth<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. Asia, Africa and Australia. Occasional.<br />
Creeping, trailing or sometimes floating, semi-aquatic, hollow-stemmed, perennial<br />
herbaceous vine, producing long shoots, rooting freely at <strong>the</strong> <strong>no</strong>des; leaves, 5 to 15 cm<br />
long and 2 to 10 cm wide, light green, s<strong>of</strong>t and limp (flaccid), variable, commonly<br />
oblong-lanceolate or heart-shaped, <strong>the</strong> base hastate or truncate, long-petiolate; petioles, 3<br />
to 15 cm long, hollow; flowers, 1 to 7 in cymes, peduncles, 2 to nearly 18 cm long,<br />
pedicels, 2 to 6 cm long; sepals, obtuse, ovate-oblong, 7 to 9 mm long; corolla, 3.5 to<br />
--- -- - -- - - - - - -- - -- -<br />
5.5 cm long, pinkish-violet, <strong>of</strong>ten darker in <strong>the</strong> throat, rarely white; fruit, to 1 cm long,<br />
ovoid; seeds, finely pubescent. Food plant in Chinese and Filipi<strong>no</strong> gardens at Location<br />
and Topside Workshop gardens; naturalized in muddy areas <strong>of</strong> Buada Lagoon, where it
was formerly planted by <strong>the</strong> Japanese during World War 11. Tender leaves and shoots<br />
cooked as a green vegetable; usually propagated by cuttings. 5(24), 6, 7.<br />
Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.<br />
te kumara (K); kumala (T); fan shue (C)<br />
syn. Convolvulus batatas L.<br />
"sweet potato", "kumara"<br />
Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Smooth or pubescent<br />
creeping, herbaceous, perennial, vine with milky sap, forming large, edible tuberous<br />
roots; leaves, 4 to 15 cm long and 3 to 11 cm wide, green, limp, variable, deltoid-ovate<br />
to ovate orbicular, entire or palmately 3- to 5-lobed or -parted, cordate or subcordate,<br />
commonly with 2 prominent basal lobes, acute; petioles, slender, 3 to 15 cm long, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
longer than blade; flowers, several to many in long-peduncled cymes; corolla, usually 3<br />
to 5 cm long, tubular and spreading, pale rose-violet, darker purplish in <strong>the</strong> throat, rarely<br />
white; sepals (calyx-lobes), about 10 to 15 mm long, briefly mucronate; fruit, a capsule;<br />
tubers, about 5 to 10 per plant, <strong>no</strong>rmally 10 to 30 cm long and 100 g to 1 kg in weight,<br />
fusiform to globular, usually smooth but sometimes ridged, skin white, yellow, orange,<br />
red, purple or brown, flesh waxy-white, yellowish, orange, reddish or purple, developing<br />
in <strong>the</strong> top 25 cm <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> soil by secondary thickening <strong>of</strong> adventitious roots. Cultivated in<br />
contract laborers' food gardens at Location and Topside workshops; spontaneous along<br />
roadsides in some areas <strong>of</strong> Topside. Tuberous roots cooked as a staple and young leaves<br />
<strong>of</strong> some varieties occasionally cooked as a green vegetable. Dominant staple food plant<br />
and livestock feed in most <strong>of</strong> Papua New Guinea, parts <strong>of</strong> Solomon Islands and an<br />
important supplementary staple in many areas <strong>of</strong> Polynesia and Micronesia; leaves are<br />
also cooked as a vegetable green and an important livestock feed in some areas <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Pacific. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Ipomoea fistulosa Mart. ex Choisy<br />
syn. I. crassicaulis (Benth .) Rob.<br />
"bush morning-glory "<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Occasional. Perennial shrub, up to 3 m tall, with stiff<br />
but ra<strong>the</strong>r rambling branches; leaves, 6 to 25 cm long and 4 to 17 cm wide, ovate to<br />
heart-shaped, acuminate, midrib dorsally with 2 basal glands; petiole, 3 to 15 cm long;<br />
flowers, mostly 5 to 9 cm long, tubular, ra<strong>the</strong>r pale pink, but darker within <strong>the</strong> tube,<br />
day-blooming, borne in axillary, few-flowered cymes; sepals, 5, about 5 mm long, ovate<br />
orbicular; fruit, 1.5 to 2 cm long, ovoid; seeds, brownish pubescent. Planted ornamental,<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten along borders <strong>of</strong> home allotments. Has become naturalized in o<strong>the</strong>r areas <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Pacific and in S. E. Asia. 3(58617), 5(198), 6, 7.
Ipomoea hederifolia L.<br />
syn. I. angulata Lam.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare to occasional. Slender, branching,<br />
herbaceous, nearly glabrous, right-twining vine, up to 4 m high; leaves, up to 5 o 6 cm<br />
or longer and about 4 cm wide, variable, entire or irregularly lobed, ovate-cordate,<br />
acute, mucronate, basal sinus wide, marginally more or less coarsely dentate or sub-<br />
lobate, 7-nerved from base, midrib branched upward, long-petiolate; petiole, slender, as<br />
long as blade; flowers, few to several in branching, long-pedunculate, axillary clusters;<br />
corolla, 3 to 4 cm long, bright red, attractive, tubular, limb flaring to about 2.5 cm in<br />
diameter, calyx lobes long-pointed; fruit, 7 mm in diameter, a globose capsule, opening<br />
by 4 valves; seeds, 4, about 4 mm long, black, densely short hairy. Found growing<br />
spontaneously in ruderal sites on <strong>the</strong> coastal strip, climbing in a Leucaena leucocephala<br />
thicket and over roadside shrubbery in Ijuw near Anibare boundary in 1987. 5(149), 6,<br />
7(22307).<br />
Ipomoea littoralis B1.<br />
syns. I. denticulata (Desv.) Choisy; Convolvulus denticulatus Desv.; I. gracilis<br />
sensu auct. <strong>no</strong>n R. Br. ; I. ch.oisiana Wight ex Safford<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Malaysia and <strong>the</strong> Pacific. Rare. Slender, creeping or twining<br />
herbaceous maritime vine, with glabrous stems; leaves, 4 to 10 cm long and 3 to 8 cm<br />
wide, alternate, light-green, subglabrous, ovate-cordate (heart-shaped) to reniform, entire<br />
or 3-lobed, acute or acuminate to obtuse, sometimes emarginate, base cordate with broad<br />
sinus, 7-nerved from base, midrib branched upward; flowers, solitary or few on<br />
peduncles, 1 to 4 cm long, pedicels 2 to 5 cm; sepals (calyx-lobes), all approaching 1<br />
cm, but unequal, apex slightly mucronate, inner lobes wide as long; corolla, about 3 to 4<br />
cm long, funnelform with spreading limb, dark pink to lavender, darker in <strong>the</strong> throat;<br />
fruit, approaching 1 cm, a glabrous, 2-celled capsule; seeds, 4, glabrous. Roadside and<br />
waste places. 8.<br />
Ipomoea macrantha R. & S. "wild moon flower"<br />
erekogo (N); te ruku (K); fue (T)<br />
syns. Convovulus tuba Schlect.; I. tuba (Schlecht.) G. Don; I. grandzjlora sensu<br />
Koidz. <strong>no</strong>n Lam.; I. glaberritna Boj. ex Bouton; I. alba sensu Taylor <strong>no</strong>n<br />
L.; Calonyction tuba (Schlect.) Colla; C. comospemza Boj.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pantropical. Occasional. Coarse, somewhat woody (sub-herbaceous),<br />
creeping or twining, night-blooming (climbing) vine; leaves, 5 to 16 cm long and about<br />
- --<br />
equally-wide,alterna~~e-suborbicUlFtOh~rt-sk~ed,- acsinK mucgnac, base<br />
rounded, deeply cordate with open sinus, entire to slightly undulate, 7- to 9-nerved from<br />
base, midrib branched upward; petioles, up to 8 cm or longer; flowers, solitary or few,<br />
commonly in pairs, on elongate axillary peduncles, 8 to 14 cm long and 10 to 14 cm
across <strong>the</strong> limb, pedicels, about 2 cm long, bracteate; sepals (calyx-lobes) subequal, 1.5<br />
to 2.5 cm long, broadly suborbicular, rounded, persistent, containing slimy sap; corolla,<br />
7 to 12 cm long, funnelform, attractive, white with pale greenish bands, opening about<br />
midnight, fading and wilting by morning; fruit, 2 to 3 cm long, globose, dry, borne in<br />
<strong>the</strong> persistent calyx, splitting into 4 1-seeded capsules; seeds, about 1 cm long, dark,<br />
glabrous or with two rows <strong>of</strong> minute hairs. Found climbing on trees in coastal and<br />
plateau forests and creeping on open ground in some ruderal places. Leaves possibly used<br />
medicinally by Nauruans? 3(58666, 58735), 4(131N), 5(l l8), 6, 7.<br />
Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) Sweet ssp. brasiliense (L.) v. Ooststr. "beach morning-glory"<br />
erekogo, irekogo (Burges)(N); te ruku (K); fue (T)<br />
syns. Convolvulus brasiliensis L. ; C. maritimus Desr. ; I. brasiliense (L.) Sweet<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pantropical. Abundant. Vigorous, prostrate, creeping, somewhat<br />
fleshy, herbaceous, vine, with a long main root and reddish-purple stems, rooting at<br />
<strong>no</strong>des and extending up to 5 to 10 m; leaves, 5 to 12 cm long and wide, sometimes wider<br />
than long, alternate, glabrous, somewhat goat-foot-shaped and folded along <strong>the</strong> midvein,<br />
somewhat succulent, ovate-orbicular, base cordate to rounded, apex <strong>no</strong>tched or 2-lobed,<br />
areolate veiny; petioles, 2 to 10 cm long, sometimes longer than blade, with 2 glands at<br />
apex; flowers, borne in solitary or several-flowered cymes, on long axillary peduncles to<br />
about 15 cm long; sepals (calyx-lobes) to 1 cm long, ovate, mucronate or <strong>no</strong>tched at<br />
apex; corolla, 4 to 5 cm long, funnelform, dark rosy-pink to violet, purplish in <strong>the</strong><br />
throat: fruit, about 1.3 to 2.5 cm across, subglobose capsule, splitting at <strong>the</strong> top into 4<br />
sections; seeds, 4, densely pubescent. Found on beach sand, <strong>no</strong>t far from <strong>the</strong> sea, and on<br />
coastal vegetation. Leaves crushed to yield juice which prevents hair from falling out. 2,<br />
3(58729), 4(129N), 5(29), 6, 7.<br />
Merremia quinquefolia (L.) Hal1.f.<br />
Convolvulus quinquefolia L.<br />
Recent introduction. W. Indies. Herbaceous prostrate or climbing vine; leaves,<br />
palmately compound with 5 leaflets, leaflets oblong to lanceolate, 2.5 to 6 cm long;<br />
petioles, 2 to 5 (rarely up to 9) cm long; flowers, borne in axillary, solitary or severalflowered<br />
cymes, <strong>the</strong> peduncles glandular in <strong>the</strong> upper part and sometimes mixed with<br />
spreading bristly hairs; sepals, 4 to 8 mm long, narrowly ovate to oblong, obtuse,<br />
subequal or <strong>the</strong> outer ones shorter; corolla, 1.8 to 2.5 cm long, pale yellow or whitish;<br />
fruit, about 9 mm long, capsular, globose, stramineous, 4-valved; seeds, about 4.5 mm<br />
long, shortly curled-pilose, blackish. Weed seen in one place in semi-open area on<br />
escit~pmen t . -3658765). - - - -- - - -- - - - ---
CRASSULACEAE (Orpine Family)<br />
Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. "air plant", "miracle plant", "life plant"<br />
te ang (K)<br />
syns. Cotyledon pinnatum Lam. ; Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam .) Kurz; B. cal-<br />
ycinum Salisb.<br />
Pre-world War I1 introduction. Indian Ocean Islands. Occasional. Succulent,<br />
glabrous, erect, un- or sparingly-branched, pale gray-green, perennial herb, with reddish<br />
stems marked with oblong light spots, somewhat woody at <strong>the</strong> base, up to 60 cm or<br />
higher; leaves, up to 20 cm long by 10 cm, opposite, simple or pinnately compound with<br />
3 to 5 leaflets, broadly elliptic, margins crenate (scalloped), each crenation bearing at <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>no</strong>tch a vegetative bud which (when leaf is detached) may produce rootlets and stem,<br />
eventually yielding a complete new plant; petioles, up to 10 to 12 long; petiolules, 3 to 5<br />
mm long; flowers, 3 to 6 cm long, red or red-pink and green, cylindrical, pendent, calyx<br />
and corolla 4-parted, dangling in terminal panicles; fruit, follicular. Planted ornamental.<br />
Common pot plant; naturalized and spreading around water tank near Topside Workshop<br />
food gardens. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.<br />
Kalanchoe tubi<strong>flora</strong> (Harvey) Hamet "chandelier plant"<br />
syns. Bryophyllum tubzforum Harvey; B. verticillata Scott-Elliot<br />
Recent introduction. Madagascar. Rare. Succulent erect perennial herb, up to 50<br />
cm or higher; leaves, 2 to 12 cm long and about 6 mm thick, generally dull green, with<br />
purplish blotches or transversely striped, slender, nearly cylindrical or tubular (subterete),<br />
usually whorled in threes at <strong>the</strong> stem <strong>no</strong>des or crowded toward stem ends, 7-too<strong>the</strong>d at<br />
<strong>the</strong> apex where vegetative buds develop; flowers, about 2 to 2.5 cm long, reddish,<br />
pendent, corolla much longer than calyx, both 4-parted. Ornamental potplant. 3(587 IS), 4<br />
(52).<br />
CUCURBITACEAE (Melon Family)<br />
Benicasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn. "wax gourd", "ash pumpkin", "winter melon",<br />
"white gourd" tung kwa (C)<br />
syns. B. cerfera (Fisch.) Savi; Cucurbita. hispida Thunb.; C. cerfera Fisch.<br />
- - -- - -- - - - - - --- - - - - -<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Java. Occasional. Wide-spreading, herbaceous,<br />
pubescent or hispid, annual climbing vine, to several meters, with short, branched<br />
tendrils; leaves, 10 to 35 cm across, rounded, cordate, pubescent, palmately 5- to 11-<br />
lobed; petioles, 10 to 20 cm long; flowers, 6 to 12 cm in diameter, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, solitary,
axillary; calyx, 5-lobed; corolla, yellow, 5-petaled; male flowers on peduncles, 5 to 15<br />
cm long; female flowers, subsessile, ovary densely hairy; fruit, 20 to 120 cm long and<br />
15 to 80 cm wide, weighing up to 10 kg or more, melon-like, globose to oblong-<br />
cylindrical, green, with a easy-to-remove white waxy covering, more or less hairy when<br />
young; flesh (pulp), white, spongy; seeds, about 1 to 1.5 cm long and 5 to 7 mm wide,<br />
numerous, central, buff-colored, smooth, flat, ovate-elliptic, with narrow base. Food<br />
plant in Chinese gardens at Location. Flesh <strong>of</strong> fruit cooked as a vegetable. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Tan. var. caffrorum (Alef.) Fosb. "watermelon"<br />
te meren (K); meleni (T)<br />
syns. Citrullus vulgaris var. caflorurn Alef.; C. vulgaris Schrad. ex Eckl. &<br />
Zeyh.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Slender, much-branched, wide-<br />
spreading, prostrate, hairy, herbaceous, annual creeper, with ra<strong>the</strong>r thin, angular,<br />
grooved stems, 1.5 to 5 m long, branched (bifid or trifid) tendrils and an extensive and<br />
superficial root system; leaves, 5 to 20 cin long and 2 to 12 cm wide, alternate, scabrid<br />
or harshly pubescent, deeply pinnately lobed, <strong>the</strong> lobes again pinnately lobed and too<strong>the</strong>d,<br />
with broad apices; flowers, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, solitary, axillary, on short pedicels, 3 to 5 cm<br />
long, bell-shaped (campanulate), usually more male than female flowers; calyx, 5-lobed;<br />
corolla, 2.5 to 3 cm in diameter, deeply 5-parted, pale yellow, petals, 1 to 1.5 cm long;<br />
male flowers, greenish; female flowers, longer-pedunculate, ovary ovoid with woolly<br />
hairs; fruit, large, up to over 50 cm long and 25 cm in diameter and weighing up to 4 to<br />
20 kg, rounded (globose) or oblong; rind, mostly glabrous, dark-green, striped or<br />
patterned, hard, but <strong>no</strong>t durable; flesh (pulp), red to whitish-pink (rarely yellow), watery,<br />
sweet; seeds, 6 to 15 mrn long and 5 to 7 mm wide, many, black, sometimes white<br />
mottled, smooth, flattened, with swellings on ei<strong>the</strong>r side <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> apex. Food plant in home<br />
gardens and as spontaneous juveniles around residences and dump heaps. Fruit eaten raw.<br />
2, 3, 5, 6, 7.<br />
Cucumis melo L. var cantalu pensis Naud. "cantaloupe", "rock melon"<br />
te meren (K); meleni (T); heung kwa, t'im kwa (C)<br />
Recent introduction. S . W. Asia and Africa to <strong>the</strong> Mediterranean. Occasional.<br />
S<strong>of</strong>tly hairy, trailing, herbaceous, annual vine, with ridged or striated stems, tender<br />
unbranched tendrils, and an extensive and superficial root system; leaves, 7 to 13 cm<br />
across, simple, rounded or kidney-shaped, usually 5-angled and sometimes shallowly 3-<br />
to 7 lobed; petiole, 8 to 16 cm long; flowers, about 2.5 cm across, generally andromo<strong>no</strong>ecious<br />
(with hermaphroditic and male flowers on <strong>the</strong> same plant), yellow; male<br />
- - . -- -<br />
flowers, <strong>of</strong>ten in groups, each on a slender pedicel; hermaphroditic (and female) flowers,<br />
solitary, with shorter and thicker pedicels; fruit, 12 to 24 cm long and 10 to 18 cm in<br />
diameter, globose or oblong, hollow; rind, thick, scaly, rough, netted or <strong>of</strong>ten deeply<br />
grooved; flesh (pulp), s<strong>of</strong>t, juicy, pale-orange, slightly sweet or fragrant; seeds, 8 to 12
mm long, many, whitish or buff, smooth, flat, in a central cavity with fleshy placentas.<br />
Food plant in Chinese gardens at Location. Fruit flesh eaten raw. 5, 6.<br />
Cucumis melo L. var. co<strong>no</strong>mon Maki<strong>no</strong><br />
ts'it kwa (C)<br />
"Oriental pickling melon "<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. China. Rare. S<strong>of</strong>tly hairy, branching, trailing,<br />
occasionally climbing, herbaceous, annual vine, with ridged stems, tender unbranched<br />
tendrils, and an extensive and superficial root system; leaves, 7 to 13 cm across, simple,<br />
rounded to heart- or kidney-shaped; flowers, about 2.5 cm across, generally andro-<br />
mo<strong>no</strong>ecious (with hermaphroditic and male flowers on <strong>the</strong> same plant), yellow; male<br />
flowers, <strong>of</strong>ten in groups, each on a slender pedicels; hermaphroditic (and female)<br />
flowers, solitary, with shorter and thicker pedicel; fruit, 20 to 30 cm long and 6 to 8 cm<br />
in diameter, oblong, cylindrical, cucumber-like, slightly hollow; rind, thin, pale whitish-<br />
green to yellowish-green, longitudinally lined, smooth or slightly pubescent; pulp, s<strong>of</strong>t,<br />
white to greenish-white, almost tasteless; seeds, 5 to 10 mm long, many, whitish or buff,<br />
smooth, flat, in a central cavity with fleshy placentas. Trailing or climbing food plant in<br />
Chinese gardens at Location and Topside. Fruit cooked as a vegetable, <strong>of</strong>ten in soups. 5,<br />
6.<br />
Cucumis sativus L. "cucumber"<br />
te kukamba (K); kukampa (T); tseng kwa, wong kwa (C)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. N. India. Rare. Scabrid, climbing or trailing,<br />
herbaceous, annual vine, climbing from 1 to 5 m, with strongly 4-angled stems, un-<br />
branched tendrils and an extensive and superficial root system; leaves, 8 to 20 cm long,<br />
hispid or rough, base cordate, apex acuminate, scarcely angled, unlobed or shallowly 3-<br />
to 5-lobed with acute sinuses, dentate, palmately 5- to 7-nerved; petioles, 5 to 18 cm<br />
long; flowers, 2 to 4 cm long, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, yellow, bell-shaped, deeply 5-partite, hairy,<br />
wrinkled; calyx, 5 to 10 mm long, with 5 narrow lobes; male flowers, predominant,<br />
borne in axillary clusters on slender pedicels; female flowers, solitary or few, axillary,<br />
on stout peduncles; fruit, 15 to 25 cm long, pendulous, slenderly oblong or cylindric,<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten slightly curved, dark to light-green skinned, glabrous or covered with tiny bristly<br />
tubercles or warts (echinate), particularly when young; flesh, pale whitish-green; seeds, 8<br />
to 10 mm long and 3 to 5 cm wide, many, whitish, oblong, flat, margin defined only at<br />
<strong>the</strong> apex. Food plant in houseyard gardens. Fruit eaten raw, and occasionally cooked. 5,<br />
6, 7.
Cucurbita maxima Duch. "pumpkin", "winter squash", "autumn squash"<br />
dabamakin (N); te baukin, te bamakin, te bangke (K)<br />
Recent introduction? S . America. Rare. Prostrate, long-trailing, slightly rough,<br />
herbaceous, annual vine, with branched tendrils; stems, s<strong>of</strong>t, round in cross-section;<br />
leaves, 6 to 19 cm long and 7 to 20 cm wide, slightly kidney-shaped (subreniform),<br />
nearly orbicular in outline, shallowly 5-lobed, cordate with a very deep sinus, margins<br />
denticulate, green, occasionally with white blotches, coarsely pubescent, <strong>no</strong>t rigid;<br />
petioles, up to 20 cm long; flowers, solitary, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, bell-shaped, acute or obtuse in<br />
bud, corolla lobes curved outward, bright yellow; male flowers, 4 to 7 cm long on<br />
peduncles, 10 to 17 cm long; sepal lobes, linear; calyx lobes, narrow subulate; female<br />
flowers, on a s<strong>of</strong>t corky peduncle, thickening to a fruit-stalk, up to 7 cm long, thicker<br />
than stem, spongy, nearly cylindrical, <strong>no</strong>t expanded at point <strong>of</strong> attachment to fruit; fruit,<br />
variously shaped, hard, green to dull orange or yellow, <strong>of</strong>ten mottled, usually hollow;<br />
flesh, yellow to orange, ra<strong>the</strong>r fibrous; seeds, 16 to 20 mm long and 8 to 12 mm wide,<br />
<strong>no</strong>t separating easily and cleanly from pulp, dull white or buff, usually smooth or glossy,<br />
sometimes with fine wrinkles, ovate, attachment acute and asymmetrical, apex nearly<br />
straight across or oblique, margin or rim, smooth, obtuse, single, slightly raised. Food<br />
plant, <strong>of</strong>ten adventive in gardens. Fruit cooked as a vegetable. 3.<br />
Cucurbita pep0 L. "pumpkin", "field pumpkin", "summer squash", "marrow"<br />
dabamakin (N); te baukin, te bamakin, te bangke (K); panikeni (T)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Prostrate, long-trailing (rarely<br />
somewhat erect), slightly rough, hard-stemmed, herbaceous, annual vine, with 4- to 5-<br />
branched tendrils; stems, harsh to touch and spiculate, round in cross-section; leaves, 6<br />
to 19 cm long and 7 to 20 cm wide, broadly triangular or heart-shaped, <strong>of</strong>ten pointed,<br />
palmately, deeply 5-lobed, broad sinus between lobes, central lobe longest, ra<strong>the</strong>r finely<br />
too<strong>the</strong>d, harsh to <strong>the</strong> touch and spiculate, more prickly than C. maxima, cordate with<br />
narrow, acute sinuses, green, occasionally with white blotches, stiff and more or less<br />
rigid, foliage held upright; petioles, up to 15 cm long; flowers, solitary, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious,<br />
bell-shaped, acuminate in bud, corolla lobes nearly always upright, bright yellow to<br />
yellow-orange; sepals, short, awl-shaped; calyx lobes, narrow subulate; male flowers, 5<br />
to 6 cm long on peduncles; female flowers, on a hard, sharply 5-angular, grooved<br />
peduncles, maturing into a short fruit-stalk, without cork development and <strong>no</strong>t, or only<br />
slightly enlarged at point <strong>of</strong> attachment to fruit; fruit, variable, usually spherical-oblate,<br />
dull orange to orange-brown, sides radially round-ridged, hollow; flesh, orange, coarsegrained,<br />
ra<strong>the</strong>r fibrous; seeds, 10 to 18 mm long and 8 to 11 mm wide, separating easily<br />
and cleanly from pulp, dirty white or creamy white, smooth or finely granular, ovate,<br />
atkchment ob tusead _ symmetrical,~apex~uSually~~traight~acms,~ _thin or fairlk plump,<br />
margin or rim, smooth, obtuse, clearly defined, usually appearing double. Occasional.<br />
Food plant, <strong>of</strong>ten adventive in waste places and gardens at Location and elsewhere on <strong>the</strong><br />
coastal strip. Fruit cooked as a vegetable. 3, 5, 6, 7.
Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb. "angled lo<strong>of</strong>ah", "vegetable sponge", "ridge gourd",<br />
"dish-cloth gourd" sze kwa (C)<br />
syn. Cucumis acutangulus L.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction . India, Paleotropics. Occasional. Stout, climbing,<br />
glabrous, herbaceous, annual vine, with pentagonal stems, 3- or more-forked tendrils and<br />
fetid when bruised; leaves, 10 to 24 cm long and wide, rounded, ra<strong>the</strong>r shallowly<br />
palmately 5- to 7-lobed, coarsely and shallowly too<strong>the</strong>d, scabrous, pale beneath; flowers,<br />
4 to 5 cm in diameter, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, axillary, pale yellow, 5-petaled, petals almost<br />
completely distinct, male and female flowers borne toge<strong>the</strong>r in <strong>the</strong> same axil, opening in<br />
<strong>the</strong> late after<strong>no</strong>on or evening; male flowers, in racemes <strong>of</strong> several flowers, peduncle 10<br />
to 25 cm long, stamens 3; female flowers, solitary, stigmas 3, ovary 10-ribbed; fruit, 15<br />
to 40 cm long and 5 to 10 cm in diameter, green to gray-green, very narrowly obovoid,<br />
with 10 acute longitudinal ridges or ribs, crowned with enlarged sepals and style; flesh,<br />
white, somewhat spongy, becoming fibrous when old; seeds, 10 to 13 mm long and 7 to<br />
9 cm wide, black, pitted, flattened. Climbing foodplant in Chinese gardens at Location<br />
and Topside. Young green fruit cooked as a vegetable. 4(162N), 5, 6, 7, 8(9577).<br />
Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem. var. insularurn (A. Gray) Cogn. "smooth lo<strong>of</strong>ah",<br />
"wild vegetable sponge", "scrubber gourd", "dish-cloth gourd"<br />
syns. Momordica cylindrica L. ; M. lufa L.; LufSa acgyptica Mill.; L. insularum<br />
A. Gray<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction; although variety insularum seems to be indige<strong>no</strong>us<br />
to many Pacific islands, it was probably introduced to Nauru. Trop. Asia. Locally<br />
common. Vigorous, climbing, somewhat pubescent, herbaceous annual vine, with<br />
pentagonal stems and 2- to 3-, or more-forked tendrils; leaves, to 20 cm long and nearly<br />
as wide, much longer than petiole, orbicular-ovate to almost kidney-shaped (subreni-<br />
form), deeply 5- to 7-angled or -lobed, acuminate or acute, base deeply cordate with<br />
open sinus; petiole, 5 to 10 cm long, scabrid or hispid; flowers, 5 to 9 cm in diameter,<br />
mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, axillary, yellow, petals almost completely distinct, male and female flowers<br />
in <strong>the</strong> same axil, opening in <strong>the</strong> early morning; male flowers, 4 to 20, crowded near <strong>the</strong><br />
end <strong>of</strong> a solitary axillary peduncle, stamens 5; female flowers, solitary, stigmas 3, ovary<br />
<strong>no</strong>t ribbed; fruit, 12 to 30 cm long, oblong-cylindrical, smooth or slightly ribbed or<br />
striped, crowned with stout sepals and style, fleshy at first, becoming dry; flesh, white,<br />
spongy, becoming fibrous when old; seeds, 10 to 15 mm long, black, smooth, flat,<br />
faintly winged. Weedy found on edges <strong>of</strong> forest, waste places, and spreading over<br />
Topside topsoil dump on plateau. 3(58587, 5873 I), 5(75), 6, 7.
Momordica charantia L. "bitter gourd", "bitter melon", "balsam apple"<br />
fu kwa (C); ampalaya (P)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Paleotropics. Occasional. Slender, high-climbing,<br />
herbaceous, annual vine, 2 to 4 m long, with slightly pubescent, 5-angled, furrowed.<br />
stems and unbranched tendrils; leaves, 5 to 15 cm in diameter, palmately 3- to 5- lobed,<br />
<strong>the</strong> lobes more or less undulate or coarsely too<strong>the</strong>d, base cordate, smooth or slightly<br />
pubescent; petiole, 10 to 12 cm long; flowers, 2.5 to 3.5 cm in diameter, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious,<br />
axillary, yellow, corolla deeply-lobed; calyx, deeply 5-parted; male flowers, single or<br />
racemose, stamens 3; corolla, deeply 5-parted, 1.5 to 2 cm long; female flowers,<br />
solitary, on peduncles with a kidney-shaped bracteole at base, stigmas 3; fruit, 5 to 20<br />
cm long, pendulous, ovoid to oblong-cylindric or pear-shaped, irregularly longitudinally<br />
ridged with numerous bumpy tubercles, short-pointed at tip, light green to orange or dark<br />
yellow when ripe, splitting at <strong>the</strong> tip into three irregular valves; pulp, bitter when green<br />
and slightly sweetish when ripe; seeds, 12 to 16 mm long and 5 to 9 mm wide, numer-<br />
ous, light brownish to light gray patterned, covered with a s<strong>of</strong>t, fleshy red aril. Food<br />
plant in Chinese and Filipi<strong>no</strong> gardens at Location and in Chinese gardens at Topside<br />
workshops and surrounding Buada Lagoon. Fruit and young leaves occasionally cooked<br />
as vegetables. 4(144N), 5, 6, 7.<br />
ERICACEAE (Heath Family)<br />
Rhododendron sp. "azalea"<br />
Recent introduction. Rare. Asia. Evergreen shrub. Flowers <strong>no</strong>t seen. Planted<br />
ornamental. 6.<br />
EUPHORBIACEAE (Spurge Family)<br />
Acalypha amentacea Roxb. var. wilkesiana (Muel1.-Arg.) Fosb.<br />
"copper leaf", Jacob's coat" "beefsteak plant", "fire dragon plant"<br />
Kayser bush (N); te aronga (K); kalakalaapuki, kakarapus, ogoogo, lakau kula (T)<br />
syn. A. wi1kesia.n.a. Muell. -Arg.<br />
-- -- -- - - -- - -- - - - --<br />
Pre-World War I introduction. Melanesia,-Common PZGnial skrU6; up 5 2-m<br />
or higher, with pubescent young branches; leaves, 5 to 20 cm long and 3 to 15 cm wide,<br />
alternate, simple, mostly ovate, crenate-serrate, acuminate, pubescent, ra<strong>the</strong>r curved and<br />
coarsely crisped, pinnately-nerved, attractive, commonly dark or bright-red, red-green or
green, <strong>of</strong>ten mottled with various shades <strong>of</strong> red, dark pink or bronzy green, sometimes<br />
with whitish or reddish-white margins resembling a thin marbling <strong>of</strong> fat on a beefsteak;<br />
petioles, 2 to 10 cm long; stipules, 3 to 11 mm long, oblong-lanceolate; flowers,<br />
mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, tiny, about 1 cm across, petal-less, borne alternately on slender axillary or<br />
terminal spikes, 4 to 15 cm or longer; bracts, about 4 to 10 mm across, red to deep<br />
purple, 5- to 13-too<strong>the</strong>d, only slightly cupular, subtending single flowers; male spikes<br />
slender, elongated, hanging among lower leaves, accompanied by smaller bracts; female<br />
spikes somewhat shorter, nearly erect, among leaves at branch tips, each cluster (1 to 5)<br />
accompanied by a larger triangular, too<strong>the</strong>d bract, <strong>of</strong>ten with a rounded central lobe;<br />
ovary, 1.5 to 2 mm wide, green, puberulent; styles whitish, hair- or bristle-like, curved;<br />
fruit, a small capsule. Planted ornamental and hedge plant. 3(58743, 58757), 5(41), 6, 7.<br />
Alcalypha amentacea Roxb. var. wilkesiana f. circinata (Muel1.-Arg.) Fosb.<br />
te aronga (K)<br />
syn. A. wilkesiana Roxb . f. circinata Muell. -Arg.<br />
Recent introduction. Pacific Is. Occasional. Perennial shrub, up to 2 m tall;<br />
leaves, 3 to 14 cm long and wide, suborbicular or reniform or broadly ovate, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
rounded at <strong>the</strong> apex, somewhat flabellinerved, green, commonly variegated with a white<br />
margin. Planted ornamental, <strong>of</strong>ten as hedges. 3(58769), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Acalypha hispida Burm. f. "cats' tail", "chenille plant", "red-hot poker"<br />
Recent introduction. Indonesia. Rare. Perennial shrub, up to 2 m high; young<br />
branches pubescent; leaves, 5 to 18 cm long and 3 to 10 cm wide, green, alternate,<br />
ovate, dentate-crenate, acuminate, pinnately-nerved; petioles, 3 to 9 cm long; stipules, 5<br />
to 10 mm long, oblong-lanceolate; flowers (female), axillary, petal-less, borne in<br />
pendulous, bright-red, velvety, tassel-like spikes, 10 to 50 cm long and 1 to 2.5 cm in<br />
diameter, resembling a cat's tail; bracts, minute, entire, subtending flower clusters; fruit,<br />
<strong>no</strong>t seen. Planted ornamental. 3(58705), 5, 6,.<br />
Breynia disticha J.R. & G. Forst var. disticha f. nivosa (W.G. Smith) Croizat<br />
"leaf-flower <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pacific islands", "s<strong>no</strong>w bush" eomo<strong>no</strong>n (N)(Burges, 1933)<br />
syns. B. nivosa (Bull) Small; Phyllanthus nivosus Bull<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Pacific Is. Rare. Perennial glabrous shrub, up to 3<br />
m or taller, with slender, densely, two-ranked branches; leaves, 2.5 to 5 cm long,<br />
alternate, 2-ranked or spirally arranged, oval-ovate, entire, green, variegated with white, --<br />
pinkJighfr~~~purple,obtuse~~abruptlyp~ted~~~les,short; stipules, very small,<br />
triangular acute; flowers, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, small, green, petal-less, on short axillary pedicels;<br />
male flowers, 3 to many, borne in close clusters (fascicles) in <strong>the</strong> lower axils; female
flowers, solitary, with a green, 6-lobed or -too<strong>the</strong>d, bell-shaped or cuplike calyx, borne<br />
in <strong>the</strong> upper axils. Planted ornamental. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.<br />
Codiaeum variegatum (L.) A. Juss. "croton", "codiaeum"<br />
syns. Croton variegatum L.; Phyllaurea variegata (L.) Wight; P. codiaeum<br />
Lour.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Malaysia to Melanesia. Common. Glabrous,<br />
densely-branched, shrub or small tree, up to 4 m or taller; leaves, 7 to 32 cm long and 2<br />
to 15 cm wide, alternate, spirally arranged, thick, lea<strong>the</strong>ry, extremely variable in shape,<br />
size and color, commonly entire, sometimes interrupted, wavy, twisted or 3- or more-<br />
lobed, linear-lanceolate, oblong or ovate to obovate, mostly acuminate, pinnately-nerved,<br />
plain, spotted, mottled, variegated, or decoratively patterned green, red, purple, pink,<br />
yellow and white, nerves <strong>of</strong>ten brightly colored, red or yellow; petioles, 1 to 9 cm long;<br />
flowers, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, small, petal-less, borne in lax axillary narrow spikes, 15 to 25 cm<br />
long; male flowers, about 6 inm wide, with 5 or 6 sepals and petals and 15 to 35 free<br />
stamens, chestered; female flowers, solitary, lacking petals, scattered; fruit, small, a<br />
subglobose, thin-walled, 3-lobed capsule. Planted ornamental and hedge plant. 3(58714),<br />
5, 6(199, 200), 7.<br />
Euphorbia antiquorum L. "cactus spurge", "false cactus", "Malayan spurge tree"<br />
Recent introduction. India, S.E. Asia. Rare. Erect, spiny, cactus-like shrub, up to<br />
3 m or higher, with thick, green, succulent, ridged, 3- to 4-angled stems and branches;<br />
spines, up to 7 mm long, brown, on ridge elevations; leaves, <strong>no</strong>ne or commonly falling<br />
soon, 6 to 13 mm long, thick, oval; flowers, small, yellowish or greenish, borne in upper<br />
leaf axils. Planted ornamental. 3(58680), 5(130), 6, 7.<br />
Euphorbia chanlissonis (KI. & Gke.) Boiss. "beach spurge"<br />
e mai (B)(N); te tarai (K); teluna (T)<br />
syns. E. atom sensu auct. (Burges) Micr. <strong>no</strong>n F0rst.f.; Anisophyllum<br />
chamissonis K1. & Gke; Chamaesyce atoto sensu auct. <strong>no</strong>n (F0rst.f.)<br />
Croizat<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Trop. Pacific. Rare. Erect to semi-erect or sprawling, freely-branching,<br />
glabrous subshrub, up to 1 in tall, with decumbent or ascending stems, which are<br />
branched, appear jointed and thickened at <strong>the</strong> <strong>no</strong>des, a woody rootstock and white sticky<br />
Mex;+k.aves,-115Lt~3-C~~~anU~ c~1-wiQe,-opposite,-en t ire,+cmwkatAgShy,<br />
ovate-oblong, oval-ovate or oblong subspatulate, base cordate and somewhat unequally 2-<br />
sided, apex acute to obtuse, sometimes mucronate, palmately veined, glabrous, lightgreen<br />
or glaucous above, whitened beneath; petioles, up to 2 mm long; flowers,<br />
numerous, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, white or greenish, petal-less, in cyathia borne in small axillary or
terminal branching clusters (cymes); involucres <strong>of</strong> cya<strong>the</strong>a usually 1.7 to 2.3 mm long,<br />
glands with minute appendages; fruit, about 3 mm long, a glabrous, dehiscent capsule;<br />
seeds, small, smooth, released when dry fruit opens. Spreading shrub on seashore.<br />
2(38.5), 3, 5(106), 6, 7.<br />
Euphorbia cyathophora Murr. "painted leaf", "Mexican fire plant", "hypocrite<br />
plant", "wild poinsettia", "Christmas bush", "dwarf poinsettia"<br />
deriba, deribeh (N); te kabekau (K)<br />
syns. E. heterophylla L. var. cyathophora (Murr.) Griseb.; Poinsettia cyatho-<br />
phora (Murr.) K1. & Gke.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Erect annual herb, up<br />
to 80 cm or higher, with glabrous, green, longitudinally-grooved stems, sparingly<br />
pubescent young shoots and white latex; leaves, 3 to 8 cm long and 1.5 to 3.5 cm wide,<br />
alternate below, opposite above or in threes, somewhat fiddle-shaped (pandurate),<br />
pinnately, sharply and shortly 2- to 4-lobed, usually with a deep, rounded <strong>no</strong>tch or<br />
incision on each margin, those <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> basal leaves sometimes simply ovate, entire or<br />
obscurely distantly serrate, mostly glabrous, <strong>the</strong> upper leaves crowded beneath <strong>the</strong><br />
flowers, <strong>the</strong> uppermost, bract-like leaves near <strong>the</strong> flowers with a bright red basal blotch;<br />
petioles, 1 to 4 cm long, slender; flowers, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, small, inconspicuous, greenish,<br />
petal-less, in cyathia packed in short terminal clusters (cymes), 2 to 4 cm wide; involucre<br />
<strong>of</strong> cyathium, 3 to 5 mm long, on a stalk <strong>of</strong> equal length, cup-shaped, 5-lobed, green,<br />
enclosing several male flowers and 1 female flower, and bearing a funnel-shaped gland<br />
with a large elongated opening, about 1.5 cm long; male flowers, tiny, numerous,<br />
surrounding <strong>the</strong> female flower and reduced to a single stamen, an<strong>the</strong>rs, yellow; female<br />
flowers, one per cyathium, consisting <strong>of</strong> a stalked, 3-lobed ovary; fruit, 3 to 5 mm long,<br />
glabrous, subglobose, 3-lobed capsule (schizocarp), splitting at maturity into three 1-<br />
seeded segments; seeds, 2 to 2.5 mm across, dark brown, tuberculate, obovoid or<br />
globose, basally flattened, apically subconic. Roadside and waste place weed. 1 (23.R), 2,<br />
3(58628), 4(104N), 5(31), 6, 7(27818), 8(9556).<br />
Euphorbia geniculata Ortega "wild spurge"<br />
Recent introduction. Texas, Mexico and <strong>the</strong> W. Indies. Occasional. Erect annual<br />
herb, to about 60 cm or higher, with somewhat hairy, green hollow stems and white<br />
latex; leaves, 3 to 8 cm and 1.5 to 3.5 cm wide, basal and apical leaves opposite, o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
leaves alternate, entire, ovate or oblong-rhomboidal, acute-acuminate, obscurely dentate<br />
toward base, lower leaves all green, glaucous beneath, <strong>the</strong> uppermost bract-like leaves<br />
nar <strong>the</strong> flo~ers-with~w hkor- pinkbasal pethks, IUcLcm-long-flowers,<br />
mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, small, inconspicuous, greenish, petal-less, in cyathia packed in short<br />
terminal clusters (cymes), 2 to 4 cm long; involucre <strong>of</strong> cyathium, cup-shaped, 5- to 7-<br />
lobed, green, enclosing several male flowers and 1 female flower, and bearing a single<br />
funnel-shaped gland at one side; male flowers, tiny, numerous, surrounding <strong>the</strong> female
flower and reduced to a single stamen, an<strong>the</strong>rs, yellow; female flowers, one per<br />
cyathium, consisting <strong>of</strong> a stalked, 3-celled ovary with 3 bifid styles; fruit, 3 to 5 mm<br />
across, subglobose, 3-lobed capsule (schizocarp), splitting at maturity into three 1-seeded<br />
segments; seeds, 2.5 to 3.2 mm across, grey-brown, angular, sharply keeled on one side,<br />
slightly tuberculate. Weed <strong>of</strong> roadsides and wasteplaces. 5(72), 6, 7, 8(9580).<br />
Euphorbia heterophylla L.<br />
syn. Poinsettia heterophylla (L.) Klotzsch & Garcke<br />
"wild spurge"<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Occasional. Erect, unbranched annual herb, up to 70<br />
cm high, with hollow stems; leaves, alternate, <strong>the</strong> lower entire, oval or elliptic, with<br />
irregularly-too<strong>the</strong>d margins, <strong>the</strong> upper leaves deeply lobed, <strong>the</strong> topmost leaves green or<br />
with a purple-spotted (never red) base and clustered beneath <strong>the</strong> inflorescences; inflores-<br />
cences, separately male and female borne in terminal cyathia; cyathium, a 5-lobed green<br />
cup enclosing several male and one female flower and bearing a gland with a small<br />
circular opening; fruit, a 3-celled capsule, explosively dehiscent; seeds, 1 to a cell, 2 to<br />
2.5 mm across, subglobose, dark brown to black, rugose or tuberculate, with a keel and<br />
a transverse groove at right angles to it. Weed <strong>of</strong> roadsides and ruderal sites. 3(58623,<br />
58667), 4(102N).<br />
Euphorbia hirta L. "garden spurge", "asthma plant", "hairy spurge", "old blood" te<br />
tarai, te tarai Kutaie ("Kusaie, KosraeU)(K)<br />
syns. E. pilulijera L.; Chamaesyce hirta (L.) Millsp.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Pantropical. Abundant. Erect or decumbent,<br />
scarcely branching, widely spreading, densely hairy annual herb, 6 to 60 cm high, with<br />
white latex; leaves, 1 to 4 cm long and 0.5 to 1.5 cm wide, opposite, simple, elliptical,<br />
oblong or ovate-rhomboidal, acute to obtuse tip, base obliquely acute, finely serrate,<br />
stipulate, leaf surfaces appressed pubescent, green, <strong>of</strong>ten with red, brown or purplish<br />
tinge, paler beneath; petioles, 2 to 3 mm long; flowers, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, very small, greenish<br />
white, petal-less, in cyathia arranged in 1 to 2 dense, axillary, globose clusters (cymes)<br />
on short pedicels, 3 to 15 mm long; involucre 4- to 5-lobed, enclosing several male<br />
flowers and 1 female flower, and with minute glands; male flowers, minute, surrounding<br />
<strong>the</strong> female flower, each consisting <strong>of</strong> a single stamen; female flowers, on per cymatium,<br />
consisting <strong>of</strong> a 3-celled ovary; fruit, 1 to 1.3 mm across, globose, hairy, brown, 3-lobed<br />
schizocarp splitting into three 1-seeded segments at maturity; seeds, about 1 mm long,<br />
irregular oblong with some faint transverse ridges. Weed in waste places and open areas;<br />
pioneer plant in recently mined areas. 2, 3(58627, 58677), 4(114N), 5(21), 6, 7,<br />
8(9554). --<br />
- - -- -- - -- - - -- -- -- - - -
Euphorbia hypericifolia L. "spurge", "graceful spurge"<br />
te tarai (K)<br />
syn. Chamaesyce hypericifolia (L.) Millsp.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Slender, reddish-stemmed,<br />
glabrous, branching herb, 10 to 50 cm high, with a taproot and white latex; leaves, 1 to<br />
2.5 cm long and 0.3 to 1 cm wide, thin, opposite, elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, entire or<br />
minutely too<strong>the</strong>d, base oblique, green, rarely pinkish or reddish-purplish, glaucous<br />
below; petioles, short, about 1 to 2 mm long; flowers, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, small, inconspicuous,<br />
greenish, petal-less, in cyathia borne in small cymes, on pedicels, 1.2 to 3 cm long, in<br />
upper axils; involucral bracts, white, aging to pink; fruit, a 3 lobed capsule, with one<br />
seed to a lobe, and forked styles; seeds, less than 1 mm long, ribbed, reticulate, dark red<br />
to purplish. Garden and ruderal weed. 3(58658), 5(72), 6(223), 7, 8(9555).<br />
Euphorbia milii Ch. des Moul. var. splendens (Bojer) Ursch & Leandri<br />
"crown <strong>of</strong> thorns"<br />
syn. E. splendens Bojer<br />
Recent introduction. Madagascar. Rare. Erect branching shrub, up to 1 m or<br />
higher, with hard, succulent, nearly cylindrical, subterete or slightly ridged stems,<br />
sometimes twining, beset with many slender spines, up to 2.5 cm long; leaves, 2 to 5 cm<br />
long and 1.5 to 4 mm wide, obovate, thinly fleshy, bright green, crowded toward branch<br />
tips, soon falling; flowers, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, very small, petal-less, in cyathia borne on long<br />
axillary peduncles near <strong>the</strong> branch tips, each subtended by two opposite, rounded, wing-<br />
like, bright- or salmon-red bracts, 8 to 10 mm long. Planted ornamental and pot plant.<br />
6(178).<br />
Euphorbia prostrata Ait.<br />
te tarai (K)<br />
syn. Chamaesyce prostrata (Ait.) Small<br />
"prostrate spurge"<br />
Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Abundant. Prostrate annual herb,<br />
much-branched at base, with white latex and slender purplish or pinkish stems, 2 to 20<br />
cm long, which are glabrous or minutely puberulent on one side only; leaves, 2 to 10<br />
mm long and 1.5 to 6 mm wide, opposite, simple, oblong-elliptic to oblong-obovate, tip<br />
rounded to obtuse, base rounded to obliquely unequilateral, margins finely serrate<br />
(serrulate), glabrous or sparsely puberulent dorsally, glaucous with a purplish tinge;<br />
petioles, short, about 1 mm long; stipules, on upper side <strong>of</strong> stem distinct, linear, pilose,<br />
those <strong>of</strong> lower side fused, apically too<strong>the</strong>d; flowers, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, very small, purplish,<br />
-- --<br />
pp -- - --<br />
peae
ovary; fruit, about 1 mm long, subglobose, 3-lobed schizocarp, sparsely hairy on <strong>the</strong><br />
margins, pinkish or purplish, on a stalk as long as <strong>the</strong> fruit, splitting at maturity into<br />
three 1-seeded segments; seeds, about 0.8 mm long, narrowly ovoid, truncate basally,<br />
apically obtuse, tetragonal, reddish or grayish, 5- to 7-grooved transversely. Weed along<br />
paths and open waste places; pioneer plant in recently mined areas. 1(62.R), 3(58630,<br />
58631), 4(116N), 5(22), 6, 7, 8(9552).<br />
Euphorbia pulcherrirna Willd. ex Klotszch<br />
syn. Poinsettia pulcherrima (Willd .) R. Grah.<br />
"poinsettia"<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Erect, glabrous, branching, s<strong>of</strong>t-wooded<br />
shrub, up to 2 in or higher, with white latex; leaves, 8 to 25 cm long and 5 to 15 cm<br />
wide, elliptic to elliptic-ovate, acute, entire or slightly sinuate-too<strong>the</strong>d or lobed, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
somewhat fiddle-shaped, bright green, pubescent; petioles, 3 to 8 cm long; uppermost<br />
bracteal leaves bright red (rarely pink, white or yellow), lanceolate, forming a rosette,<br />
borne at <strong>the</strong> tips <strong>of</strong> long arching stems; flowers, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, inconspicuous, greenish,<br />
petal-less, in ra<strong>the</strong>r large cyathia; involucre, 8 to 10 mm high, green, with reddish 5-<br />
laciniate lobes, with a large yellowish gland about 4 mm long; styles, bifid, red; fruit,<br />
about 1.5 cm long, a long-stipulate capsule, glabrous, <strong>no</strong>dding; seeds, about 6 mm<br />
across, subglobose, pale, smooth. Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
Euphorbia rubicunda B1. " thyme-leafed spurge", "dwarf spurge"<br />
te tarai (K)<br />
syn. E. thym(folia sensu auct. <strong>no</strong>n L.<br />
Recent introduction. India. Occasional. Small prostrate, hispid, annual herb, with<br />
pinkish stems and white latex; leaves, up to 1 cm long, opposite, obliquely oblong<br />
obtuse, crenulate, glabrous or puberulent, coppery; stipules, less than 1 mm long,<br />
elongate fimbriate; flowers, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, minute, petal-less, borne in cyathia arranged in<br />
short, few-flowered axillary clusters (cymes) on short pedicels; involucre enclosing<br />
several male and 1 female flowers, gland small or <strong>no</strong>ne; fruit, about 1 mm long, very<br />
shortly-stalked, white-pubescent, 3-celled capsule; seeds, about 0.7 mm long, 1 per cell,<br />
blunt, light-brown, 4-angled, with 5 or 6 shallow transverse furrows. Weed along<br />
roadsides and around buildings. 3(58824, 58661), 6, 7, 8(9561).<br />
Euphorbia tirucalli L. "pencil plant", "pencil tree", "naked lady", "milk hedge",<br />
"milk bush"<br />
- - - - --- - -- -- -- -p-pp - pp<br />
Recent introduction. E. Africa and India. Occasional. Medium to large, freely<br />
branching shrub, up to 4 m or higher, with numerous slender, cylindrical, leafless, green<br />
articulated branches; leaves, 0.7 to 2.5 cm and up to 0.5 cm wide long or less, narrow,<br />
reduced to linear scales on youngest branch tips, early caducous; flowers, inconspicuous,
orne in cyathia in sessile, axillary and terminal, clusters (cymes); involucre, with 5<br />
glands (nectaries); fruit, a 3-valved capsule; seeds, smooth, ovoid. Planted ornamental. 5,<br />
6(168).<br />
Jatropha integerrima Jacq. "rose-colored jatropha", "red-flowered jatropha"<br />
syns. J. hastata. Jacq.; J. panduraefolia Andr.<br />
Recent introduction. Cuba. Common. Slender shrub up to 1 to 3 m high, with<br />
little or <strong>no</strong> watery latex; leaves, 6 to 16 cm long and 4 to 10 cm wide, alternate and<br />
spirally arranged, ovate to fiddle-shaped (panduriform), acuminate, mostly entire with<br />
obscure basal teeth or marginally incised or too<strong>the</strong>d;; petioles, 3 to 10 cm long; stipules,<br />
minute, subulate-deltoid, entire; flowers, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, 5-petaled, dissected, attractive rich<br />
pink to bright red, petals about 10 to 13 mm long, borne in terminal or axillary umbels<br />
with long, branched stalks, about 6 to 14 cm long; male flowers, distal, usually with a<br />
dissected disc, stamens, 8 to 10, an<strong>the</strong>rs yellow to salmon-orange; female flowers, lower,<br />
with cupular or pulviniform disk, ovary 3-locular; fruit, about 1 cm long, shallowly<br />
lobed, breaking into 3 segments; seeds, ellipsoid, with crustaceous testa. Planted<br />
ornamental. 3(58796), 5, 6(276), 7.<br />
Jatropha podagrica Hook. "gout stalk", "coral plant"<br />
Recent introduction. Central America. Rare. Succulent, un- or little-branched<br />
perennial shrub, up to 1 m or higher, with a swollen stem, much swollen at <strong>the</strong> base, and<br />
white latex; leaves, 10 to 30 cm in diameter, peltate to broadly ovate, entire to palmately<br />
3- or 5- angled or -lobed, whitish beneath, sinuses rounded, lobes broad and acute,<br />
attached within <strong>the</strong> margin by long petioles; petioles, 5 to 12 cm long; stipules, divided<br />
into small rigid segments; flowers, about 12 mm across, orange-red to vermilion, borne<br />
in dense umbels on long peduncles; calyx, eglandular, orange-red, 5-petaled, petals 5 to<br />
8 mm long, red to vermilion; pistil, prominent, about 4 mm long, light orange-yellow<br />
(ovary) to yellowish-green (stigma and style); fruits, about 1.5 cm long, capsular, broad-<br />
ellipsoid, breakmg into 3 segments; seeds, ellipsoid, with crustaceous testa, poiso<strong>no</strong>us.<br />
Ornamental pot plant. 6.<br />
Manihot esculenta Crantz "cassava", "manioc", "tapioca"<br />
te tabioka (K); tapioka, kasava (T)<br />
syns. M. u.tilissima Pohl; M. manihot (L.) Karst.; Jatropha manihot L.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Brazil or Trop. S. America. Common. An erect,<br />
-- -p---p -- -- - - -- - -- -- - -- --glabrous,<br />
slightly glaucous, half-woody, branched or unbranched shrub, up to 3 m or<br />
higher, with milky latex, stems bearing prominent nubby leaf scars, and large edible<br />
tuberous roots; l&ves, 10 to 30 cin -across, alternate, spirally arranged, somewhat<br />
pendulous, palmately 3- to 9-lobed (usually 5- to 7-lobed), <strong>the</strong> lobes, 4 to 22 cm long and
1 to 6 cm wide, very slenderly lanceolate-elliptic, or obovate-lanceolate, acuminate,<br />
deeply separated, dark to light green and glabrous above, glaucous and pale beneath,<br />
sometimes red-tinged, sometimes slightly hairy beneath, midrib green to deep red;<br />
petioles, 5 to 32 cm long, green to deep red; stipules, usually with 3 to 5 lanceolate lobes<br />
to 1 cm long, deciduous; flowers, about 1 to 2 cm across, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, petal-less, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
<strong>no</strong>t developing, pendulous, borne in few-flowered, lax, axillary paniculate clusters, 3 to<br />
10 cm long, with male and female flowers in <strong>the</strong> same inflorescence, <strong>the</strong> latter near <strong>the</strong><br />
base; bracts, linear, deciduous; sepals 5, pale yellow or tinged with red, glabrous<br />
without, puberulent within; male flowers, on pedicels 0.5 to 1 cm long, calyx, 3 to 8 mm<br />
long, campanulate with 5 triangular lobes extending to middle <strong>of</strong> calyx, stamens 10 in 2<br />
whorls, alternately short and long, filaments free, an<strong>the</strong>rs small, basal disk orange, fleshy<br />
with 5 double lobes; female flowers, on pedicels 1 to 2.5 cm long, usually larger than<br />
males, calyx 5-partite to base, 1 cm long or more, ovary, 3 to 4 mm long, 3-carpellary,<br />
6-ridged, glabrous, greenish-white with pink or red streaks, on a 10-lobed disc, style<br />
connate, surmounted by 3 lobed white stigmas, each lobe much divided; fruit, 1.5 to 2<br />
cm long, subglobose to ellipsoid capsule with narrow longitudinal wings or ridges, 3-<br />
seeded, splitting explosively; seeds, about 12 mm long, ellipsoid, smooth, gray mottled<br />
with dark blotches, carunculate, with a thin crustaceous testa; tubers, developing as<br />
swellings on adventitious roots at a short distance from <strong>the</strong> stem, usually 4 to 10 per<br />
plant, 10 to 100 cm long and 3 to 15 cm in diameter, usually weighing 1 to 10 kg or<br />
more, cylindrical or tapering, occasionally branched, outer skin, rough or smooth, light<br />
to darker brown to white or pinkish, inner rind or cortex usually white, but sometimes<br />
tinged with pink or brown, core or pith consisting <strong>of</strong> rich white or yellowish starch with<br />
few xylem bundles and latex tubes. Food plant in I Kiribati and Tuvaluan gardens at<br />
Location and Topside workshops. This easy-to-grow plant, which thrives on <strong>the</strong> poorest<br />
<strong>of</strong> soils, has become <strong>the</strong> dominant staple root crop, displacing taro and yam as <strong>the</strong><br />
dominant staple in many areas <strong>of</strong> high-island Micronesia, and in Fiji, Tonga, parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Cook Islands, and in <strong>the</strong> drier areas <strong>of</strong> Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Papua New<br />
Guinea. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Pedilanthus tithymaloides (L.) Poit. "slipper flower", "slipper spurge", "shoe spurge",<br />
"zigzag plant", "redbird cactus", "ribbon cactus"<br />
syns. P. carinatus Spreng.; Euphorbia tithymaloides L.<br />
Recent introduction. Caribbean. Occasional. Erect or somewhat decumbent,<br />
sparsely branching, slightly succulent subshrub, up to 1 m or higher, with white latex and<br />
fleshy, cylindrical stems which zigzag from <strong>no</strong>de to <strong>no</strong>de; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long,<br />
alternate, soon falling, fleshy, waxy, ovate to lanceolate, subsessile, <strong>of</strong>ten variegated or<br />
streaked green, white, yellowish or pink tinted, or in some forms completely albi<strong>no</strong>;<br />
-flowers,me<strong>no</strong>ec~u~,~~spi~s,-p~l~e~-yellaw.is~or~n.~c<br />
terminal cymose clusters; cyathium, about 12 mm long, narrow, boat- or slipper-shaped<br />
red or pink bracts containing 1 female and several male flowers, with 4 glands; fruit, 7.5<br />
by 9 mm, capsular; seeds, 5 mm long, ovate. Planted ornamental. 3(58681), 5, 6, 7.
Phyllanthus amarus Sch. & Th.<br />
te kaimatu (K)<br />
syn. P. niruri L. sensu auct. plur. <strong>no</strong>n L.<br />
"sleeping plant"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America (despite African type locality). Common.<br />
Erect to semi-prostrate, diffusely branched annual herb, somewhat woody at <strong>the</strong> base, 10<br />
to 50 cm high; leaves, 4 to 10 mm long and 2 to 4 mm wide, numerous, crowded,<br />
simple but appearing pinnately compound, alternate, in two rows on opposite sides <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
branchlets, oblong-elliptic or squarish, tip and base rounded, entire, green, lighter<br />
beneath, glabrous, subsessile; stipules, about 1.5 mm long, narrow-triangular; flowers,<br />
mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, minute, petal-less, greenish, borne in axillary cymules, on <strong>the</strong> branchlets,<br />
under <strong>the</strong> leaves, and containing 1 male and 1 female flower per <strong>no</strong>de; calyx lobes 5,<br />
acute; pedicels 2 mm long; male flowers, with 3 stamens; female flowers, with a 3-celled<br />
ovary and 3 bifid styles; fruit, about 1.5 mm wide, solitary, capsular, 3-celled, depressed<br />
globose, glabrous, greenish to yellow-brown, borne on a stalk about 1.5 mm long,<br />
splitting at maturity into three 2-seeded segments; seeds, about 1.5 mm long, wedge-<br />
shaped, rounded dorsally, light brown, longitudinally 5- to 7-ribbed on back. Weed <strong>of</strong><br />
gardens and waste places. 3(58685, 58733), 4(155N), 5(47), 6, 7, 8(9571).<br />
Phyllanthus societatis Muell. Arg.<br />
eoemangemang, ewemangemang, eoemangmang (N)<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Polynesia and Micronesia. Common. Erect, or half-erect, branching<br />
shrub, up to 50 cm or taller; leaves, 0.6 to 2.5 cm long, alternate, simple but appearing<br />
pinnately compound, alternate, in two rows on opposite sides <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> branchlets, sessile,<br />
mucronate, cuneate; flowers, i<strong>no</strong><strong>no</strong>ecious, minute, petal-less, greenish, borne in axillary<br />
cymules; male flowers, numerous, slender stalked, sepals 6, oblong-ovate, having 6<br />
alternate glands at base, stamens 3, filaments united; female flowers, mostly solitary,<br />
sepals 6, waxy white, ovary 3-lobed subtended by an entire glandular disc; fruit, 6 to 7<br />
mm in diameter, depressed, splitting at maturity into three 2-seeded sections. Found as<br />
scattered individuals and small communities in unmined areas on plateau, on slopes<br />
around plateau, at base <strong>of</strong> escarpment and on coastal strip, around cemeteries, and<br />
occasionally in revegetated mined areas and as a pioneer plant on limestone pinnacles on<br />
<strong>the</strong> coastal strip. Straight main stems used as toy spears by children. 3(58595, 58748,<br />
58801), 5(48, 51), 6, 7(22317), 8(9590).<br />
Ricinus comrnunis L. "castor bean", castor oil plant"<br />
-- Recent introduction. Africa. Rare. Coarse, erec6- branching, glabrous, semi-<br />
woody shrub, up to 3 m or higher, with spreading, hollow greenish or reddish stems and<br />
branches with well-marked <strong>no</strong>des and leaf scars, watery sap, and a well-developed<br />
taproot; leaves, 10 cin to 75 cm in diameter, alternate, spirally arranged, round-ovate in<br />
outline, peltate, mostly deeply palmately 5- to 1 1-lobed, lobes sharply acuminate or
acute, serrate, palmately nerved, green to somewhat purplish when young, paler beneath;<br />
petiole, 8 to 50 cm long, with 2 glands at apex; flowers, mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, small, petal-less in<br />
large terminal (appearing axillary) paniculate clusters (cymules), 10 to 35 cm long, with<br />
male flowers at <strong>the</strong> base and female flowers on <strong>the</strong> top; male flowers, with 3 to 5 calyx<br />
lobes, very numerous stamens variously connate in branching clusters; female flowers,<br />
with caducous, spathaceous calyx, ovary 3-celled, styles spreading usually bifid; fruit, 1<br />
to 2 cm long, ovoid, capsular, s<strong>of</strong>tly spiny, green to purplish-brown, with three 1-seeded<br />
lobes, dehiscent; seeds, 0.5 to 1.5 cm long, oblong-ellipsoid, compressed dorsally,<br />
smooth, mottled with brown, black and grey or white, very oily. Weed <strong>of</strong> roadsides and<br />
waste places. 3, 4(137N), 5(145), 6, 7, 8.<br />
Synadenium cupulare (Boiss.) Wheeler<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Rare. Large, succulent shrub, 1 to 1.6 m high,<br />
with thick cylindrical, thornless branches; leaves, 5 to 10 crn long, alternate, inverted<br />
ovate or obovate, thick, cuneate, taprring to a short petiole; flowers, small, red, borne in<br />
cyathia in axillary and terminal umbels, with a greenish-yellow gland. Pot plant at Cliff<br />
Lodge. 5, 6.<br />
FABACEAE OR LEGUMINOSAE (Bean, Pea or Legume Family)<br />
Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. "sweet acacia", "West Indian blackhorn", "cassie flower",<br />
" klu" (Hawaii) katin, debena (B)(N); te bakoa, te kai bakoa (K)<br />
syns. Mimosa .farnesiana L. ; Vachdlia farnesiana (L.) W. & A.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop America. Occasional. Erect, much-branching<br />
shrub, up to 3 m or higher, <strong>the</strong> trunk and branches bearing numerous straight, slender<br />
stipular spines, 4 to 30 mm long; leaves, dark green, finely divided, bipinnate, with 2 to<br />
6 (rarely 8) pairs <strong>of</strong> compound leaflets (pinnae), 1 to 4 cm long, each with 8 to 25 pairs<br />
<strong>of</strong> small leaflets, 3 to 6 mm long and 1 to 1.5 mm wide; flowers in pedunculate axillary<br />
heads, 1 to 3 heads toge<strong>the</strong>r, peduncles, 1 to 3 cm long; flower heads, about 1.3 cm<br />
across, subglobose, yellow to yellow-orange, fragrant, stamens numerous; fruit, a pod, 5<br />
to 8 cm long and 8 to 15 mm in diameter, plump, cylindrical or subterete, curved, dark<br />
brown to black, indehiscent; pulp, sweetish; seeds, compressed, elliptic, brown. Found in<br />
waste places and on roadsides. Glue made from seed pod. 2, 3(58640), 4(159N), 5, 6, 7,<br />
8(9568).<br />
Acacia sp. "acacia"<br />
Recent introduction. Australia? Rare. Planted ornamental tree. 3(58699).
Adenan<strong>the</strong>ra pavonina L.<br />
bin ("beanU)(N); lopa (T)<br />
"red-bead tree", "false wiliwili" (Hawaii)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction? Malaysia. Common. Medium-sized, deciduous<br />
tree, up to 7 m or higher; leaves, bipinnate, with 2 to 8 pairs <strong>of</strong> compound leaflets<br />
(pinnae), each with 6 to 12 pairs <strong>of</strong> alternate leaflets, 2 to 5 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide,<br />
ovate, obtuse, glabrous, ra<strong>the</strong>r pale green, thin; petiolules about 2 mm long; flowers,<br />
greenish-white to yellowish, sweet-fragrant, short-pedicellate, borne in slender, elongate<br />
axillary or aggregated terminal pedunculate racemose clusters, up to 15 cm or more long;<br />
calyx, campanulate, 4- to 5-too<strong>the</strong>d; stamens 8 to 10; fruit, a pod, up to 25 cm or longer<br />
and 2 cm wide, slender, flattened, linear at first, becoming falcately curved or contorted,<br />
brown, smooth and shiny inside, 2-valved, dehiscent, becoming spirally twisted after<br />
dehiscence; seeds, about 8 mm across, 10 to 12 per pod, lenticular, suborbicular, hard,<br />
very ornamental, dark or bright red. Spontaneous tree in escarpment and Buada forests<br />
and in older strip-mined areas. Seeds used in necklaces and eaten by children. 3(58804),<br />
5(142), 6, 7.<br />
Alysicarpus vaginalis (L.) DC. "alysicarpus" , "one-leaved clover"<br />
syns. Hedysarum vaginale L; A. nummularifoliur (L.) DC.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Paleotropics. Common. More or less prostrate,<br />
somewhat suffruticose hispid branching, spreading herb, with jointed stems up to 1 m or<br />
more long; leaves, 0.3 to 5 cm long and 0.2 to 3 cm wide, alternate, somewhat dimor-<br />
phic, <strong>the</strong> proximal elliptic-subobovate, <strong>the</strong> distal narrower, lanceolate, rounded at <strong>the</strong><br />
tips, obtuse or truncate at base; petioles, 1 to 8 mm long, slender; stipules, prominent;<br />
flowers, about 6 lnm long, pinkish to reddish purple, short-pedicellate, borne in ra<strong>the</strong>r<br />
dense short terminal racemose clusters, up to 8 cm long, 6 to 12 flowers to a cluster;<br />
fruit, pods, 1 to 2.5 cm long, crowded, 5 to 7 seeded, cylindric, rugose, jointed,<br />
indehiscent, but breaking at <strong>the</strong> joints between seeds at maturity; seeds, about 1.5 mm<br />
long, oblong-oval, brown to pale brown or yellowish. Weed in open or semi-open places,<br />
along jeep tracks in unmined forest, and a pioneer plant in recently mined areas. 2,<br />
3(58744, 58763), 4(115N), 5(88), 6, 7.<br />
Bauhinia monandra Kurz "pink bauhinia", "orchid tree", "pink butterfly tree",<br />
"St. Thomas tree"<br />
Recent introduction. Burma. Occasional. Shrub or small tree, up to 5 m or higher,<br />
with a rounded crown, smooth gray bark and brown-hairy young growth; leaves, 7 to 20<br />
--<br />
cm long andide,alter?%ife,--0vate-obloTg InTutTTne,cordatEto Touni at 6asi<br />
palmately 3- to many-nerved, pubescent beneath when young, deeply divided at apex into<br />
2 wing- or butterfly-like lobes which extend about a fifth to half way to <strong>the</strong> base, lobes<br />
obtuse to subacuminate; calyx, spathaceous or 5-lobed; flowers, orchid-like, up to 10 cm
across, several toge<strong>the</strong>r in terminal or axillary racemes; petals 5, erect or spreading (4<br />
obovate, 1 ovate), each about 3 to 5 cm long and 2 to 3 cm across, white to pink with<br />
red or purple blotches or dots, <strong>the</strong> uppermost one with deeper red, yellow or yellow<br />
margined; fertile stamen 1, stami<strong>no</strong>des 5, small; pods, 15 to 18 cm long and about 3 cm<br />
wide, oblong or linear, flattened, lea<strong>the</strong>ry, ra<strong>the</strong>r shiny brownish or black; seeds, ovate,<br />
compressed, dull brown, free or separated by tissue or septa. Planted ornamental.<br />
3(58785), 5, 6(224), 7.<br />
Bauhinia variegata L "white bauhinia", "orchid tree", "butterfly tree", "purple<br />
orchid tree", "moun tain ebony"<br />
Recent introduction. India, Burma and China. Rare. Shrub or small tree, up to 8<br />
m high; leaves, 5 to 14 cm long and wide, alternate, broadly ovate to suborbicular,<br />
cordate to truncate at based, palmately-nerved, split at apex into 2 wing-like lobes which<br />
extend about a third <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> way or less to <strong>the</strong> base, lobes rounded; flowers, several<br />
toge<strong>the</strong>r in terminal or axillary racemes; petals 5, obovate, 4 to 6 cm long and 2 to 3 cm<br />
across, <strong>the</strong> uppermost one broader, variable from pale purple to rose or white or yellow,<br />
with one petal variegated with red and yellow; fertile stamens 5, stami<strong>no</strong>des 5, about half<br />
as long as <strong>the</strong> stamens; pods, up to 30 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. The tree is variable<br />
with <strong>the</strong> two main varieties being B. variegata var. variegata, with pale purple to rose<br />
petals, with purple or crimson veins or blotches, and var. candida with white petals with<br />
green veins, and somewhat purplish on <strong>the</strong> exterior. Planted ornamental tree. 6(194), 7.<br />
Caesalpinia bonduc Roxb. "beach nicker", "gray nicker", "nicker bean"<br />
dugienae, dogienae (N)<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pantropical. Rare. Scrambling to climbing shrub with long branches<br />
with sharp, recurved, hooked spines, young parts brown pubescent; leaves, 30 to 80 cm<br />
long, bipinnate with 6 to 12 pairs <strong>of</strong> pinnae; stipules pinnate, subpersistent, leafy,<br />
composed <strong>of</strong> 2 or 3 superimposed parts, caducous; leaflets (pinnae), 1.5 to 6.5 cm long<br />
and 0.5 to 3 cm wide, opposite or subopposite, ovate to elliptic-oblong, inequilaterally<br />
rounded or cuneate at base, obtuse to subacute at apex, slightly pubescent; petiolules, 2<br />
to 3 mm long; flowers, about 1 cm long, numerous, in supra-axillary racemose clusters,<br />
calyx greenish brown, corolla yellow, pedicels at anti<strong>the</strong>sis 6 to 12 mm long; pods, 4.5<br />
to 9 cm long and 3 to 5 cm wide, oblong, inflated, prickly, dehiscent; seeds 1 or 2,<br />
about 1 to 1.8 cm in diameter, subglobose, smooth, glossy gray or olive green, very<br />
hard. Large shrub in coastal thicket and in overgrown garden on Command Ridge.<br />
5(114), 6(158, 212, 269).<br />
Caesalpinia pulcherrinia (L.) Sw. "pride <strong>of</strong> Barbados", "dwarf poinciana",<br />
"Barbados flower fence"<br />
syn. Poinciana pulcherrima L.
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Shrub, up to 2 to 3 m tall, with<br />
branches bearing short, stiff, scattered prickles; leaves, up to 30 cm long, alternate,<br />
bipinnate, pinnae 4 to 8 pairs, each with 5 to 13 pairs <strong>of</strong> leaflets; leaflets, about 2 to 2.5<br />
cm long and up to 1 cm wide, light green, elliptic, obtuse or with shallow <strong>no</strong>tch at apex,<br />
obliquely inequilateral; flowers, on long pedicels in long terminal racemes, petals 5, 15<br />
to 25 mm long, spreading, orbicular or oblong, crinkly-edged, usually long-clawed,<br />
scarlet to orange-red or red-and-yellow, usually with yellow wavy margins, or all yellow<br />
(var. flava); filaments, 5 to 7.5 cm long, mostly scarlet, longer than petals; pedicels, 2.5<br />
to 10 cm long; pods, up to 10 cm long and 2 cm wide, coriaceous, oblong, smooth,<br />
brown to black, several-seeded, dehiscent; seeds, 6 to 8 per pod, brown, compressed,<br />
Planted ornamental. 3(58789), 5(38), 6, 7.<br />
Cajanus cajan (Mill.) Millsp. "pigeon pea", "red gram", arhar dhal (Hindi)<br />
syns. C. indicus Spreng.; C. flavus DC.; Cystisus cajan L.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. India and sou<strong>the</strong>ast Asia. Said to have been<br />
introduced in 1935, but <strong>no</strong>t seen in 1978 or <strong>the</strong>reafter, but possibly re-introduced since<br />
<strong>the</strong>n by expatriate Indian contract employees. Erect, short-lived, perennial pubescent<br />
shrub, 1 to 3 m or higher, with prominently ribbed stems and a pro<strong>no</strong>unced taproot,<br />
sometimes grown as an annual; leaves, spirally arranged, pinnately trifoliate; leaflets, 2.5<br />
to 12 cm long and 1.5 to 4 cm wide, elliptic to lanceolate, acute, dotted beneath with<br />
resin glands, grayish-green pubescent, soon glabrate above, finely silvery-pilose beneath,<br />
longer-stalked terminal leaflet usually larger than short-stalked laterals; petiole, grooved,<br />
about 2 to 8 cm long; stipules, ovate, hairy, about 4 mm long; flowers, about 2.5 cm<br />
long, in long-pedunculate terminal panicles, also axillary and subcapitate-racemose,<br />
subequal to <strong>the</strong> leaves in length; calyx 4-lobed, two upper lobes united (connate); corolla,<br />
12 to 17 mm in diameter, petals, usually suborbicular, reflexed auriculate at base, bright<br />
yellow, marked with dark reddish-brown to crimson lines within and <strong>of</strong>ten flushed with<br />
brown to red without, wings yellow, keel yellow-green; pods, 4 to 10 cm long and 6 to<br />
15 mm wide, linear-oblong, flattened, inflated, pubescent-glandular, pointed, with<br />
diagonal depressions between <strong>the</strong> seeds, <strong>of</strong>ten streaked with purplish black to reddish<br />
brown, tardily dehiscent; seeds, variable in shape and color, 2 to 8, up to 8 mm in<br />
diameter, globose, compressed, cream-colored to reddish or brownish or speckled with<br />
small white hilum, edible. Cultivated food plant.<br />
Calopogonium mucu<strong>no</strong>ides Desv. "calopogonium" , "calopo"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Slender creeping or twining perennial<br />
herbaceous vine, coarsely brown-tawny _pubescent; leaves pinnate& trifoliate;-leaflets,<br />
petiolate, nearly equal in size, about 3 to 7 cm long and 2 to 6 cm wide, ovate to<br />
rhomboid, obtuse to apiculate-subacute at apex, densely pubescent; flowers, 7 to 10 mm<br />
long, axillary, short- to long-pedunculate, sessile or nearly so, medium to pale blue or<br />
slightly purplish, sometimes with proximal yellow blotches; pods 2 to 4 cm long and 3 to
5 mm wide, compressed-convex, slightly constricted between <strong>the</strong> seeds, coarsely<br />
pubescent; seeds 4 to 8, cube-like, flattened, about 3.5 by 3 by 2 mm, pale brown.<br />
Locally abundant weed in low ground around Buada Lagoon. Probably originally<br />
introduced as a green manure and nitrogen-fixing plant, but <strong>no</strong>w naturalized. 3(58651),<br />
6(153).<br />
Canavalia cathartics Thouars "Mauna Loa bean" (Hawaii)<br />
erekogo, irekogo (N); te kitoko (K); saketa (T)<br />
syns. C. microcarpa: (DC.) Piper; C. turgida Graham (<strong>of</strong> Burges list)<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pantropical. Occasional. Ra<strong>the</strong>r coarse creeping and high climbing<br />
herbaceous vine; leaves, about 20 cm long, alternate, trifoliate; leaflets, 8 to 15 cm long<br />
and 7 to 10 cm wide, ovate to acuminate, base rounded, obtuse, papery, whitish<br />
puberulent; flowers, 3 to 4 cm long, fragrant, short-pedicellate, few, borne on ra<strong>the</strong>r<br />
long, axillary peduncles up to 20 cm long, pedicels about 2 mm long; calyx, 5-lobed,<br />
about 14 mm long, white-puberulent, upper lip much shorter than calyx tube; corolla 5-<br />
petaled, pink to lavender, <strong>the</strong> wings and keel petals somewhat paler than <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs;<br />
pods, 10 to 12 cm long and 3 to 4.5 cm wide, thick, inflated, indehiscent or tardily<br />
dehiscent, 3-angled on one edge, pointed, tan or brown; seeds, about 6, about 1.8 cm<br />
long, ovoid, slightly flattened, brown to dark reddish-brown, hilum 9 to 14 mm long.<br />
Climbing on trees in escarpment forest <strong>of</strong> Anibare. 2(49.5), 3(58737, 58800), 5(135), 6,<br />
7.<br />
Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC.<br />
syn . Dolichos ensiforn?is L<br />
"Jack bean", "horse bean"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. W. Indies. Reported by Schumann (1898) as<br />
collected by Finch, but <strong>no</strong>t seen in 1978. Bushy erect annual herb, 1 to 2 m high, <strong>the</strong> tips<br />
<strong>of</strong> branches tending to twine; leaves trifoliate; leaflets, 6 to 15 cm long and 5 to 10 cm<br />
wide, ovate-elliptic, obtuse or shortly acute, shortly white puberulent especially on<br />
petioles and petiolules; petioles, stout, grooved above, usually longer than leaflets,<br />
terminal leaflet long-stalked, lateral leaflets short-stalked with unequilateral base; flowers,<br />
2 to 2.8 cm long, short-pedicellate, borne on axillary peduncles <strong>of</strong> 10 to 50 flowers in<br />
groups <strong>of</strong> 3 to 5 on swollen pedicelar glands, pedicels 2 mm long; calyx, 14 mm long, 5-<br />
lobed, with 2 upper and 3 smaller lower lobes, puberulent, <strong>the</strong> upper lip only slightly<br />
shorter than <strong>the</strong> calyx tube; corolla 5-petaled, rose to violet; pods, 20 to 35 cm long and<br />
2 to 3.5 cin wide, stout, somewhat compressed, pale tan or straw-colored when ripe,<br />
pendant, spirally dehiscent, ribbed near upper suture; seeds, 8 to 20, about 2 cm long<br />
and 1.3 cm wide, oblong, somewhat compressed, ivory white with brown scar, hilum<br />
about 9 mm long, pale brown with orange margin.
Canavalia rosea (Sw.) DC. "sea bean", "bay bean"<br />
erekogo (N); te kitoko (K)<br />
syns. C. maritima (Aubl.) Thouars; C. obtusifolia (Lam.) DC.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pantropical. Rare. Prostrate, ra<strong>the</strong>r coarse trailing or weakly climbing<br />
glabrous or slightly pubescent herbaceous vine; leaves, alternate, trifoliate; leaflets, 6 to<br />
12 cm and nearly as wide, fleshy-coriaceous, elliptic to suborbicular, subovate or<br />
subobovate, obtuse or slightly emarginate-<strong>no</strong>tched at apex, base rounded, obtuse to acute,<br />
with pubescent appressed hairs; flowers, 2 cm to 3 cm long, short-pedicellate, in long-<br />
pedunculate axillary few-flowered racemes, up to 20 cm long, slightly shorter than <strong>the</strong><br />
leaves; pedicel about 3 mm long; calyx 5-lobed, about 12 mm long, whitish-puberulent,<br />
upper lip much shorter than tube, lowest tooth 2 mm long; corolla, 5-petaled, about 3 cm<br />
long (standard), pink to purple, commonly with white blotch or yellowish proximally, <strong>the</strong><br />
wings and keel petals pale magenta; pods, 8 to 15 cm long and 2 to 3 cm wide, broadly<br />
linear, inflated or only slightly compressed, spirally dehiscent, pale tan; seeds, about 1.8<br />
cm long, elliptic, slightly compressed, brown with dark marbling, hilum about 7 mm<br />
long. Found in beach vegetation. 7(27804).<br />
Cassia alata L. "golden candelabra bush", "Roman candle tree", "candle bush",<br />
"ringworm bush"<br />
syn. Senna alam (L.) Roxb.<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Coarse erect shrub or small tree, 2 to 5 m<br />
tall, with downy green branches and strong-smelling foliage and bark; leaves, 50 to 80<br />
cm long, with 5 to 13 pairs <strong>of</strong> large leaflets; leaflets, 5 to 18 cm long and 3 to 9 cm<br />
wide, <strong>the</strong> distal ones largest, ovate-oblong, obtuse, truncate, or even slightly <strong>no</strong>tched at<br />
apex, subsessile; stipules, obliquely deltoid, 6 to 16 by 3 to 10 mm; inflorescence, a<br />
striking long-pedunculate erect dense cone-like racemose spike, 15 to 60 cm long,<br />
bearing many crowded and overlapping flowers; calyx, 5-parted, sepals up to 16 mm<br />
long, yellow or orange; petals 5, 16 to 23 mm long, bright yellow, subtended by yellow<br />
or yellow-orange <strong>flora</strong>l bracts; pods, 12 to 19 cm long and 2 to 3 cm wide, straight,<br />
widely ascending, sharply tetragonal, papery or lea<strong>the</strong>ry in texture, winged lengthwise<br />
down <strong>the</strong> middle <strong>of</strong> each valve; seeds, numerous, up to 60, flat. Planted ornamental;<br />
leaves widely used as a cure for ringworm, but reportedly <strong>no</strong>t in Nauru. 5, 6.<br />
Cassia fistula L. "golden shower tree", "Indian laburnum", "pudding-pipe tree"<br />
te katia? (K)<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional. Small to medium tree, up to 10 to<br />
l~m~~~h~fiha~hort60l~andpreadX~cTOWn~~leaves~G~h<br />
-3toZFpaiKCf<br />
leaflets; leaflets, 8 to 21 cm long and 5 to 9 cm wide, subsymmetrically ovate or elliptic,<br />
acute to subacuminate; inflorescence, 15 to 65 cm long, a drooping many (15 to 75)flowered<br />
axillary raceme, resembling in size and shape a large bunch <strong>of</strong> grapes, <strong>of</strong>ten
occurring 2 or 3 toge<strong>the</strong>r; pedicels 3 to 6 cm long; calyx 5-sepaled; corolla, 4 to 6.5 cm<br />
across, 5-petaled, petals 1.6 to 3.2 cm long, bright golden yellow, subequal, shortly<br />
clawed; stamens 10, strongly accrescent (crescent-shaped) toward <strong>the</strong> abaxial side <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
flower, <strong>the</strong> filaments <strong>of</strong> 3 long abaxial stamens sigmoidally arcuate, gradually and<br />
slightly thickened in <strong>the</strong> middle, and much longer than <strong>the</strong> an<strong>the</strong>rs; pods, 30 to 60 cm<br />
long and 2 cm or less thick, cylindrical or narrowly terete, straight, smooth, hard-walled,<br />
dark brown, with seeds embedded in sweet, sticky, blackish pulp; seeds, many, up to<br />
100, brownish. Planted ornamental. 3(58529, 58788), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Cassia glauca Lam. " scrambled-egg tree?"<br />
syns. C. sulfureu DC. ex Colladon; Senna sulfurea (DC. ex Colladon)<br />
Irwin & Barneby<br />
Recent introduction. India. Rare. Small tree, 4 to 6 m high; leaves, up to 30 cm<br />
long with 4 to 7 pairs <strong>of</strong> leaflets; leaflets, up to 8.5 cm long and 3.8 cm wide, usually<br />
elliptic, paler beneath; inflorescence, a 7 to 15-flowered axillary raceme; pedicels, 2 to 4<br />
cm long; calyx 5-sepaled, innermost sepal 8 to 11.5 mm long; corolla 5-petaled, petals,<br />
up to 23 to 30 mm long, ovate to oblong-obovate, bright yellow to orange-yellow; pod,<br />
10 to 17 cm long and 1.3 to 1.8 cm wide, pla<strong>no</strong>-compressed, brown; seeds, transverse,<br />
compressed parallel to valves. Planted ornamental. 6(170, l75), 7.<br />
Cassia grandis L.f.<br />
te kasia? (K)<br />
"pink shower tree", "horse cassia"<br />
Recent introduction. Central America. Rare. Medium-sized tree up to 10 m or<br />
higher; leaves with 8 to 17 pairs <strong>of</strong> leaflets; largest ones 3.5 to 6.5 cm long and 1.2 to<br />
2.5 cm wide, oblong, obtuse at apex; inflorescence, 8 to 27 cm long, a 20 to 45-flowered<br />
raceme, axillary or borne on branches, becoming obliquely geotropic from drooping<br />
branches; pedicels, 8 to 20 mm long subtended by bracts; bracts, 2 to 5 mm long, ovate,<br />
caducous as pedicels begin to elongate; corolla, 5-petaled, longest petals 8.5 to 11 mm<br />
long; pods, 40 to 90 cm long and 3.5 to 5 cm wide, massively linear-oblong, slightly<br />
laterally compressed, keeled dorsally by 1 and ventrally by 2 parallel blunt ribs; seeds,<br />
14 to 16 mm long and 9 to 10 mm wide. Planted in home garden at Buada. 7.<br />
Cassia occidentalis L. 'c<strong>of</strong>fee senna", "arsenic bean"<br />
tan braua ("sunflower")(N); te katia? (K)<br />
syn. Senna occickntalis (L.) Link<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Abundant. Erect, branching fetid<br />
annual subshrub, up to 2 In high, with glabrous longitudinally grooved stems and <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
woody near <strong>the</strong> base; leaves, 11 to 24 cm long, alternate, pinnately compound, with 4 to<br />
6 pairs <strong>of</strong> opposite leaflets; leaflets, 3 to 12 cm long and 2 to 4 cm wide, <strong>the</strong> terminal
pair largest, elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, base inequalaterally rounded,<br />
entire, glabrous; petiole with conspicuous gland near base, petiolules 1 to 2 mm long;<br />
inflorescence, a short 1- to 5-flowered axillary or terminal raceme, each flower subtended<br />
by an acute, caducous bract; calyx deeply divided into 5 pinkish or brown-tinged sepals<br />
with rounded tips; corolla, Spetaled, each petal about 9 to 16 mm long, obovate, yellow,<br />
drying whitish and brown-veined; pods, 6 to 15 cm long and 5 to 9 mm wide, erect or<br />
narrowly ascending, linear, flattened, glabrous, falcate, <strong>the</strong> margins somewhat thickened,<br />
purplish in colour with green margins turning brown; seeds, 15 to 50, about 3 mm long,<br />
ovate, brown, mostly with broad faces turned toward septa. Weed <strong>of</strong> waste places and<br />
roadsides. Dried seeds boiled as a tea substitute during World War 11, a use learned from<br />
<strong>the</strong> Japanese; s<strong>of</strong>t leaves cooked as a spinach and used medicinally by <strong>the</strong> Chinese. 2,<br />
3(58529), 4(128N), 5(13), 6, 7, 8(9547).<br />
Centrosema pubescens Benth. " cen tro "<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. S. America. Extinct. Trailing or climbing<br />
herb, with slender pilose stems, <strong>of</strong>ten forming tangled mats; leaves trifoliate, petiolate,<br />
<strong>the</strong> terminal leaflet larger; leaflets, 3 to 9 cm long and 1.5 to 5 cm wide, ovate to<br />
elliptic, apex mucronate, base rounded, short-pilose but glabrate on both sides; inflores-<br />
cence, compact, axillary, several-flowered pseudo-raceme, each flower subtended by<br />
bracteoles about 8 mm long and equal in length or smaller than calyx; flowers blue to<br />
purple or mauve with darker veins and a white or yellowish patch down <strong>the</strong> middle <strong>of</strong><br />
largest petal (standard), <strong>the</strong> standard, up to 4 cm broad and 3 cm long, broadly orbicular,<br />
ra<strong>the</strong>r reflexed with a spur scarcely 1 mm long, pubescent without, <strong>the</strong> keel petals nearly<br />
as long as <strong>the</strong> wings; pods, up to 17 cm long and 7 mm wide, excluding persistent style,<br />
compressed, margins thickened, with 4 prominent ribs or wings near <strong>the</strong> sutures,<br />
dehiscent, <strong>the</strong> style <strong>of</strong>ten persistent as a beak; seeds, <strong>of</strong>ten about 20, 5 by 3 by 2 mm,<br />
oblong or subglobose, compressed, olive-green with red markings to red-brown with<br />
black streaks, hilum small. Reported in 1935 to have been introduced, but <strong>no</strong>t seen in<br />
1978 or <strong>the</strong>reafter. A widely used pasture legume and nitroge<strong>no</strong>us cover or green manure<br />
crop.<br />
Cicer arietinum L. "chick pea", "garbanzo bean", "Indian gram", "common gram",<br />
"chana" (Hindi)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. W. Asia. Extinct. Erect or spreading, much-<br />
branched, annual herb, 25 to 50 cm tall, downy with all parts covered with clavate<br />
glandular hairs and with tetrago<strong>no</strong>us stems and a well developed tap root; leaves, about<br />
5 cm long, imparipinnate with 9 to 15 leaflets, yellow-n to dark bluish-gr-izn;<br />
stipules, about 8 mm long, ovate, <strong>no</strong>tched; leaflets, 0.8 to 2 cm long and 0.5 to 1.5 cm<br />
wide, opposite or alternate, ovate, elliptic or obovate, serrate; inflorescence, an axillary<br />
jointed peduncle, bearing solitary flowers, 2.4 to 4 cm long, borne on pedicels 5 to 10<br />
cm long and slightly longer than peduncles; calyx, united with 5 teeth; corolla, white,
greenish, pink, purplish red or blue, pink flowers fading to blue with age, standard<br />
(largest petal), 1 to 1.5 cm long, broad and clawed, wings free, keel incurved; stamens<br />
10; pods, 1.5 to 3 cm long and 1 to 2 cm across, 1- to 2-seeded, oblong, swollen, beak<br />
obliquely placed, sometimes sterile; seeds, 0.5 by 1 cm in diameter, angular, oblong-<br />
obovoid, with pointed beak and small hilum, testa smooth, wrinkled or rough, ranging in<br />
color from white, yellow, red, brown to nearly black. Common food and fodder legume<br />
reported in 1935 to have been introduced, but <strong>no</strong>t seen in 1978 or <strong>the</strong>reafter.<br />
Clitorea ternatea L. "butterfly pea"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America or Pantropical. Fast growing perennial<br />
climbing or sprawling herb with slender stems, up to 3 m long, and a woody rootstalk,<br />
young growth somewhat pubescent; leaves, alternate, compound, odd-pinnate, with 5 to 9<br />
leaflets, one terminal; leaflets, 2 to 7 cm long and 1.5 to 4 cm wide, oblong to elliptic,<br />
obtuse, base acutish, apressed-pilose but subglabrate on both sides; petiolules, about 2<br />
mm long; stipules, short linear; flowers, mostly solitary, sometimes paired in leaf axils<br />
on pedicels about as long as petioles; calyx, about 1.5 to 2 cm long, longish-tubular<br />
subtended by 2 conspicuous basal bracteoles and lobes about half as long as tube; petals<br />
large, up to 4 by 5 cm, <strong>the</strong> standard <strong>the</strong> largest, o<strong>the</strong>r petals very small; standard, erect,<br />
half-tubular, wavy-margined, bright vivid blue to violet with a pale yellow or white<br />
proximal blotch, finely puberulent dorsally, wings much shorter, also blue with pale basal<br />
parts; pods, 8 to 12 cm long awns 0.8 to 1 cm wide, linear-oblong, compressed, 2-<br />
valved, sharp-beaked, thick-margined and slightly broad-margined distally, apressed-<br />
pilose but subglabrate, dehiscent; seeds, 5 to 10, up to 8 by 4 by 2.5 mm, ellipsoid or<br />
subglobose, compressed, greenish to pale or dark brown with darker mottling, hilum<br />
small. Occasional. Planted ornamental. 3(58778), 5(7 I), 6(246), 7.<br />
Crotalaria goreensis Guitl. & Pers. " rattlepod"<br />
Recent introduction. W. Africa. Common. Erect subshrub, 50 cm to 1 m tall,<br />
branching below; leaves, alternate, long-petiolate, trifoliate; petioles, 2 to 4 cm long;<br />
stipules foliaceous, trifoliate, similar to, but smaller than leaflets, stipular leaflets, 3 to 8<br />
mm long and 1 to 3 lnrn wide, stipular petiolules 3 to 8 mm long; leaflets, 1 to 4 cm<br />
long and 4 to 8 lnln wide, <strong>the</strong> terminal leaf longest, narrowly elliptic, acute, obovate or<br />
slightly mucronate, base acute, light gray-green, glabrous; inflorescence, a leaf opposed<br />
peduncle, 3 to 7 cm long, bearing solitary flowers, pedicels about 1 to 2 mm long; calyx<br />
funnelform, about 2 mm long; corolla, yellow; pods, 1 to 1.8 cm long, 2-valved, oblong,<br />
inflated, beaked, dehiscent; seeds, small, about 3 mm long, club- or kidney-shaped, dark<br />
brown. Widespread weed <strong>of</strong> waste places, roadsides and o<strong>the</strong>r ruderal sites on coastal<br />
strip-o-ateau . 3 (5 85>3;586r2T3873@,4(TOBN>7(3T58)76, 'l(223 1 1 )-TXOT
Crotalaria retusa L. " rattlepod"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Rare. Coarse short-lived subshrub or stiff herb,<br />
40 to 100 cm high, with pilose ribbed stems; leaves, 4 to 8 cm long and 1.5 to 2.5 cm<br />
wide, simple, alternate, obovate-oblong to oblanceolate, rounded, emarginate or mucro-<br />
nate, cuneate at base, shortly-stalked, finely pubescent, <strong>the</strong> hairs minute and closely<br />
appressed; stipules, 1 to 5 mm long, subulate; petioles, about 3 mm long; inflorescence,<br />
a dense terminal many-flowered raceme, up to 30 cm long; flowers, 2 to 3 cm long,<br />
borne on short downward bent pedicels; calyx, 2-lipped, <strong>the</strong> upper deeply bifid, <strong>the</strong><br />
lower 3-too<strong>the</strong>d; petals bright yellow, <strong>the</strong> standard, about 2 cm high and 3 cm wide,<br />
reflexed, yellow marked with purplish veins or blotches, <strong>the</strong> wings, about 1.5 cm long,<br />
yellow, almost hiding <strong>the</strong> keel, <strong>the</strong> keel with a short twisted beak; pods, 3 to 5 cm long<br />
and 1.3 to 1.8 cm wide, oblong-clavate, inflated, dehiscent, held horizontally, black<br />
when dry; seeds, about 20, about 4 mm long, yellowish or golden-brown. Weed <strong>of</strong><br />
ruderal habitats and roadsides. 4(158N).<br />
Crotalaria spectabilis Roth<br />
syn. C. sericea Retz.<br />
"rattlepod"<br />
Recent introduction. India and Paleotropics. Occasional. Erect robust, smooth-<br />
stemmed subshrub, up to 1 m or higher, leaves, 5 to 13 cm long, obovate, oblanceolate<br />
or sometimes spoonshaped, base acuininate or cuneate, shortly petiolate, glabrous above,<br />
with s<strong>of</strong>t silky hairs (villose) below; stipules sessile and persistent; inflorescence, a loose<br />
peduncle, 30 cm or longer, bearing 20 or more flowers; flowers, 2.5 cm or longer,<br />
bright yellow or purple?; <strong>flora</strong>l bracts, leaflike, oval or cordate; calyx, about 12 mm<br />
long, glabrous, cleft more than halfway to <strong>the</strong> base; pods. 2.5 to 5 cm long, 2-valved,<br />
bladder-shaped, glabrous, containing a small number <strong>of</strong> seeds, which at maturity become<br />
loose in <strong>the</strong> pod. Weed near Buada Lagoon, in gardens, and near coast in Nibok;<br />
occasionally cultivated in home gardens. 3(58647), 4, 6, 7, 8(9579).<br />
Cyamopsis tetrago<strong>no</strong>loba (L.) Taub. "cluster bean", "guar" (Hindi)<br />
syns. C. psoraloides (Lam.) DC. ; Psoralea tetrago<strong>no</strong>loba L. ; Dolichos psora-<br />
loides Lam.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. India. Extinct. Robust bushy annual, 1 to 3 m<br />
high, with stiff, erect, angled, grooved, white-pilose branches; leaves, alternate,<br />
trifoliate; leaflets, ovate, sparsely serrate; inflorescence, a dense axillary raceme bearing<br />
6 to 30 solitary flowers in axils <strong>of</strong> caducous bracts; calyx, cupuliform, oblique, <strong>the</strong><br />
lowermost tooth <strong>the</strong> longest; petals 5, strongly veined, <strong>the</strong> standard, about 8 mm long,<br />
o b o v a f e ; - m ~ e d , ~ t e ; ~ ~ ~ m f K t h ~ 1 , p i ~ pms ~ s ~ t n e<br />
erect, slightly gibbous or short-calcarate; pods, 4 to 10 cm long, linear, compressed, with<br />
a marked beak, a double ridge on <strong>the</strong> dorsal side and a single ridge on <strong>the</strong> ventral side,<br />
septate between <strong>the</strong> seeds, dehiscent, borne in stiff erect clusters; seeds 5 to 12, about 5
mm long, compressed-oval, white to gray or blackish. Cultivated food plant, <strong>the</strong> young<br />
tender pod which are cooked as a vegetable; reported in 1935 to have been introduced,<br />
but <strong>no</strong>t seen in 1978 or <strong>the</strong>reafter.<br />
Delonix regia (Bojer) Raf. "poinciana", "royal poinciana", "flame tree", "flamboyant",<br />
"flame <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> forest" bin ("bean"), red tree (N); te tua (K); fuatausaga (T)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Madagascar. Occasional. Rapidly growing,<br />
medium-sized, spreading, broad-crowned deciduous tree, up to 10 to 12 m high and<br />
several times as wide, with smooth, light-colored bark; leaves, mostly 20 to 60 cm long,<br />
alternate, bipinnate, frond-like, with 10 to 20 pairs <strong>of</strong> pinnae; pinnae, about 10 cm long,<br />
each with 25 to 35 pairs <strong>of</strong> leaflets; leaflets, 0.5 to 1 cm long, opposite, oblong-elliptic,<br />
obtusish, base oblique, subsessile, glabrous, medium green; stipules, inconspicuous,<br />
forked at base, <strong>the</strong> divisions pinnate, with 3 to 6 leaflets; inflorescence, an axillary<br />
corymbose-raceme bearing large, showy flowers, 7.5 to 10 cm across, aggregated near<br />
ends <strong>of</strong> branchlets; bracts, small, caducous, bracteoles <strong>no</strong>ne; calyx, short-tubed, sepals 5,<br />
valvate, subequal, free at anti<strong>the</strong>sis; petals 5, about 4 to 7 cm long, subequal in size,<br />
brilliant crimson to scarlet or red-orange, conspicuously clawed, imbricate (overlapping),<br />
<strong>the</strong> uppermost with whitish or yellowish streaks or mottling, broad-bladed and stalked<br />
with <strong>the</strong>ir distal part abruptly expanded, orbicular with wavy edges; pods, 13 to 60 cm<br />
long and 3 to 5 cm wide, linear-oblong, parallel-edged, flattened, shortly-beaked at tip,<br />
woody or coriaceous, pendent, septate, dark reddish-brown turning black, filled within<br />
between <strong>the</strong> seeds, many-seeded, persistent, dehiscent; seeds, oblong-cylindric, trans-<br />
verse, gray with pale margins, testa hard. Planted ornamental; flowers used in garlands.<br />
3(58620), 5(121), 6, 7.<br />
Derris trifoliata Lour. "beach derris root", "beach poison vine"<br />
syns. Derris uligin,osa Benth. ; Robinia uligi<strong>no</strong>sa Willd.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Trop. Africa to Polynesia. Occasional. Glabrous creeping and<br />
climbing shrub with prostrate rooting stems and ra<strong>the</strong>r large, scattered lenticels, climbing<br />
to a height <strong>of</strong> 5 to 6 m; leaves, alternate, 3 to 7-foliate; leaflets, 4 to 12 cm long and 2 to<br />
6 cm wide, ovate to elliptic-ovate, acute-acuminate or cuspidate at apex (acumen rounded<br />
or emarginate at tip), base obtuse or rounded-subtruncate, subcoriacious, ra<strong>the</strong>r glossy<br />
medium-green, slightly paler but <strong>no</strong>t glaucous dorsally, <strong>the</strong> secondary nerves prominulous<br />
beneath, petiolate; petioles, 4 to 8 mm long; inflorescences, axillary short-pedunculate<br />
racemes bearing flowers on short slender pedicels; calyx, 2 to 3 mm long, pale green;<br />
corolla, 6 to 8 mm long, petals, pale pink or greenish-white and faintly pink-tinged; <strong>the</strong><br />
filaments and styles white; pods, 3 to 5 cm long and 2 to 3.5 wide, subreniform or<br />
subrhomboid to broadly oblong, flat, with a wing, 1 to 2 mm broad, along <strong>the</strong> upper<br />
suture, greenish or tan, conspicuously veiny, 1- to 2-seeded; seeds, 1.5 to 2.4 cm long,<br />
oblong-reniform. In forest on cliffs and steep slopes <strong>of</strong> escarpment surrounding <strong>the</strong>
central plateau. No reported use in Nauru, although <strong>the</strong> roots, which contain rote<strong>no</strong>ne,<br />
are <strong>of</strong>ten used for fish poison throughout <strong>the</strong> Pacific. 3(58803), 6.<br />
Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC. "Florida beggarweed "<br />
syns. D. purpureum (Mill.) Fawc. & Rendle; Hedysarum purpureum Mill.; H.<br />
tortuosum S w .<br />
Recent introduction. W. Indies and Central America. Common. Erect subshrub or<br />
annual, somewhat woody (ligneous), branching herb, up to about 2 m high, with slender<br />
densely and finely pubescent longitudinally grooved stems; leaves, alternate, trifoliate;<br />
petioles, <strong>of</strong>ten reddish; stipules, asymmetrical, distinctly auriculate at base on side away<br />
from petiole (and less obviously on side toward petiole), acuminate from a broad base,<br />
sometimes reflexed, persistent; leaflets, 2.5 to 13 cm long and 1.5 to 7 cm wide, <strong>the</strong><br />
terminal leaflet largest, narrowly elliptic to ovate, acute to mucronate, base acute to<br />
rounded, laxly pilose with long hairs and/or short, uncinate hairs; inflorescences, simple<br />
or branching racemes, 20 to 50 cm long; calyx, deeply 5-lobed, densely pubescent, borne<br />
on a thin pedicel, 5 to 17 mm long, with many basally thickened hairs; corolla, 4 to 5<br />
mm long, pea-like (papilionaceous), white or greenish-yellow to pink shading to mauve;<br />
stamens 10, diadelphous; pods, 1.5 to 3 cm long, twisted, brown, segmented, each<br />
segment (article) 3 to 6.5 inm long and 3 to 4 mm wide, <strong>the</strong> articles suborbicular, <strong>the</strong><br />
isthmi comparatively narrow, about one-fourth as broad as articles, 2- to 7-seeded, each<br />
seed in a separate compartment which separates at maturity; seeds, compressed. Weed on<br />
roadsides, on slopes in settled areas, and in waste places. 3(58639, 58741), 4(110N),<br />
5(87), 6, 7(22308).<br />
Desmodium triflorum (L.) DC . "tropical trefoil", " three-flowered beggarweed"<br />
syn. Hedysarum triflorum L.<br />
Recent introduction. Pantropical. Occasional. Diminutive prostrate freely-<br />
branching perennial creeping herb with slender stems with appressed or weakly spreading<br />
hairs, up to 1 mln long, and a woody rootstalk, com~<strong>no</strong>nly forming a thick mat; leaves<br />
alternate, trifoliate, clover-shaped, lower leaves sometimes unifoliate; stipules sym-<br />
metrical at base, lanceolate, acuminate; leaflets, 4 to 10 mm long and almost as wide,<br />
terminal leaflet largest, sometimes bearing 2 white marks, obovate to elliptic-obovate or<br />
obocordate, rounded (obtuse) and usually distinctly (but slightly) emarginate, base<br />
narrowed to a short petiolule; inflorescence, a lax, 2- to 3-(rarely 5)-flowered fascicle<br />
(occasionally solitary), up to 6 cm long, borne opposite <strong>the</strong> leaves, each fascicle<br />
subtended by a soon caducous primary ovate-acuminate, <strong>no</strong>t congested bract,; pedicels or<br />
peduncles, 3 to 10 mm long, leng<strong>the</strong>ning in fruit to over 1 cm, puberulent with straight<br />
--- ~~~~~~~ - ----- --<br />
or ~-spreading hairs, 0.7 to 1 min long, or glabrous; calyx, appearing subequally 5-<br />
lobed, lobes shallo~ly connate at base for less than half <strong>the</strong>ir length; pale or hch<br />
pink to reddish-violet, <strong>the</strong> standard obovate, 4 to 5 mm long; pods, 6 to 20 mm long and<br />
about 2.3 mm broad, indented on <strong>the</strong> lower suture, segmented into 2 to 5 articles, each 2
to 4 mm long and broad, indehiscent, with only uncinate hairs, <strong>the</strong> isthmi two-thirds to<br />
three-quarters as broad as <strong>the</strong> articles; seeds, bean-shaped (reniform). Weed in gardens,<br />
lawns and in shaded ruderal habitats on plateau. Possibly deliberately introduced as a<br />
green manure and cover crop. 3(58708, 58803), 4(126N), 5(148), 6, 7.<br />
Dolichos lablab L. "hyacinth bean", lablab bean", "dolichos", "bovanist bean", "Egyptian<br />
bean", "Indian bean", "bataw or batani bean (Philippines)<br />
syns. D . purpureus L.; Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet; L. niger<br />
Medik. ; L. vulgaris Savi; L. cultratus DC.<br />
Recent introduction. Paleotropics. Rare. Vigorous perennial, glabrous or finely<br />
pubescent twining or scrambling herbaceous vine, from 1.5 to 6 m long or high, all parts<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten flushed with purple; leaves, alternate, trifoliate; petioles, 6 to 26 cm long; leaflets,<br />
5 to 15 cm long and nearly as wide, entire, broadly triangular ovate, lateral leaflets<br />
oblique, acute-acuminate, base obtuse, subglabrous or s<strong>of</strong>tly ,pubescent, 3-nerved from<br />
base, midrib branched upward, <strong>the</strong> terminal leaf longer stalked; inflorescences, erect,<br />
terminal and axillary peduncles, 5 to 40 cm long, bearing pseudoracemose clusters <strong>of</strong> 1<br />
to 5 flowers toge<strong>the</strong>r at <strong>no</strong>des along <strong>the</strong> peduncle, each about 1.5 cm long, on slender<br />
pedicels up to 1 cm long; bracts and bracteoles, 2 to 5 mm long, caducous; calyx, about<br />
equal in length to <strong>the</strong> pedicels, 4-lobed, campanulate, bilabiate, <strong>the</strong> 2 upper lobes joined<br />
into an entire or emarginate lip, <strong>the</strong> lower lip 3-lobed; petals, small, violet or whitish,<br />
<strong>the</strong> standard up to 14 mm long and 20 mm across, orbicular, reflexed, auriculate at base,<br />
<strong>the</strong> wings obliquely obovate, longer than <strong>the</strong> keels, <strong>the</strong> keel petals incurved at a right<br />
angle, obtuse with a small convex pocket at base; stamens 10; pod, 6 to 12 cm long by 2<br />
to 4 cm wide, 2-valved, obliquely oblong, flattened, <strong>of</strong>ten curved, beaked at tip with<br />
persistent style; seeds, 3 to 6, usually <strong>no</strong>t larger than 15 by 9 by 5 mm, ovoid, slightly<br />
compressed, dark brown, reddish or pale tan or white, <strong>of</strong>ten speckled, <strong>the</strong> hilum linear<br />
with whitish rim-aril. Food plant in Filipi<strong>no</strong> gardens at Location; <strong>the</strong> young pods and<br />
tender seeds cooked as a vegetable. Said to have been introduced in 1935 and established<br />
by 1936. 5, 6.<br />
Erythrina variegata L. var. variegata "variegated' coral tree"<br />
Recent introduction. Pacific Is. Rare. Differs from E. variegata var. orientalis<br />
(see description below) in having narrower, more lea<strong>the</strong>ry leaves, which are mottled or<br />
variegated with light yellow along <strong>the</strong> midribs and side veins, and larger lighter-colored<br />
flowers in longer erect clusters. Planted ornamental. 3, 5(39), 6, 7.<br />
-- - - _. -<br />
Erythrina variegata var. orientalis (L.) Merr. "coral tree",<br />
yora, yoreh (N)<br />
syns. E. inllica Lam. ; E. corallodendron var. orientalis (L.) Merr.
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Indopacific. Occasional. Medium to large deciduous tree, up to 25 m<br />
high, <strong>the</strong> trunk and branches usually with coarse spiny thorns; leaves, alternate, trifoliate,<br />
membra<strong>no</strong>us, rachis <strong>no</strong>t including <strong>the</strong> petiole 12 to 40 cm long; petioles, 9 to 20 cm<br />
long; leaflets, 6 to 30 cm long and nearly as wide, broadly triangular-ovate, rhombic or<br />
cuspidate, acute-acuminate, rounded, acutish or truncate at base, lower leaflets somewhat<br />
oblique, with prominent glands below <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> petiolules; petiolules, 5 to 14 mm long;<br />
inflorescence, a dense axillary or terminal pedunculate raceme, up to 40 cm long, bearing<br />
numerous flowers, about 6 cm long, clustered near <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> raceme; calyx tube in<br />
bud closed at orifice, early broken by <strong>the</strong> emergent corolla; petals, bright dark red or<br />
scarlet, very unequal, <strong>the</strong> standard 5 to 8 by 2 to 3.5 cm, broadly elliptic, narrowed<br />
proximally to a short claw, <strong>the</strong> keel petals separate, obovate, rounded at apex, nearly as<br />
long as <strong>the</strong> wings, <strong>the</strong>se obovate, rounded, about one-third as long as <strong>the</strong> standard; pod,<br />
10 to 45 cm long and 2 to 3.5 cm in diameter, <strong>no</strong>t or slightly constricted between <strong>the</strong><br />
seeds, <strong>the</strong> valves coarsely reticulate-veined, glabrous, black, tardily dehiscent; seeds, 1 to<br />
12, 1.2 by 2.5 cm, ovoid, bright red to brownish red, <strong>the</strong> hilum oblong. Planted or<br />
spontaneous on coastal strip and in old strip-mined land; a number <strong>of</strong> large specimens<br />
along road near Nauru Phosphate Company tennis court area. Trunks and thick branches<br />
used for living fence posts, and in ca<strong>no</strong>e construction in <strong>the</strong> past; flowers used in<br />
garlands in <strong>the</strong> past. 3(58737a), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp. "gliricidia", "madre de cacao (mo<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong><br />
cocoa)", "Nicaragua cocoa shade"<br />
syn . Robinia. sepiurn Jacq.<br />
Recent introduction. Central and <strong>no</strong>r<strong>the</strong>rn So. America. Small semi-deciduous<br />
fast-growing tree, up to 10 In tall, with pale bark and ascending stems; leaves, 15 to 25<br />
cm long, imparipinnate, with 5 to 17 leaflets; leaflets, 3 to 8.5 cm long and 1.5 to 5 cm<br />
wide, opposite, ovate, ovate-oblong to elliptic-oblong, obtusely acuminate, <strong>of</strong>ten with<br />
brown blotches or bronzy and glaucous beneath, dull green above, glabrate; inflorescen-<br />
ces, stiff short racemes, 5 to 13 cm long, on <strong>the</strong> older branches after <strong>the</strong> leaves have<br />
fallen, bearing single flowers, each about 1.8 to 2 cin long, on <strong>the</strong> rachis; bracts, small,<br />
bracteoles <strong>no</strong>ne; pedicels, 8 to 12 mm long, jointed at tip; calyx, cupuliform, puberulent,<br />
red-tinged; petals 5, rose or paler pink, <strong>the</strong> standard, large, suborbicular, reflexed,<br />
sometimes with small inflexed auricles, claw very short, with a pale yellow central<br />
blotch, <strong>the</strong> wings falcate-oblong, free, shorter than <strong>the</strong> keel, <strong>the</strong> keel petals incurved,<br />
sometimes partly yellowish; stamens, 10, <strong>the</strong> filaments <strong>of</strong> 9 connate into <strong>the</strong> sheath;<br />
pods, 8 to 16 cm long and 1.5 to 1.9 cm wide, 2-valved, linear-oblong, flattened, <strong>no</strong>n-<br />
partitioned, dehiscent, <strong>the</strong> valves coriaceous; seeds, 2 to 9, purplish-brown. Planted<br />
roadside ornamental on Meneng Terrace. Widely used in tropical America and elsewhere<br />
as a shadetree for tree for cocoa, bananas and c<strong>of</strong>fee and as a living fence and wind-
Hardenbergia violacea (Schneev.) F. C. Stern "sarsaparilla"<br />
Recent introduction. Australia. Rare. A climbing or scrambling evergreen herb;<br />
leaves, simple; inflorescence, clusters <strong>of</strong> violet flowers with yellow markings. Ornamen-<br />
tal pot plant. 6.<br />
Indig<strong>of</strong>era hirsuta L. "hirsute indigo"<br />
Recent introduction. Africa and Madagascar to sou<strong>the</strong>rn Asia and Australia.<br />
Occasional. Erect or low spreading shrub, up to 1 m tall, stiffly and copiously brown-<br />
hirsute with long hairs and woody at <strong>the</strong> base; leaves, imparipinnate with 5 to 7 leaflets;<br />
leaflets, up to 4.5 by 2.5 cm, opposite, elliptic-obovate, densely pilose on both sides;<br />
inflorescence, a dense raceme, 20 to 30 cm long, <strong>the</strong> peduncle, 2.5 to 8 cm long, both<br />
peduncle and pedicels brown pubescent; calyx about 4 mm long, divided nearly to base<br />
with linear-setaceous lobes, brown pubescent; corolla, small, with brick-red to salmon-<br />
red or rose-colored petals; pods, 1.2 to 2 cm long and about 2 mm in diameter, straight,<br />
cylindrical, somewhat tetragonal, with spreading dark brown hairs; seeds, 6 to 9, nearly<br />
square or rectangular in outline. In plateau forest along path. 3(58614, 58730), 5(136),<br />
8(9545).<br />
Indig<strong>of</strong>era spicata Forssk. "creeping indigo"<br />
syns. I. hendecaphylla Jacq.; I. endecaphylla Jacq. ex Lam. (sphalm?)<br />
Recent introduction. Africa and Madagascar to Yemen, sou<strong>the</strong>ast Asia and<br />
Australia. Occasional. Spreading or prostrate annual herb, with stems sometimes<br />
ascending to 60 cm; leaves imparipinnate with 5 to 11 leaflets (usually 7); leaflets, 3 to<br />
30 mm long, alternate or rarely opposite, elliptic to obovate, apex mucronate, shortly<br />
petiolate; inflorescence, an axillary raceme, up to 15 cm long, <strong>the</strong> peduncle 1 to 4 cm<br />
long, <strong>the</strong> pedicels, about 0.5 lnm long; calyx, 2 to 3 mm long, divided nearly to <strong>the</strong><br />
base; corolla, 4 to 5 lnm long, salmon pink; pods, 11 to 25 mm long and about 2 mm in<br />
diameter, straight, cylindrical, appressed-strigulose or pubescent; seeds, 5 to 8. Roadside<br />
weed on coastal strip and plateau. 4(123N), 6, 7.<br />
Leucaena leucocephala (Lam .) de Wit "leucaena" , " koa haole" (Hawaii), "lead tree",<br />
"wild tamarind" bin ("beanN)(N); te kai tetua (K)<br />
syns. L. glauca (L. ex Willd.) Benth.; Mimosa leucocephala Lam.; Mimosa<br />
glauca sensu L.; Acacia leucocephala (Lam.) Link<br />
~ - ~<br />
~ -~ ~ ~ p~~<br />
- - ~<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Common. Erect slender shrub or<br />
small tree, 1 to 5 m high, young growth puberulent; leaves, alternate, bipinnate, to 25<br />
cm long, with 3 to 10 pairs <strong>of</strong> opposite pinnae, 5 to 10 cm long, each with 7 to 20 pairs
<strong>of</strong> leaflets; petioles, up to 10 cm or longer; leaflets, 6 to 19 mm long and 1.5 to 5 mm<br />
wide, opposite, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, acute, asymmetrical, inequilateral at<br />
base, sessile, somewhat dull grayish-green, glabrous; flowers, 1.5 to 3 cm in diameter, in<br />
dense, axillary globose, head-like, pedunculate clusters; peduncles, up to 4 to 6 cm long;<br />
calyx, 2.5 mm long, tubular, short-dentate with 5 small lobes at top; petals 5, 4 to 5 mm<br />
long, linear, free, pale green or white; stamens, 10, nearly 1 cm long, long-exserted,<br />
filaments white, an<strong>the</strong>rs hairy, pale yellow; pods, 8 to 20 cm long and 1 to 2.2 cm wide,<br />
clustered, 2 -valved, strap-shaped, linear, flat, beaked at apex, <strong>no</strong>t septate, dark brown,<br />
more or less dehiscent; seeds, 15 to 25, about 6 mm long, transverse, oval-oblong, flat,<br />
glossy brown. Spontaneous in disturbed habitats on escarpment slopes below plateau and<br />
in isolated stands on coastal strip. Used as firewood. 3(58638), 4(161N), 5(9), 6, 7,<br />
8(9564).<br />
Mimosa pudica L. var. tetrandra (HBK ex Willd.) DC.<br />
syn. M. tetrandra HBK ex Willd.<br />
"sensitive plant"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Decumbent or prostrate subwoody,<br />
loosely branching perennial creeper, up to 50 cm high, with reddish-brown stems bearing<br />
scattered curved prickles; leaves, alternate, bipinnate, with 1 to 3 pairs <strong>of</strong> pinnae,<br />
palmately arranged at <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rachis, each with 12 to 25 pairs <strong>of</strong> leaflets; leaflets,<br />
6 to 15 mm long and 1.2 to 3 mm wide, linear or oblong, acute, asymmetrical, sessile,<br />
bristly, sensitive with leaves immediately folding at pulvinate joints if touched or jarred;<br />
flowers, 1 to 2 cm in diameter, in small globose, head-like, axillary pedunculate clusters;<br />
peduncles, up to 2.5 cm long, hairy; calyx, absent or very small; corolla, 4-lobed,<br />
sympetalous, very small; stamens 4, 4 to 6 mm long, showy, rose-pink to purple; pods,<br />
0.8 to 2 crn long and 2 to 4 mm wide, clustered, thin, flat, prickly-bristly, indented<br />
between <strong>the</strong> seeds, splitting at maturity from <strong>the</strong> undivided margins into 2 to 5 one-<br />
seeded segments; seeds, 2 to 5, about 2 mm across, rounded, brown. Roadside weed near<br />
Buada Lagoon. 4(156N), 6(lgO).<br />
Peltophorum pterocarpum (DC.) Backer ex Heyne "yellow poinciana", "copperpod",<br />
"golden flamboyant", "yellow flame tree"<br />
syns. P. inerme (Roxb.) Naves; P. .firrugineum. (Dcne.) Benth. ; Inga<br />
prerocarpa DC. ; Caesalpinia inernlis Roxb. ; C. ferruginea Dcne.<br />
Recent introduction. Malaysia to N. Australia. Rare. Medium-sized, heavilyfoliaged,<br />
broad-crowned tree, 8 to 15 In high; leaves, bipinnate, 30 to 50 cm long,<br />
rachises brown puberulent, with 4 to 15 pairs <strong>of</strong> pinnae, each with 8 to 20 pairs <strong>of</strong><br />
leafle_ts;s_tip~les small, caducous; leaflets, about 0.8 to 3 cm long and 3.5 to 10 mm<br />
wide, opposite, oblong, rounded or ernarginate, base oblique, dark green;fliFEi~Eii<br />
about 2.5 cm across, fragrant, borne in large terminal racemes aggregated into panicles;<br />
bracts, lanceolate, bracteoles <strong>no</strong>ne; bracts, buds and axes brownish-reddish pubescent;<br />
calyx tube short, 5-lobed, lobes imbricate; petals, 1 to 2 cm long, orbicular to ovate,
slightly unequal, imbricate with frilly margins, subequal, bright yellow; stamens 10, free,<br />
<strong>the</strong> filaments curved; pods, 5 to 11.5 cm long and 2 to 2.7 cm wide, 2-valved, oblong-<br />
lanceolate, flattened, straight or curved, slightly winged along both margins, copper-<br />
colored, red-brown or brown when ripe, blackening eventually but persistent on <strong>the</strong> tree,<br />
veiny on <strong>the</strong> sides, indehiscent; seeds, 1 to 4, transverse, oblong, flattish, pale brown.<br />
Planted ornamental tree on Military Ridge. 5, 6.<br />
Samanea saman (Jacq.) Merr. "rain tree", " monkeypod tree"<br />
syns. Albizia saman (Jacq.) F. v. Muell. ; Mimosa saman Jacq. ; Enterolobium<br />
saman (Jacq.) Prain ex King; Pi<strong>the</strong>cellobium saman (Jacq.) Benth.; Inga<br />
saman (Jacq.) Willd.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Large to massive tree, 7 to 25 m high,<br />
<strong>the</strong> trunk up to 1 m in diameter, <strong>the</strong> crown rounded, usually broader than tall; leaves,<br />
bipinnate, with 2 to 9 pairs <strong>of</strong> pinnae, each with 2 to 10 pairs <strong>of</strong> leaflets; leaflets, 2 to 8<br />
cm long and 1 to 4.5 cm wide, <strong>the</strong> distal ones larger than <strong>the</strong> proximal ones, ovate to<br />
obovate or oblong-elliptic, asymmetric, subsessile, shining above, downy beneath, folding<br />
(closing) in late after<strong>no</strong>on for <strong>the</strong> night and in cloudy or rainy wea<strong>the</strong>r; flowers, in<br />
axillary long-pedunculate heads, <strong>the</strong> central flower larger than <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs; calyx, 6 to 7.5<br />
mm long, short lobed; corolla, up to 13 mm long, petals connate up to <strong>the</strong> middle, pink<br />
with greenish or yellowish lobes; stamens many, 2 to 4 cm long, basally connate,<br />
exserted, white proximally, shading to pink or crimson distally; pods, 9 to 24 cm long,<br />
1.3 to 2.2 cm wide and 1.5 to 2.5 mm thick, straight or slightly curved, thick but<br />
compressed, semi-succulent, internally septate, with thickened sutures, brown turning<br />
black when mature, indehiscent, containing sweet, sticky brown pulp within; seeds 15 to<br />
20, exarillate, brown. Ornamental tree in home gardens on Meneng Terrace and at<br />
Buada. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Vigna marina (Burm.) Merr. "beach pea"<br />
erekogo (N); te kitoko (K); saketa (T)<br />
syns. V. lutea (Sw.) A. Gray; Phaseohis marinus Burm.; Dolichos luteus Sw.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pantropical. Common. Prostrate, creeping, sometimes climbing,<br />
subglabrous, weak-stemmed, long-trailing herbaceous perennial vine; leaves, alternate,<br />
trifoliate; stipules, 2 to 3 lnln long, ovate to lanceolate, inconspicuously bilobate at base,<br />
early caducous; petioles, 5 to 10 cm long; leaflets, 4 to 10 cm long and 3 to 8 cm wide,<br />
broadly ovate or suborbicular to obovate, apex rounded to emarginate, base obtuse, 3-<br />
nerved from base, midrib branched upward, lateral leaflets somewhat oblique, incmspicu~dy~ap~~~asean~~ho~acesbut<br />
-soan~rate-samesslhatAleshy_;<br />
flowers, 1.5 to 2 cm long, short-pedicellate, in few-flowered racemose clusters crowded<br />
distally on axillary peduncles, up to 15 cm or longer; petals and stamens, pale to bright<br />
yellow, <strong>the</strong> standard usually 12 to 14 lnln in diameter, obovate, <strong>the</strong> keel <strong>no</strong>t much longer<br />
than o<strong>the</strong>r petals, incurved for about half a complete turn or less; pods, 4 to 8 cm long
and 5 to 7 mm wide, linear-oblong or subcylindrical, slightly curved, inflated, slightly<br />
contracted between <strong>the</strong> seeds, splitting open along <strong>the</strong> two sides when mature, green<br />
turning brown; seeds, 2 to 10, up to 7 by 6 by 5 mm, ellipsoidal, brown, with an oblong<br />
hilum and undeveloped rim-aril. Found on beaches and in open sites and waste places<br />
behind beaches; reported by Burges (1935) to be "growing plentifully wherever soil is<br />
fairly heavy and moist, e.g., as at Buada. The natives have always considered that o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
plants grew better if near Vigna . . . ." Plant used medicinally; leaves crushed to ba<strong>the</strong><br />
young girls' hair and to make adult hair grow long and black; leaves used to cover<br />
ear<strong>the</strong>n oven. 1(30.R), 2, 3(58610), 4(120N), 5(33), 6, 7, 8.<br />
Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. ssp. sesquipedalis (L.) Verdc. "long bean", "yard-long<br />
bean", "snake bean", asparagus bean", "asparagus pea"<br />
bin ("beanW)(N); te bin ("beanU)(K); tau kok (C)<br />
syns. V. swquipedalis (L.) Fruw. ; Dolichos sesquipedalis L.; Vigna sinensis (L.)<br />
Endl. ex Hassk. var. sesquipedalis (L.) Koern.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. Africa. Twining, climbing annual herb with<br />
glabrous stems, up to 2 to 4 m high; leaves, pinnately trifoliate; stipules, large, produced<br />
below <strong>the</strong> base attachment, more or less persistent; leaflets, 5 to 16 cm long and 4 to 11<br />
cm wide, <strong>the</strong> terminal leaflet with a long petiolule, ovate to rhombic-ovate, acute, entire<br />
or sometimes inconspicuously lobed, <strong>the</strong> veins sometimes purplish; inflorescence, an<br />
axillary ~on~-~edunculate few-flowered raceme, with flowers in clusters <strong>of</strong> 3 to 6; <strong>the</strong><br />
bracts and bracteoles small, caducous; pedicels, short, shorter or about as long as <strong>the</strong><br />
calyx; calyx, campanulate, bilabiate, <strong>the</strong> two upper lobes completely or partly united, <strong>the</strong><br />
lower lip 3-lobed; corolla, much exserted, petals, white or greenish, tinged with yellow,<br />
blue or purple, <strong>the</strong> standard orbicular with inflexed auricles, <strong>the</strong> wings slightly shorter<br />
than <strong>the</strong> standard, <strong>the</strong> keel petals about as long as <strong>the</strong> wings or longer, obtuse or beaked,<br />
sometimes incurved, truncate; stamens 10, alternately slightly longer and shorter, <strong>the</strong><br />
filaments <strong>of</strong> 9 connate into a sheath, <strong>the</strong> vexillary filament free, <strong>the</strong> an<strong>the</strong>rs uniform;<br />
pods, variable depending on <strong>the</strong> cultivar, 20 to 100 cm long and 0.3 to 1.1 cm broad,<br />
pendent, linear, subterete, straight or somewhat inturned or twisted, sometimes ra<strong>the</strong>r<br />
flaccid, <strong>no</strong>t septate, more or less inflated and sometimes flabby when young, dehiscent,<br />
<strong>the</strong> style dehiscent; seeds, many, usually 8 to 12 mm long, elongate reniform, variable in<br />
color. Common. Food plant in Chinese gardens at Location and Topside workshops. 5,<br />
6.
GENTIANACEAE (Gentian Family)<br />
Fagraea berteroana A. Gray ex Benth. pua (Polynesia); "pua kenikeni" (Hawaii)<br />
eijinut? (B)(N)<br />
syns. Carissa grandis Bertero ex. Guill.; Fagraea berteriana A. Gray ex Benth.;<br />
F. berteriana Benth. ex Seem.; F. grandis Pancher & Sebert<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us? Pacific Islands, from New Caledonia to as far east as <strong>the</strong> Marquesas<br />
and Hawaii, although possibly an aboriginal introduction in <strong>the</strong>se areas. Extinct; reported<br />
by Hambruch in 1910, but <strong>no</strong>t seen in 1933 or <strong>the</strong>reafter. Medium to large glabrous,<br />
<strong>of</strong>ten-branching tree, 1.5 to 20 m high, branches with conspicuous leaf scars; sometimes<br />
a scrambling, climbing or epiphytic shrub; leaves, up to 15 cm long and 8 cm wide,<br />
opposite, oval-ovate or oblong, rounded, obtuse or sub-acute-acuminate blunt, base<br />
cuneate or decurrent, entire, ra<strong>the</strong>r thick, pinnately nerved, midrib stout, lateral veins<br />
slender and obscure; petiole, up to 2.5 cm long; flowers, nearly 5 cm wide, very<br />
fragrant, fleshy, in axillary cymose clusters; calyx, 12 to 15 mm long, ra<strong>the</strong>r deeply-<br />
lobed; corolla, 5-parted, tubular, <strong>the</strong> tube 3 to 5 cm long, <strong>the</strong> lobes imbricate spreading,<br />
overlapping to <strong>the</strong> right, creamy-white turning yellow; style greenish; fruit, 3 to 5 cm<br />
long and 2 to 4 cm wide, ellipsoidal, obtuse to acute at apex, ra<strong>the</strong>r succulent, yellow<br />
turning orange to bright red when ripe; seeds, very numerous, embedded in pulp.<br />
Fragrant flowers used in garlands and to scent coconut oil in Polynesia and Melanesia. 1.<br />
Pelargonium x hortorum<br />
syn . P. hortorurn Bailey<br />
GERANIACEAE (Geranium Family)<br />
"geranium", "fish geranium"<br />
Recent introduction. So. Africa. Rare. Tender perennial subshrub, up to 50 cm<br />
high; leaves, 7 to 13 cm in diameter, rounded, scalloped, downy; flowers, <strong>no</strong>t seen. Pot<br />
plant. 6.<br />
GESNERIACEAE (Gloxinia Family)<br />
Recent introduction. C. America. Rare. Trailing or pendent perennial herb, stems<br />
up to over 1 m long; leaves, about 2.5 cm long, pale green, pubescent; flowers, 3.5 to<br />
7.5 cm long, borne on weeping stems, solitary; calyx, about 1.5 cm long, deeply 5-
parted; corolla, showy, bright scarlet with a yellow throat and underside <strong>of</strong> tube. Pot<br />
plant. 6.<br />
Columnea sp.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Pot plant. 6.<br />
Episcia cupreata (Hook.) Hanst.<br />
syn . Achimenes cuprcata. Hook.<br />
"columnea"<br />
"episcia" , "peacock plant"<br />
Recent introduction. Colombia and Venezuela. Occasional. Spreading or creeping<br />
pilose perennial herb with long stolons and short, stout stems, rooting at <strong>the</strong> joints, up to<br />
30 cm or higher; leaves, 10 to 13 cin long to 6 to 8 cm wide, including <strong>the</strong> petiole, blade<br />
about 7.5 cm long, opposite, broadly elliptic to ovate, edges scalloped, pinnately-nerved,<br />
succulent, hairy, variable in color from coppery to reddish green or clear green, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
variegated; flowers, about 2.5 cin long, axillary, solitary, borne on long pubescent<br />
peduncles; calyx, deeply 5-lobed; corolla, much larger than calyx, tubular, with 5<br />
subequal, rounded lobes spreading to about 2 cm in diameter, tube red on upper surface,<br />
yellow with red spots on lower surface and within, <strong>the</strong> limb orange-red, <strong>the</strong> 3 lower<br />
lobes <strong>the</strong> longest; fruit, a 2-valved capsule; seeds, ellipsoid, smooth, brown. Pot plant.<br />
5,6.<br />
Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl. "African violet", "Saintpaulia"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. E. Africa. Rare. Stemless perennial pubescent herb;<br />
leaves, 3.5 to 8 cm long and wide, long-petiolate, alternate to subopposite, suborbicular<br />
to oblong-ovate, succulent, velvety, edges scalloped, <strong>of</strong>ten purplish beneath, forming a<br />
rosette or broad tuft <strong>of</strong> leaves at <strong>the</strong> base; petioles, pilose; inflorescences, axillary, 2- to<br />
10-flowered cymose peduncles, rising above <strong>the</strong> leaves; calyx, deeply 5-lobed, <strong>the</strong> lobes<br />
linear or lanceolate, erect; corolla, 2 to 3.5 cm across, rotate to broadly campanulate,<br />
much longer than <strong>the</strong> calyx, <strong>the</strong> tube short, <strong>the</strong> limb 5-lobed, 2-lipped, <strong>the</strong> upper lip 2-<br />
lobed and shorter, color variable depending on <strong>the</strong> cultivar, white or pink to violet, dark<br />
purple or blue; fruit, about 7 inm long, longer than <strong>the</strong> calyx, a narrow-oblong to<br />
subglobose capsule, dehiscing by decay <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> pericarp; seeds, ellipsoid. Pot plant. 5,6.
GOODENIACEAE (Nau paka Family)<br />
Scaevola taccada (Gaertn .) Roxb. " scaevola" , "saltbush",<br />
" half-flower " ; "beach naupaka" (Hawaii)<br />
emet, emed, emit (B)(N); te mao (K); gasu, gahu (T)<br />
syns. S. sericea var. taccada Maki<strong>no</strong>; S. frutescens sensu auct. <strong>no</strong>n (Mill.)<br />
Krause; S. frutescens var. sericea (F0rst.f.) Merr. (<strong>no</strong>m. nud.); S. koenigii<br />
Vahl; S. lobelia Murr.; Lobelia taccada Gaertn.; L. koenigii (Vahl) Wight<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Trop. Asia to Hawaii. Very abundant. Erect freely branching,<br />
spreading, somewhat succulent, s<strong>of</strong>t-wooded, pithy-stemmed glabrous to pubescent shrub,<br />
up to about 2 m high, with leaves spiralled or crowded near <strong>the</strong> ends <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> branches;<br />
leaves, 8 to 26 cin long and 3 to 12 cm wide, alternate, obovate to oblong-spathulate,<br />
apex rounded (obtuse) or emarginate, base cuneate-decurrent, margins somewhat wavy or<br />
obscurely too<strong>the</strong>d or crenate, glabrous or somewhat puberulent, slightly fleshy, light<br />
bright green, <strong>the</strong> midrib sometimes faintly purplish, venation obscure; petiole, short, up<br />
to 15 mm long, broad, winged by decurrent blade margins with a basal tuft <strong>of</strong> sulky<br />
white hairs in <strong>the</strong> leaf axil; inflorescence, a fragrant axillary forking 3- to 9-flowered<br />
cymose cluster, 2 to 5 cin long, <strong>the</strong> peduncles 0.5 to 2 cm long; calyx, 5 to 12 mm long<br />
including acute lobes, 5 to 10 lnln long; corolla, 12 to 22 mm long, <strong>the</strong> tube, 10 to 15<br />
mm long, white to greenish or purplish, <strong>the</strong> limb, 5 to 10 mm long, spreading, white or<br />
pale green without, and purple-veined or brown-bordered, <strong>the</strong> lobes with membrana-<br />
ceous, sometimes fimbriate or erose margins, asymmetrical, appearing to be split in two<br />
with only half <strong>the</strong> petals remaining; fruit, 10 to 18 mm in diameter when fresh, drying to<br />
7 to 13 mm, 2-celled, subglobose, bluntly costate, fleshy, white; seeds, 1 or 2. Abundant<br />
in strand vegetation; dominant species and one <strong>of</strong> first colonizers on strip-mined areas.<br />
Wood considered good for smoking (cooking) fish and <strong>the</strong> black <strong>no</strong>ddy bird (an important<br />
delicacy at feasts); hollow sticks used as "guns" to shoot gum balls (egato) and small<br />
balls carved from pandanus; inner bark used in <strong>the</strong> past to make headbands which<br />
resembled <strong>no</strong>ddy-bird fea<strong>the</strong>rs and which were worn for traditional dances; leaves used to<br />
wrap food in and to cover <strong>the</strong> earth oven (eom, eyom); Scaevola and Guettarda speciosa<br />
(iut) flowers <strong>the</strong> first flowers smelled by returning sailors; flowers used in garlands and<br />
ei<strong>the</strong>r added directly, or boiled with coconut oil to scent it; leaves crushed to yield a<br />
juice to retards loss <strong>of</strong> hair and cure rashes; inner bark scraped to yield medicine for<br />
abscesses or boils, and white ripened fruit squeezed into eyes as a "pre-eye-drops" cure<br />
for conjunctivitis. 2, 3(58622, 58761), 5(30), 6, 7(27801).
HERNANDIACEAE (Hernandia Family)<br />
Hernandia nymphaeifolia (Presl.) Kubitzki "Ian tern tree"<br />
etiu, yetiu, etsiw (N); te niinareburebu, te bingibing (K); puka, puka vaka (T)<br />
syns. H. so<strong>no</strong>ra L.; H. peltata Meissn.; H. ovigera senus auct. <strong>no</strong>n L.; Biasolet-<br />
tia nyrnphaeifolia Presl<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Trop. Asia to Pacific Is. Rare. Medium to large tree, up to 20 m<br />
high, with a shortly buttressed trunk and smooth grayish, slightly fissured bark; leaves,<br />
12 to 40 cm long and 10 to 30 cm wide, alternate, rounded-ovate, acute-acuminate,<br />
subpeltate to peltate near base, glabrous, s<strong>of</strong>tly lea<strong>the</strong>ry, medium green (<strong>the</strong> ventral<br />
insertion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> petiole usually red), palmately 5- to 9-nerved from petiole; petiole, 5 to<br />
17 cm long; inflorescence, a densely-flowered axillary and terminal long-stalked,<br />
tomentose cyi<strong>no</strong>se panicle <strong>of</strong> numerous, unisexual but mo<strong>no</strong>ecious, white to yellowish-<br />
white flowers, 12 to 30 cin long; involucre, green to whitish or pinkish, slightly fleshy,<br />
subtended by 4 bracteoles; each cyme composed <strong>of</strong> 3 pedicellate white to pale green<br />
flowers, <strong>the</strong> 2 laterals males, <strong>the</strong> center one female; male flowers, about 7 mm long, 3-<br />
merous; female flowers, 4-merous; style up to 5 mm long; fruit, about 2.5 cm in<br />
diameter, broadly obovoid-subcompressed, nut-like, brown, nearly smooth, somewhat<br />
ribbed, enclosed in an enlarged, fleshy, white or grayish to reddish succulent balloon-like<br />
vesicle with a circumscissile opening; seed 1. Tree on or near base <strong>of</strong> escarpment. Very<br />
light wood, which is sometimes found in <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong> driftwood, used for ca<strong>no</strong>e outrig-<br />
gers, pull-floats for fishermen to tie fish to, and corks for bottles; fruit rubbed against<br />
rock to burn each o<strong>the</strong>r in traditional games. 5(10), 6, 7(27819).<br />
LAMIACEAE OR LABIATAE (Mint Family)<br />
Coleus amboinicus Lour. "Indian borage"<br />
syns. Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng.; Coleus aromaticus Benth.<br />
Recent introduction. Africa and India to Indonesia. Rare. Very aromatic, densely<br />
pubescent, somewhat succulent, low sprawling or ascending perennial herb, up to 1 m<br />
high, with sub-quadrangular to subterete stems; leaves 2 to 11 cm long and 1.5 to 9 cm<br />
wide, opposite, broadly ovate to suborbicular, acute to broadly rounded (obtusish), base<br />
cuneate or rounded to truncate, coarsely crenate to dentate (too<strong>the</strong>d), succulent, finely<br />
pubescent on both sides, fragile; petioles 1 to 5 cm long, densely pubescent; inflorescence,<br />
a long simple (unbranched) terminal spicate panicle up to 50 cm or longer bearing<br />
numerous ( up t~3OOrmmoT~whorl~~~wer~-onn~hort-pdi~efsatinterva;fs~f<br />
dxm t 4<br />
to 2 cm; bracts, 3 to 4 ~nm long; pedicels slender, hirsute, up to 5 mm long; calyx 1.5 to<br />
4 mm long, campanulate, hirsute and glandular, <strong>the</strong> upper lip erect, broadly ovate-<br />
oblong, <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r teeth narrow, very acute; corolla, 7 to 12 mm long, pale blue or violet<br />
to pink, <strong>the</strong> tube 3 to 4 ~n~n long, declinate, expanding distally, pubescent without, <strong>the</strong>
upper lip to 4.5 by<br />
fruit, about 0.5 by<br />
Indian residence at<br />
6(211), 7.<br />
Coleus pumilus Blanco<br />
syn. C. repens Gurke<br />
3 mm, erect, puberulent, <strong>the</strong> lower lip to 5 to 6 by 4 mm, concave;<br />
0.7 mm, a nutlet, smooth, pale brown. Pot plant at Location and at<br />
Meneng Terrace. Leaves used as a spice in curries and medicinally.<br />
"creeping coleus"<br />
Recent introduction. W. Africa. Occasional. Pot plant. 2(59673, 5878 I), 5, 6.<br />
Mentha piperita L. "mint", "peppermint"<br />
syn. M. x piperita L. (M. aquatica L. X M. spicata L.)<br />
Recent introduction. Europe. Rare. S trongly-scented erect to sprawling rhizoma-<br />
tous perennial herb, <strong>the</strong> stems 4-angled, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, <strong>of</strong>ten purplish;<br />
leaves, 1 to 6 cm long and 1 to 3.5 cm wide, opposite, lanceolate-elliptic to oblong-<br />
ovate, ovate or suborbicular, somewhat rugose, sharply acute to apiculate, cuneate to<br />
rounded or cordate at base, serrate at margin, pubescent to glabrous; petioles, 3 to 6 mm<br />
long; inflorescence, a terminal spikelet at stem tips with flowers arranged in whorls<br />
(verticils) which are congested terminally and more distantly-spaced basally, mostly<br />
glabrous except on calyces; calyx, 3 to 4 mm long, tubular, purplish and dotted with oil<br />
glands, <strong>the</strong> teeth subequal, ciliate, narrowly acuminate, much shorter than calyx tube at<br />
an<strong>the</strong>sis; corolla, 4 to 6 mm long, pale violet, glabrous or puberulent, <strong>the</strong> tube exserted;<br />
stamens 4, small, included; fruit, about 0.75 mm long, a brown nutlet. Pot herb planted<br />
in old oil drum on Command Ridge and at Indian residence at Meneng Terrace. 6, 7.<br />
Ocirnum basilicum L.<br />
dementsi (N); te marou (K); mili (T)<br />
l1 basil", "sweet basil"<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Africa to Pacific Is. (Paleotropics). Occasional.<br />
Freely-branching aromatic perennial herb or subshrub, <strong>of</strong>ten cultivated as an annual, up<br />
80 cm or higher, <strong>the</strong> stems 4-angled, <strong>the</strong> branchlets glabrous to hispid; leaves, 2 to 8 cm<br />
long and 1 to 3 cm wide, opposite, elliptic-lanceolate to ovate and oblong, acute, base<br />
cuneate to attenuate, entire or obscurely dentate, glabrous to scattered-pubescent;<br />
petioles, up to 2 cm long, slender; inflorescences, terminal racemes, 10 to 15 cm or<br />
longer, at stem tips bearing many short-pedicellate, 6-flowered whorls (verticils) at<br />
intervals; bracts, petiolate, green to rich purple, <strong>the</strong> bracteoles, 2 to 6 mm long; calyx, 2<br />
to 3 mm long at an<strong>the</strong>sis, enlar~in~ to 5 to 9 mm long in fruit, bilabiate,_lO-nerved, with<br />
long hairs inside, greenish, purplish-tinged; corolla, 7 to 9 mm long, tube 3.5 mm long,<br />
upper lip 4-too<strong>the</strong>d, lower lip entire, white, glabrous to hispid; fruit, <strong>of</strong> 4 nutlets, 1.5 to<br />
2.5 mm long, obovoid or ellipsoid, brown or blackish, pitted, swelling in water and<br />
becoming slimy. Planted in home gardens; common in I Kiribati and Tuvaluan gardens at
Location. Fragrant flowers and leaves used in garlands and for scenting coconut oil. 2, 3,<br />
5(141), 6, 7(22305).<br />
Ocirnum sanctum L.<br />
demere (N)?; te marou (K)<br />
syn. 0. tenuiJlorum L.<br />
"sacred basil", tulsi (Hindi)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. Asia, <strong>no</strong>w Pantropical. Rare. Erect,<br />
aromatic, much-branched herb or subshrub up to 1 m high, <strong>the</strong> branchlets s<strong>of</strong>t-pubescent;<br />
leaves, 3 to 7.5 cm long and 1 to 2.8 cm wide, elliptic to elliptic-oblong or rhomboidal,<br />
obtuse to acute, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire or remotely serrate, upper bract-<br />
like leaves ovate to cordate, green to grayish-purple, pubescent on both surfaces but<br />
especially on nerves beneath; petioles, up to 2.5 cm long; inflorescences, slender racemes<br />
at stem tips, 8 to 10 cm long, bearing whorls (verticils) <strong>of</strong> flowers at intervals; brac-<br />
teoles, 2 to 3 mm long, ovate, acuminate, ciliate; pedicels, up to 4.5 mm long; calyx,<br />
2.5 to 3.5 mm long at <strong>the</strong> an<strong>the</strong>sis, enlarging to 5 mm in fruit, <strong>of</strong>ten purplish, glabrous<br />
within except occasionally puberulent near <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> upper lobe, <strong>the</strong> upper lip subor-<br />
bicular, reflexed, short-apiculate, <strong>the</strong> lower lip longer than <strong>the</strong> upper lip, <strong>the</strong> teeth 4,<br />
lanceolate; corolla, 3 to 5 mm long, <strong>the</strong> tube 1.5 to 2 mm long, upper lip with rounded<br />
lobes, lower lip entire, purplish to pale pink or white; stamens 4; fruit, 0.8 to 1.5 mrn<br />
long, nutlets, subglobose-compressed or broadly ellipsoid, purple-green to brown, smooth<br />
to minutely pitted. Planted ornamental. Fragrant flowers and leaves used in garlands and<br />
headbands and for scenting coconut oil. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Plectranthus oertendahlii Fries "Swedish ivy", "prostrate coleus"<br />
Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Prostrate or trailing, tender or somewhat<br />
succulent, perennial herb, up to 50 cm high, with creeping reddish stems; leaves,<br />
suborbicular, velvety, bronze-green with silver along <strong>the</strong> veins and purplish beneath;<br />
inflorescences, erect or ascending racemes or panicles, 10 to 15 cm long, bearing whorls<br />
(verticils) <strong>of</strong> flowers at intervals; corolla, 2-lipped, pink. Pot plant. 3(58673, 5878 l), 5,<br />
6.<br />
Plectranthus scutellarioides (L.) R. Br. "painted nettle", "coleus", "paintedleaf<br />
plant "<br />
syns. Coleus scutellarioides (L.) Benth. and C. blumei Benth. ; Ocimum scutellarioides<br />
L.; Solen,ostc?m.on scutellarioides (L.) Codd<br />
--<br />
--<br />
Recent introduction. Malaysia. Occasional. Erect or ascending, tender or<br />
somewhat succulent, aromatic brown-pubescent perennial herb up to 1.5 rn high, <strong>the</strong><br />
stems 4-angled and branches glabrous to pubescent; leaves, opposite, 4 to 17 crn long and<br />
3 to 10 cm wide, broadly ovate to ovate-cordate, acute to acuminate, base truncate to
ounded or cuneate and attenuate, crenate, doubly crenate to laciniate, scabrid to<br />
subglabrous, variegated, highly ornamental, variously colored, green, red, purple, yellow<br />
or white; petioles, 1 to 8 cm long, slender; inflorescences, erect terminal racemes or<br />
panicles, 5 to 40 cm long, bearing whorls (verticils) at intervals; bracts, 4 by 5 mm,<br />
ovate, long-acuminate, deciduous; pedicels, 3 to 4 mm long; calyx, 2 to 4 mm long and<br />
2 to 3 mm wide, enlarging to 7 mm long in fruit, bilabiate, obliquely campanulate,<br />
pubescent and gland-dotted, 10-nerved; corolla, 8 to 18 mm, long, infundibular, blue to<br />
purple or mauve, <strong>the</strong> tube, about 5 mm long, paler, puberulent, abruptly decurved, <strong>the</strong><br />
upper lip about 1.5 mm long, erect, <strong>the</strong> lower lip deeply concave, up to 6 mm long;<br />
stamens 4; fruit, nutlets, 0.75 to 1.2 mm long, lenticular to broadly ovoid or subglobose,<br />
brown, smooth, glossy. Planted ornamental and pot plant. 5, 6, 7.<br />
LAURACEAE (Laurel Family)<br />
Cassytha filiformis L. "beach dodder", "giant dodder", "devil's twine"<br />
denuwanini, denuwenini, eduwinini (B)(N); te ntanini (K); fetai (T)<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pantropical. Abundant. Slender, filiform, branching, twining or<br />
climbing light green to yellowish-green or yellowish-orange, glabrous parasitic herb, up<br />
to 3 to 8 m long, attaching to host plants by means <strong>of</strong> sucker-like haustoria, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
forming sense, tangled mats; leaves, alternate, spirally arranged, reduced to minute<br />
scales; inflorescences, erect solitary pedunculate spike-like clusters, 1.5 to 5 cm long,<br />
borne in <strong>the</strong> axils <strong>of</strong> minute bracts; rachis, ra<strong>the</strong>r thick, glabrous, finely brown-hairy;<br />
bracts and bracteoles ovate-circular; flowers, bisexual, <strong>the</strong> perianth greenish-white to<br />
yellowish-white, somewhat fleshy, tepals 6, white, <strong>the</strong> 3 outer tepals, connate, broadly<br />
ovate-circular, about 0.75 mn across, <strong>the</strong> 3 inner ones broadly ovate, glabrous, 2 to 2.5<br />
mm long; stamens 9; stami<strong>no</strong>des, few, yellow; fruit, 4 to 7.5 mm in diameter, subglob-<br />
ose, white when mature, enclosed in a fleshy perianth tube, 1-seeded; seed with a<br />
membranaceous or coriaceous testa. Parasite on o<strong>the</strong>r plants, found generally on natural<br />
vegetation at all elevations. Entire plant used as garlands and headbands; plant used for<br />
"black magic" by I Kiribati and o<strong>the</strong>r islanders, a practice occasionally copied by<br />
Nauruans; tender tips used at times in <strong>the</strong> past for scenting coconut oil; fruit eaten by<br />
children in <strong>the</strong> past. 2(23.5), 3(58590), 4(163N), 5(6), 6, 7, 8(9566).<br />
Persea americana Mill. "avocado", "avocado pear", "alligator pear"<br />
syns. Laurus persea L. ; Persea gratissima Gaertn . f.<br />
- - R e r P n t i ~ i e R - W ~ R~E. - Mediutnlarge-evergreen_-,up-to_ 12m<br />
or taller; leaves, 7 to 30 cm long and 2.5 to 20 cm wide, alternate and spirally arranged,<br />
elliptic, ovate-oblong or obovate-oblong, acute-acuminate, chartaceous to somewhat<br />
coriaceous, glaucous beneath, downy when young, nerves alternate, pinnate, prominent;<br />
petioles, 1.5 to 5 cm long; inflorescences, axillary many-flowered downy panicles
crowded near <strong>the</strong> ends <strong>of</strong> branches; peduncles and pedicels, yellowish-green, pubescent;<br />
flowers, bisexual, somewhat fragrant, subtended by lanceolate deciduous hairy brown<br />
bracts, 4 mm long; <strong>the</strong> perianth <strong>of</strong> 6 tepals, 10 to 15 mm in diameter, greenish to<br />
yellowish white, short-pedicellate; stamens 9, in 3 whorls, <strong>the</strong> stami<strong>no</strong>des, conspicuous,<br />
orange to brown; pedicels cylindric or enlarged and fleshy when in fruit; fruit, 7 to 25<br />
cm long and 5 to 12 cm in diameter, subglobose to pear-shaped (pyriform) fleshy, 1-<br />
seeded drupe, skin light-green to purplish, flesh light-green to yellow-green, <strong>of</strong> butter-<br />
like consistency, edible; seed, single, subglobose, up to 5 cm in diameter, with 2 brown<br />
seed coats and 2 fleshy, whitish or pink cotyledons. Seedling planted in garden at<br />
Meneng Terrace. 5.<br />
LECY THIDACEAE (Brazilnut Family)<br />
Barringtonia asiatica (L.) Kurz "fish-poison tree", "barringtonia"<br />
kwenbabai, kwenababai, eijinut (B)(N); te baireati (K); futu (T)<br />
syns. Mammea asiatica L. ; Barrin.gtnnia speciosa Forst. ; B. butonica Forst.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Indo-Pacific. Occasional. Large, spreading, round-crowned tree, 10 to<br />
20 m high, with gray bark and ra<strong>the</strong>r stout branches; leaves, 15 to 50 cm long and 8 to<br />
24 cm wide, alternate, clustered toward <strong>the</strong> ends <strong>of</strong> branches, obovate or oblong-obovate,<br />
obtuse or slightly emarginate, base cuneate, subcoriaceous, glabrous, glossy-green,<br />
subsessile; petioles, 1 to 5 cm long; inflorescences, terminal more or less erect racemes,<br />
2 to 15 cm long and 15 cm broad; pedicels, 2 to 9 cm long; calyx, 2-lobed, sepals, 2 to<br />
4 by 2 to 3 cm, concave, obtuse, persistent on fruit; corolla, 4-parted, sweetly fragrant,<br />
petals, about 4 to 8 cm long and 2.5 to 4.5 cm wide at an<strong>the</strong>sis, elliptic to ovate, white,<br />
early deciduous; stamens numerous, 4 to 12 cm long, white at base, pink- or red-tinged<br />
distally, an<strong>the</strong>rs yellow; style, 6 to 15 cm long, white at base, pink- or red-tinged<br />
distally; fruit, 8 to 12 cm long and broad, 4-angled, l-seeded, pyramidal or subturbinate,<br />
exterior fibrous, crowned by calyx (2 large persistent sepals), pendent and heavy when<br />
ripe, buoyant; seed, 4 to 5 cm long and 2.5 to 4 cm wide, ovoid or ellipsoid. Spontaneous<br />
or planted on coastal strip, <strong>of</strong>ten in home gardens; larger concentrations on<br />
escarpment leading to plateau above Anibare Bay. Wood a favoured timber and fuelwood<br />
for cooking toddy syrup (karn~~c~rara); fruit possibly used to poison fish in <strong>the</strong> past.<br />
Fruit commonly used as a fish poison or stupefacient elsewhere in <strong>the</strong> Pacific. 1(48.R),<br />
2, 3(58665), 5(36), 6, 7.
LYTHRACEAE (Lythrum Family)<br />
Lagerstroemia indica L. "crape myrtle"<br />
Recent introduction. S. China. Rare. Glabrous, deciduous shrub or small tree, 2<br />
to 5 m high, with 4-angled branchlets; leaves, 3 to 10 cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide,<br />
alternate, elliptic to oblong-subobovate, obtuse to acute, subsessile; inflorescences,<br />
terminal or axillary panicles, 5 to 20 cm long, bearing clusters <strong>of</strong> flowers, each about 2.5<br />
to 3 cm across; calyx, 6-lobed, campanulate, glabrous; petals 6, 12 to 15 mm long,<br />
ovate-suborbicular, wrinkled, clawed, scentless, white, pink or lavender to rich purple or<br />
blue; stamens about 15 to 40; fruit, about 0.5 to 1 cm long, ovoid, capsular; seeds,<br />
winged. Planted ornamental on Command Ridge. 3(58712), 5, 6.<br />
MALPIGHIACEAE (Malpighia Family)<br />
Stigmaphyllon ciliatum (Lam.) Jussl.'Brazilian golden vine", "golden cup", "orchid vine"<br />
Recent introduction. W. Indies to Brazil. Rare. Slender, woody vine; leaves, 2.5<br />
to 8 cm long and nearly as wide, cordate, glabrous with pubescent margins; inflorescen-<br />
ces, axillary racemose clusters <strong>of</strong> 3 to 7 flowers, each about 3.7 cm in diameter; sepals<br />
5; petals 5, bright yellow, free, stalked at base, unequal, wavy, orchid-like; stamens 10,<br />
unequal, only 6 bearing an<strong>the</strong>rs; styles 3; fruit, 3-parted, each part with a broad wing<br />
about 2.5 cin long. Planted ornamental climber. 3(58725), 6.<br />
Tristellateia australasiae Rich.<br />
syn. Tristellateia a~stralis Rich.<br />
" bagnit"<br />
Recent introduction. Malaysia and Australia. Occasional. Glabrous, long woody<br />
climber with stems dotted with raised lenticels; leaves, 2 to 12 cm long, opposite or<br />
verticillate, ovate, acute or obtuse, base rounded or subcordate with 2 glands, glabrous,<br />
ra<strong>the</strong>r pale green; petiole, 5 to 20 inin long; inflorescences, terminal racemes at branch<br />
tips bearing 12 or more flowers, each nearly 2.5 cm in diameter; sepals 5; petals 5,<br />
bright yellow, 4 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m slightly falcate, equal, each about 1 cm long excluding <strong>the</strong> 2<br />
mm long pinkish-orange claw; stamens, usually 10 <strong>of</strong> unequal length, yellow turning red;<br />
style 1, curved, undivided; fruit, samaroid, with a lateral wing with 5 to 8 slender<br />
flattened - - lobes each --- up to about 1 cm long. Planted ornamental climber. 5, 6(179, 205),<br />
- - -- - - - - -- - --- --<br />
7.
MALVACEAE (Mallow Family)<br />
Abutilon asiaticum (L.) Sweet var. supraviride Fosb.<br />
ekaura, inen ekaura (N); te kaura ni Banaba (K)<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. S. E. Asia to <strong>the</strong> Pacific Is. Occasional. Erect velvety-pubescent<br />
subshrub, 0.5 to 2 m high; leaves, 5 to 12 cm long, alternate, suborbicular-ovate cordate<br />
at base, coarsely crenate-serrate or lobed, palmately-nerved, downy gray-green, long-<br />
petiolate; flowers, 1.5 to 2.5 cm across, axillary, solitary, on long pedicels, 4 to 7 cm<br />
long; calyx 5-lobed; corolla, 1.5 to 2.5 cm across, petals 5, about 1 cm long or longer,<br />
imbricate, deltoid-obovate, orange-yellow; fruit, circular, a capsular schizocarp <strong>of</strong> 11 to<br />
20 radiating carpels, hirsute, brown when dry, each carpel flattened, somewhat boat-<br />
shaped, apiculate by <strong>the</strong> short persistent style-remnant, about 8 mm long; seeds,<br />
reniform, stellate-pubescent. Found in waste places and ruderal habitats along coastal<br />
strip, especially near <strong>the</strong> Ijuw-Anibare boundary, and among pioneering weeds in topsoil<br />
in areas recently cleared for phosphate mining. Tender meristem used to scent coconut<br />
oil; flowers used in garlands and headbands. 2, 3(58807, 58805), 4(107N), 5(107), 6,<br />
7(22306).<br />
Gossypium barbadense L. " sea-island cotton", "cotton"<br />
duwoduwo (N); te baubau (K)<br />
syns. G. brasiliense Macf.; G. pc?ru.vianu.m Cav.<br />
Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Extinct? Erect branching shrub,<br />
up to 3 m or higher; leaves, 7 to 13 cm long, alternate, rotund to ovate, cordate, deeply<br />
palmately 3 to 5 (rarely 7)-lobed or laciniate, glabrous with short, fugacious hairs, long-<br />
petiolate; stipules foliaceous, lanceolate or ovate, auriculate; inflorescences, terminal or<br />
on short axillary branches, solitary or 2 to 4-flowered racemes; bracteoles <strong>of</strong> epicalyx 3,<br />
much longer than <strong>the</strong> calyx, with cordate base and a deeply incised or laciniate apical<br />
lobe; top <strong>of</strong> pedicel with or without glands below <strong>the</strong> bracteoles; corolla, 5 to 8 cm<br />
across, obovately 5-petaled, petals, about 5 to 8 cm long, yellow, becoming streaked with<br />
red or purple on fading, usually with a basal reddish or purplish spot; fruit, a 3-valved<br />
ovoid, lea<strong>the</strong>ry, pitted capsule dotted with black oil glands; seeds, numerous, ovoid,<br />
black, covered with fine, long, pure white easily-removed woolly fibers or hairs (cotton).<br />
Collected by Burges in 1935, but <strong>no</strong>t seen by subsequent collectors. Grown by Nauruans<br />
in <strong>the</strong> past for <strong>the</strong> cotton which was used to stuff mattresses and pillows. The Nauruan<br />
name for cotton is <strong>the</strong> same as for kapok. 2.
Hibiscus esculentus L. "okra", "gumbo", lady's finger"; bindi (Fiji Hindi)<br />
syn. Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench.<br />
Recent introduction. Asia. Coarse, erect suffruticose, annual herb, 1 to 3 m high,<br />
with green or red-tinged stems; leaves, 10 to 25 cm long and 10 to 35 cm wide,<br />
alternate, broadly cordate, palmately 3- to 7 lobed, serrate, hirsute, pale green beneath;<br />
petioles, 15 to 35 cm long, hispid, <strong>of</strong>ten red-tinged; flowers, solitary, axillary; peduncle<br />
about 2 cm long; epicalyx <strong>of</strong> up to 10 narrow bracteoles, up to 1.5 cm long, usually<br />
falling before fruit reaches maturity; calyx completely fused as flower develops, splitting<br />
longitudinally as flower opens, falling with <strong>the</strong> corolla after an<strong>the</strong>sis, 2 to 3 cm long;<br />
petals 5, yellow with crimson spot on claw, obovate, 5 to 7 cm long; stamina1 column<br />
united to base <strong>of</strong> petals, 2 to 3 cm long, with numerous stamens; stigmas small, 5 to 9,<br />
deep red; fruit, 10 to 30 cm long and 2 to 3 cm across, a pyramidal-oblong, beaked<br />
capsule, longitudinally furrowed, hirsute or glabrous, dehiscing longitudinally when ripe;<br />
seeds, 5 mm in diameter, dark green to brown, rounded, tuberculate.<br />
Hibiscus manihot L. "bush spinach", "edible hibiscus" ; "bush hibiscus spinach" ;<br />
"pele" (Polynesia); lnbele (bele in Fiji); nambere (K); pele (T); kabis, slippery<br />
kabis (SI)<br />
syn. Abelmoschus manih,ot (L.) Medik<br />
Recent introduction. S. E. Asia. Occasional. Erect, perennial, <strong>of</strong>ten suffruticose<br />
woody herb or subshrub, 1.5 to 3 m or higher, with young stems, petioles and pedicels<br />
glabrous or short-hairy, <strong>of</strong>ten accompanied by longer hairs; leaves, 10 to 60 cm by 5 to<br />
60 cm, alternate, extremely variable in shape, orbicular to ovate-oblong, base cordate,<br />
ei<strong>the</strong>r contracted into an elongated-triangular acumen from a broad base or palmately 3 to<br />
7-lobed (or 3 to 7-fid) to subentire, lobes or segments triangular-ovate, oblong-lanceolate,<br />
obovate-spathulate or linear, entire, dentate or serrate, pellucid-dotted, more or less<br />
crenate, glabrous or pubescent; petiole, 2 to 50 cm long; stipules, 2 to 8 cm long,<br />
filiform, caducous, flanked by paired, variable lobed or entire leaflets, 2 to 6 cm long;<br />
inflorescences, axillary, solitary, on pedicels, 1 to 5 cm long; bracteoles <strong>of</strong> epicalyx, 4 to<br />
6 (-8), 1 to 3 cm long and 0.5 to 1 cm broad, ovate to oblong, <strong>no</strong>t rarely coherent in<br />
pairs, pubescent on both sides; petals 3, 5 to 8 cm by 3 to 6 cm, yellow with purple<br />
centers; fruit, 3.5 to 6 cm long and 2 to 2.5 cm broad, capsular, pentago<strong>no</strong>us, with 5<br />
prominent costas, concave between <strong>the</strong> costas, loculicidally dehiscent; seeds, many, about<br />
3 to 4 mm long, subglobose, asymmetrical, dark brown, pubescent. Food plant in<br />
gardens at Location and Topside Workshop and occasionally in o<strong>the</strong>r home gardens.<br />
Nutritious slippery green leaves cooked as a green vegetable by Solomon Islanders,<br />
Tuvaluans, I-Kiribati and Fijians. Along with taro leaves, one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> two most important<br />
leafy green vegetables in <strong>the</strong> Pacific Is. 5, 6(105), 7.
Hibiscus mutabilis L. "changeable rose mallow", "changeable rose", "variable rose"<br />
dorot ("<strong>the</strong> roseU)(N)<br />
Recent introduction. S. China. Rare. Large, downy pubescent shrub, up to 5 m<br />
tall, with both simple and stellate hairs; leaves, 10 to 25 cm long and broad, alternate,<br />
orbicular, cordate, 3 to 7-lobed, long-acuminate, 5 to ll-nerved, dark green above and<br />
light green and tomentose beneath; petioles, 2 to 8 cm long; inflorescences, axillary<br />
(occasionally terminal), usually single but sometimes double; pedicels, 7 to 10 cm long,<br />
accrescent, articulate; epicalyx , 6-segmented, well-developed, persistent, segments about<br />
2 cm long, linear-lanceolate; calyx, 5 to 7 cm across, deeply divided, Nobed, lobes 2 to<br />
3.5 cm long, abruptly widened above <strong>the</strong> base; corolla, 8 to 12 cm across, opening white<br />
changing to pink, many-petaled, petals 4 to 5 cm long; fruit, about 2.5 cm wide,<br />
subglobose, capsular, 5-locular, setose-lanate; seeds, reniform, tomentose, <strong>the</strong> hairs 2 to<br />
4 mm long, spreading to subspreading. Planted ornamental along road to Meneng<br />
Terrace. 5(157), 7.<br />
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. "hibiscus", "red hibiscus"<br />
dorot ("<strong>the</strong> roseU)(N); te roti ("<strong>the</strong> roseU)(K); aute (T)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. Asia. Common. Many branching, glabrous<br />
shrub, up to 1 to 4 m tall, with erect to drooping branches; leaves, about 6 to 15 cm long<br />
and up to 12 cm wide, alternate, variable, ovate-elliptical, acute or acuminate, crenate-<br />
serrate, subcordate, obtuse or subacute, green on both sides, palmately 5-nerved;<br />
petioles, up to 5 cm long; inflorescences, axillary, near <strong>the</strong> ends <strong>of</strong> branches on elongate<br />
pedicels, 1.5 to 7.5 cm long; epicalyx <strong>of</strong> 5 or more ovate- to linear-lanceolate bracts 5 to<br />
18 mm long; calyx, green, 5-lobed for about half its length, persistent; corolla, mostly 8<br />
to 12 cm across, single or in some forms double, campanulate or broadly funnelform,<br />
petals entire, showy, usually bright red, but also pink, yellow, light-orange or white;<br />
staminal tube slightly longer than <strong>the</strong> corolla, <strong>of</strong>ten <strong>no</strong>dding or pendulous, crimson; fruit,<br />
capsular, ovoid-rounded, 5-valved, 15-seeded (or less); seeds, subglobose, rarely seen.<br />
Planted ornamental and hedge plant; flowers used in garlands and for decoration. One <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> commonest and most widespread <strong>of</strong> all ornamental plants in tropical regions.<br />
3(58791), 5(126), 6, 7.<br />
Hibiscus schizopetalus (Mast.) Hook. f.<br />
dorot (N)<br />
"coral hibiscus", "dragon flower"<br />
Recent introduction. E. Africa. Rare. Glabrous shrub, 2 to 4 m high, very much<br />
- like H. rosa-sinensis; leaves, alternate, ovate-elliptical, acute, -- dentate; inflorescences, - -<br />
soritary , pendulous Klongpedicels at<strong>the</strong>ends1 ender, drooping branches; pedicels,<br />
8 to 10 cm long; segments <strong>of</strong> epicalyx 1 to 2 mm long; calyx irregularly 2- to 4-lobed,<br />
sometimes spathaceous; corolla, deeply dissected (laciniate), reflexed, petals pink-andwhite<br />
to coral-red, sometimes with white or yellow margins; staminal tube about twice as
long as petals, slender, flaccid, red, curved at <strong>the</strong> tip. Planted ornamental. 3(58770),<br />
5(125), 6.<br />
Hibiscus tiliaceus L. "beach hibiscus", hibiscus tree", " hau" (Hawaii)<br />
ekwane (N); te kiaiai, te rao (K); fou, fau (T)<br />
syns. Pariti tiliaceus (L.) A. St. Hil. ; P. tiliaceum Britt. ; Paritium tiliaceum (L.)<br />
A. St. Hil.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pantropical. Very abundant. A small, dense, broad-crowned, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
scrambling tree, 3 to 10 (rarely 15 to 18) m high, intricately branched when mature,<br />
with many spreading low branches from a short trunk; youngest branches gray-pubescent,<br />
older ones glabrate with grayish ra<strong>the</strong>r smooth very fibrous and mucilagi<strong>no</strong>us bark and<br />
bast fiber; leaves, up to 15 or 20 cm long and nearly as wide, round-ovate, abruptly<br />
acuminate, base deeply cordate, velvety pubescent when young, glabrate and dark green<br />
above, grayish-white stellate-tomentose beneath and slightly glaucous, palmately 7- to 9-<br />
nerved with linear basal glands dorsally; petioles, up to 12 or 15 cm long; stipules, 2 to<br />
4 cm long, broadly attached, ultimately leaving annular scars; inflorescences, terminal or<br />
axillary, solitary or in few-flowered open cymes or panicles; epicalyx conspicuous,<br />
shorter than calyx, with 8 to 12 deltoid, acute segments (bracts); pedicels 1 to 3 cm long;<br />
calyx 5-lobed; corolla, about 10 cm across, cupular-campanulate, yellow with a maroon-<br />
purple eye, aging (after falling) to salmon red; staminal tube shorter than corolla, yellow;<br />
style rich purple distally; fruit, 1 to 2.5 cm long and 2 cm wide, ovoid globose, capsular,<br />
5-celled, pubescent, grayish-brown, splitting at top when mature; seeds, generally 15,<br />
glabrous, brownish black. In thickets and forest on escarpment surrounding plateau and<br />
on inner and outer edges <strong>of</strong> coastal strip. Timber used for house construction and<br />
considered good for ca<strong>no</strong>e outriggers, poles for <strong>no</strong>ddy bird nets, and <strong>the</strong> best wood for<br />
<strong>the</strong> construction <strong>of</strong> frigate bird nesting platforms (eteo, etea); very s<strong>of</strong>t pieces <strong>of</strong> wood<br />
rubbed toge<strong>the</strong>r in <strong>the</strong> past to make fire by friction in <strong>the</strong> procedure k<strong>no</strong>wn as ikumo;<br />
inner bark (bast fiber) used to make white fiber, which after stripping <strong>of</strong>f outer bark and<br />
soaking in mud and sea water, is used to make skirts (ridi), special hula skirts (ingung),<br />
and baskets (ebwer, eber); fibre used for straining coconut cream and for lashing house<br />
rafters; leaves used for parceling pig and o<strong>the</strong>r foods for cooking in <strong>the</strong> earth oven<br />
(eyom, eom); leaves cooked with water as a cure for diarrhea. 1(22.R), 2, 3(58747),<br />
4(169N), 5(28), 6, 7.<br />
Hibiscus ornamental hybrids "hybrid hibiscus"<br />
Recent introduction. Rare. Origin? Variable shrubs, up to 2 m or higher; leaves<br />
-~mcmtkte--wefs~ ~ ~ @ t ~ e h r r l r t o ~ t n r p v e ~ f am 1 - ~ 4<br />
5-lobed, showy, more or less campanulate; staminal column more or less covered with<br />
stamens surrounding all but <strong>the</strong> tip <strong>of</strong> a longer 5-lobed style; fruit a 5-valved capsule<br />
containing 15 or more seeds. Planted ornamentals. 3, 5, 6, 7.
Malvastrum coromandelianum (L.) Garcke "false mallow"<br />
syns. M. tricuspidatum A. Gray; Malva coromandeliana L; Malva tricuspidata<br />
R. Br.<br />
Recent introduction. C. America to S . United States. Common. Tough-stemmed,<br />
woody-rooted, widely-branching annual herb or subshrub up to 1 m high (usually less);<br />
stems, pubescent with 4-rayed hairs; leaves, 2 to 6 cm long and 1 to 2.5 cm wide,<br />
alternate, ovate to ovate-elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, serrate, appressed-<br />
pubescent, 3-nerved from <strong>the</strong> base, midrib branched upward; petioles, 1.5 to 4 cm long,<br />
slender; stipules, 0.5 to 1 cm or more long, lanceolate to very narrow; inflorescences,<br />
axillary, solitary or finally appearing in short axillary and terminal clusters; peduncles,<br />
about 5 mm or longer; epicalyx <strong>of</strong> 3 free narrow subulate bracts; calyx, deeply 5-lobed,<br />
<strong>the</strong> sepals ovate, acute, pubescent; corolla, about 1.2 to 2 cm across, broadly cam-<br />
panulate, 5-petaled, opening after mid-day, finally falling with <strong>the</strong> staminal tube; petals<br />
slightly unequally bilobed at apex, yellow to salmon-orange; stamina1 column shorter than<br />
<strong>the</strong> corolla, divided at apex into numerous filaments; fruit, about 6 mm across, a discoid<br />
(wheelshaped) schizocarp breaking up at maturity into 10 one-seeded segments (meri-<br />
carps), each about 3 mm long, with a few stiff hairs and 2 stubby points on <strong>the</strong> convex<br />
side; seeds, 1.5 mm long, obliquely reniform, black with a dull surface. Weed in settled<br />
areas, roadsides and ruderal sites. 3(58694, 58728, 58766), 5, 6(207), 7, 8.<br />
Malvaviscus arboreus Cav. var. penduliflorus (Moc. & Sesse ex DC.) Schery<br />
"sleeping hibiscus", "Turk's cap"<br />
syns. M. penrlul~jlorus Moc. & Sesse ex DC.; M. conzatti Greenm.; M. gran-<br />
digorus Hort. <strong>no</strong>n H.B. K.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. A shrub, 1 to 3 m high, with<br />
fibrous bark; leaves, 7 cm to 20 cm long and up to 10 cm wide, alternate, narrowly<br />
ovate to ovate-oblong or ovate-lanceolate, acute to obtusely acuminate, base broad<br />
cuneate to rounded, serrate; petioles, usually 5 to 12 cm long, puberulent; stipules, about<br />
7 mm long, linear; flowers, solitary, axillary, pendulous, hibiscus-like; pedicels, 4 to 6<br />
cm long or longer, slender, pubescent; epicalyx <strong>of</strong> usually 6 to 7 linear oblong bracts,<br />
about 1 to 1.5 cm long, apex obtuse, margins ciliate; calyx, 5-lobed, exceeding bracts <strong>of</strong><br />
epicalyx by up to 1 cm; corolla, about 4 to 7 cm long, 5-petaled, bright red (occasionally<br />
pink), petals, unequally obovate, slightly keeled, flattened at apex, base suricular,<br />
remaining rolled, overlapping and closed; staminal tube slightly exserted, slender, reddish<br />
or pale pink with dull purple an<strong>the</strong>rs; fruit, a 5-seeded schizocarp, globose, fleshy, red.<br />
Planted ornamental. 5(124), 6.
Sida acuta Burm.f. "spiny-headed sida" , "broom weed"<br />
"c<strong>of</strong>fee bush" (N)<br />
syns. S. carpinifolia L.f.; S. glomerata Cav.<br />
Recent introduction. Pantropical. Common. Low, freely-branching perennial<br />
subshrub, up to 1 m tall, with slender stems and a strong taproot; leaves, 1.5 to 7.5 cm<br />
long and 0.5 to 2 cm wide, alternate, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, acute, obtuse,<br />
cordulate or rounded at base, sharply serrate, yellowish-green, more or less stellate-<br />
pubescent or glabrous beneath, palmately 3-nerved from base, pinnately nerved above <strong>the</strong><br />
base, midrib branched upward; petioles, 3 to 5 cm long; stipules linear-acute or linear-<br />
subulate, up to 12 mm long; inflorescences, solitary or paired, axillary or sometimes<br />
terminal; pedicels, 2 to 10 cm long; calyx, about 5 mm across, 5-lobed, lobes pointed;<br />
corolla, about 4 to 15 mm across, 5-petaled, petals united at base, obovate, rotate,<br />
yellow; stamens numerous, fused into a column (monadelphous); fruit, 4 to 5 mm broad,<br />
a 6 to 10-carpellate schizocarp, carpels 2-awned, grooved dorsally; seeds, about 1.5 to 2<br />
mm long, rounded-wedge-shaped, dark reddish-brown. Weed on coastal strip, along<br />
roadside, and in and near thickets. Two forms, a narrow ovate-lanceolate-leaved form<br />
(22303) and a broader-leaved form (96) exist. 3(58615, 58649, 58806), 5(23, 96), 6,<br />
7(22303), 8(9558, 9582).<br />
Sida fallax Walp.<br />
ekaura, idibin ekaura (N); te kaura (K)<br />
"ilima" (Hawaii)<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Indo-Pacific. Rare. Small downy, <strong>of</strong>ten almost prostrate, shrub, up to<br />
50 cm high; leaves, about 2 to 4 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide, alternate, oblong or<br />
cordate, acute or obtuse, serrate or scalloped-edged, glaucous, downy; petioles, about 1<br />
to 2 cm long ??; flowers, axillary or terminal, solitary or 2 .or 3 near ends <strong>of</strong> branch tips;<br />
pedicels, 2 to 5 cm long, slender ??; calyx, about half as large as corolla, 10-ribbed,<br />
downy; corolla, about 2 to 2.5 cm across, 5-petaled, yellow to rich orange, reddish near<br />
<strong>the</strong> center; stamens numerous, fused into a column (monadelphous); fruit, a wheel-like,<br />
7- to 12-carpellate schizocarp with 1-seeded, short-awned seed cases or carpels; seeds ??.<br />
Found in ruderal habitats on coastal strip and in areas cleared recently for phosphate<br />
mining. U<strong>no</strong>pened flower buds used, after soaking in coconut oil to retard <strong>the</strong>ir opening<br />
and make <strong>the</strong>m last, to make headbands and necklaces worn by dancers and sportsmen<br />
during special occasions; dried and treated leaves used by I Kiribati, in Kiribati, as a<br />
very strong fertilizer and mulch in ceremonial giant swamp taro (Cyrtospemza chamis-<br />
sonis) gardens. l(5 .R), 2(7.5), 5(108), 6(l6O, 162).<br />
Sida rhombifolia L. "broomweed", "broom plant", "Cuba jute", "Paddy's lucerne"<br />
- -.<br />
"c<strong>of</strong>fee bush", itsi (tea) (N)<br />
Recent introduction. Pantropical. Common. Tough-stemmed, much-branching,<br />
erect, stellate-pubescent shrub, 30 cm to 1.5 m high; leaves, 1.5 to 8 cm long and 0.7 to
2.5 cm wide, alternate, elliptic or rhombic-ovate to subspatulate or lanceolate, acute to<br />
obtusish, base cuneate to very narrowly obtuse at petiole, serrate near apex, somewhat<br />
glaucous-green above, pale beneath, glabrous above, densely stellate-pubescent beneath;<br />
petioles, 2 to 6 mm long (rarely longer); stipules 3 to 10 mm long, narrow; flowers,<br />
solitary or occasionally paired in axils; pedicels 1 to 5 cm long, slender; calyx, about 15<br />
mm wide, 5-lobed, lobes deltoid-apiculate; corolla, about 6 to 18 mm wide, 5-petaled,<br />
petals free, obovate, unequally bilobed, rotate, yellow to pale orange; stamens numerous,<br />
fused into a column (monadelphous); fruit, about 8 mm in diameter, an 8- to 10 (rarely<br />
12)-carpellate schizocarp, carpels about 3 to 4.5 mm long, deltoid, apiculate, stellate<br />
pubescent dorsally, with 2 sharp awns, about 1 mm long at apex; seeds, 1 per mericarp,<br />
about 2 mm long, rounded wedge-shaped or almost pyramidal-triangular, dark brown or<br />
black. Weed <strong>of</strong> roadsides, waste places and semi-shaded areas. Tea made from leaves<br />
during World War 11; leaves boiled in water used to treat blisters. 3(58621), 4(138N), 5,<br />
6, 7, 8(9575).<br />
Sida spi<strong>no</strong>sa L. var. angustifolia (Lam .). Griseb. "prickly sida"<br />
Recent introduction. Pantropical. Occasional. S<strong>of</strong>t pubescent herb, up to 1 m<br />
high, <strong>the</strong> young stems covered with minute s<strong>of</strong>t hairs; leaves, 2.5 to 5 cm long and 0.4 to<br />
2 cm wide, alternate, ovate-lanceolate, or oblong, acute, base rounded, obtuse or<br />
subcordulate, serrate; petiole, up to 2 cm or longer, slender; stipules, small, pointed, one<br />
at base and 2 lateral, usually curved downward; flowers solitary or in axillary or terminal<br />
paniculate clusters <strong>of</strong> 2 or 3; corolla, about 1 cm across, 5-petaled, light yellow; fruit, an<br />
ovoid 5-carpellate schizocarp, carpels 2-beaked; seeds, triangular, smooth, dark brown.<br />
Weed in waste places. 4, 6.<br />
Thespesia populnea (L.) Sol. ex Correa " milo" (Hawaii, Polynesia)<br />
itira, itirya (N); te bingibing (?)(K); milo (T)<br />
syns. Hibiscus populneus L. (at least in part); H. baccijkrus Forst-f.; Malvavis-<br />
cus populneus (L.) Gaertn.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Paleotropics. Occasional. Medium tree, 3 to 15 m (rarely 20 m)high,<br />
with a fairly stout trunk, rough corrugated bark, dense round crown, and glabrous<br />
branches; branch tips silvery brown lepidote or scurfy, glabrescent; leaves, 5 to 15 cm<br />
long and almost as broad, alternate, ra<strong>the</strong>r crowded, ovate, base cordate with an open<br />
sinus, acuminate, entire or rarely somewhat lobed, green above, only slightly paler<br />
beneath, glabrous, slightly fleshy-coriaceous, glossy, usually at right angles to petiole,<br />
<strong>the</strong> tip pointing down, midrib yellowish, palmately 7- to 7-nerved; petioles, 3 to 12 cm<br />
long; inflorescences, solitary, axillary; pedicels, about half as long as <strong>the</strong> petioles, stout;<br />
- epiczlyx,5t~S;bracteate, brw-1'1 mm long, oblong to lanceolate, caducous;<br />
calyx, about 18 mm in diameter, rim- or disc-like, unlobed or scarcely too<strong>the</strong>d, persis-<br />
tent; corolla, 8 to 10 cm across, 5-petaled, campanulate, ra<strong>the</strong>r persistent, pale yellow<br />
with a maroon or reddish center <strong>of</strong> "eye", fading to purple or pinkish-purple; staminal
column fused (monadelphous), shorter than corolla, cylindric, too<strong>the</strong>d at apex, pale<br />
yellow; stigmas yellow; fruit, about 2 to 4.5 cm across, depressed-pentagonal-globose,<br />
usually 4- to 5-celled, coriaceous-woody, glabrous, green becoming purplish or brown at<br />
maturity, with a yellowish gum, indehiscent, irregularly crumbling upon aging, calyx<br />
persistent at base; seeds, 4 per cell, usually 7 to 8 mm long, ovoid to obovoid, glabrous<br />
or silky pubescent (villous). Growing along edges <strong>of</strong> mangroves in Anetan; planted on<br />
golf course. Specimens (73.R) have leaves scarcely cordate, almost subtruncate at base,<br />
as in Thespesia populneodes, but have seeds villous on angles, as in T. populnea.<br />
Considered <strong>the</strong> best wood for house construction, woodcarving, furniture and ca<strong>no</strong>e<br />
outriggers; wood also used in traditional stick games. l(73 .R) , 2, 3(58745), 4(165N),<br />
5(57), 6, 7(27821).<br />
MELIACEAE (Mahogany Family)<br />
Melia azedarach L. "Indian lilac", "China berry", "Persian lilac", "pride <strong>of</strong> India"<br />
gadong, gadung (N)<br />
Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. Asia. Common. Small to medium tree, 3 to<br />
12 m (rarely 15 m) high, with wide-spreading branches and coarse weak wood; leaves,<br />
up to 50 cm or longer, alternate, bipinnate, with 3 to 7 pairs <strong>of</strong> leaflets, <strong>the</strong> lowest<br />
pinnae sometimes once more divided (thus partly tripinnate); leaflets, 3 to 9 cm long and<br />
1 to 3 cm wide, opposite, oblong-ovate or lanceolate, acute to acuminate, base somewhat<br />
inequilaterally acute, serrate, glabrous; petiolules, up to 8 mm long; inflorescences,<br />
axillary, open, many-flowered panicles, 10 to 30 cm long; calyx, 5- to 6-lobed, puberu-<br />
lent; corolla, nearly 2 cm across, 5 (or 6)-petaled, <strong>the</strong> petals about 8 mm long, oblan-<br />
ceolate, purple to lavender or nearly white, fragrant; stamina1 tube cylindric, as long as<br />
petals, too<strong>the</strong>d, lilac, an<strong>the</strong>rs 10; fruit, about 13 to 20 mm long, 3- to 8-locular, a<br />
subglobose to ellipsoid, fleshy, yellow drupe, <strong>the</strong> endocarp thick, bony; seeds, 1 (or 2)<br />
per locule, laterally compressed, <strong>the</strong> testa crustaceous. Planted ornamental and spon-<br />
taneous on coastal strip, in strip-mined area on plateau, near <strong>the</strong> Topside Oval, and on<br />
escarpment slopes near phosphate processing plant. 2, 3(58732), 4(l22N), 5(74), 6, 7.<br />
Sandoricum koetjape (Burm. f.) Merr. "santol" (Philippines)<br />
syns. S. indicm Cav. ; Melia koetjape (Burm.f.) Merr.<br />
Recent introduction. Malesia. Extinct? Medium to ra<strong>the</strong>r bulky, somewhat<br />
- d e c i d u o & r e e ; t r p ~ ~ - 2 ~ r - k ' ~ ~ w ~ ~ ~ b e~ -- s e ~<br />
to gray smooth or slightly flaky bark; leaves, spiralled, trifoliate; leaflets, 10 to 20 cm<br />
long, oblong-ovate, acute, rounded at base, slightly asymmetric or <strong>no</strong>t, velvety-pubescent<br />
or lea<strong>the</strong>ry, wi<strong>the</strong>ring yellow or red; inflorescences in many-flowered axillary panicles,<br />
10 to 20 cm long; calyx, 5-lobed, pubescent; corolla, 5-petaled, <strong>the</strong> petals about 1 cm
long, linear, yellowish, fragrant; stamen tube elongate, an<strong>the</strong>rs 10, stigma 5-lobed; fruit,<br />
8 to 10 cm across, a globose, fleshy drupe with velvety-pubescent skin, usually 5-celled,<br />
1 seed to each cell; pulp, brownish-white, acid, edible; seeds, large, inedible. Small<br />
recently planted seedling growing in Filipi<strong>no</strong> home garden at Location in 1980. No<br />
longer present in 198 1. 5.<br />
MORACEAE (Mulberry Family)<br />
Artocarpus altilis (Park.) Fosb.<br />
deme (N); te mai (K); mei (T)<br />
syns. A. incisus (Thunb.) L.f.; A. communis Forst.<br />
"breadfruit"<br />
Aboriginal introduction. Malayo-Pacific. Common. Medium to large, round-<br />
topped tree, 10 to 20 m or higher, with thick milky sap; leaves, 30 to 60 cm (rarely up<br />
to 1 m) long and 20 to 40 (rarely up to 65 cm) cm wide, alternate, deeply pinnately 5- to<br />
7-lobed or -incised, lobes long-acuminate, oblong, acute, or in some varieties entire or<br />
shallowly divided with 2 or 4 short triangular lobes, base broadly cuneate or obtuse, dark<br />
green above, paler beneath, thick-coriaceous, glabrous above, sometimes hairy on <strong>the</strong><br />
nerves beneath or on both surfaces; midrib raised strongly beneath; petioles, 3 to 5 cm<br />
long, stout; stipules, 10 to 25 cm long, dorsally pilose; male inflorescences, 7 to 30 cm<br />
long and 1.5 to 4 cm wide, solitary, axillary, dense, yellow, somewhat spongy, cylindri-<br />
clavate (somewhat club-shaped), drooping spikelike clusters on stout peduncles 3 to 8 cm<br />
long; female inflorescences, solitary, axillary, globose to rounded-oblong or ellipsoid<br />
headlike clusters, 8 to 10 cm long and 5 to 7 cm wide, which develop into fruits, stiffly<br />
upright on stout peduncles 4 to 8 cm long; fruit, a syncarp, 10 to 30 cm in diameter,<br />
globose or rounded-oblong, weighing up to 6 kg, studded with slightly conic or pyrami-<br />
dal, hexagonal carpel apices, yellowish-green to brownish; inner flesh yellowish-white to<br />
creamy, usually seedless, but sometimes with seeds, about 2.5 cm long. Planted staple<br />
tree crop on coastal strip. Fruit cooked as a staple food; sap (denda) used as an adhesive<br />
for caulking ca<strong>no</strong>es and a chewing gum; leaves used for wrapping food for cooking, for<br />
parcelization <strong>of</strong> fresh food, and as plates; medicine for curing ear aches made by<br />
crushing juice out <strong>of</strong> tender meristems. Two main cultivars <strong>of</strong> A. altilis are deme and<br />
modenewe or m.oden.awc? ("modern way"). Important staple food in Kiribati, Tuvalu. and<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>atoll</strong> countries, and an important supplementary staple in o<strong>the</strong>r areas <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pacific.<br />
2, 3(58753), 5, 6, 7.
Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. "jakfruit", "jackfruit"<br />
te mai rekereke (K)<br />
syns. A. integrifolia sensu L. f. ; A. integer sensu (Thunb.) Merr.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Indomalaysia. Rare. Medium tree, 10 to 20 m<br />
high, with thick milky sap and young twigs with many long, rigid hairs which are <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
hooked at <strong>the</strong> apex; leaves, 5 to 25 cm long and 3 to 12 cm wide, alternate, oval or<br />
oblong, entire (sometimes 3-lobed on young trees), acuminate, acute or obtuse, base<br />
cuneate or obtuse, <strong>no</strong>n-decurrent, dark-green, coriaceous, with stiff hairs; petioles, about<br />
3.5 cm long; stipules, 1.5 to 8.5 cm long; male inflorescences, axillary or terminal<br />
spikelike clusters, 2.5 to 10 cm long and 1 to 3 cm in diameter, ellipsoid-clavate, terete,<br />
yellow or greenish yellow; female inflorescences, in globose or oblong heads which turn<br />
into fruit and which are borne on <strong>the</strong> trunk or older branches (cauliflorous or ramiflor-<br />
ous); fruit stalk 7 to 12 cm long; fruit, a syncarp, usually 30 to 40 cm long but oc-<br />
casionally up to 60 to 90 cm long and about half as wide, oblong cylindric, golden<br />
yellow to yellow-green, weighing up to 20 kg, rind studded with hexagonal bluntly conic<br />
carpel apices; inner flesh pulpy, waxy, whitish-yellow, acid or sweetish or fetid when<br />
over-ripe; seeds, 2 to 3 cm long, rounded, brown, enclosed in a slippery pulpy jacket.<br />
Planted fruit tree reported present by Burges in 1933; young tree seen in Topside<br />
Workshop food gardens in 1987. Ripe fruit eaten; immature fruit cooked as a supplemen-<br />
tary staple in curries by Indians. A. integrifolia and A. integer are incorrect botanical<br />
names for <strong>the</strong> jakfruit and according to Corner (in Gard. Bull. Straits Settlem. 1056-81,<br />
1939), A. integer refers to a separate species, <strong>the</strong> champedak which is <strong>no</strong>t present in<br />
Nauru, and A. integrifolia is an illegitimate name (Smith, 1981). 2,6.<br />
Artocarpus mariannensis Trec. "Marianas breadfruit"<br />
damenkamor (N); te mai kora (K); matua mei (T)<br />
Aboriginal introduction? Micronesia. Occasional. Tree similar to A. altilis; leaves<br />
smaller, 10 to 30 cm long, half as wide, broadly obovate to broadly elliptic, acute to<br />
acuminate, entire to variously lobed in <strong>the</strong> upper part, but cutting usually <strong>no</strong>t more than<br />
halfway to <strong>the</strong> midrib, usually less, with some leaves <strong>of</strong>ten quite entire, base cuneate,<br />
glabrous and somewhat shiny above, brown hairs on <strong>the</strong> veins and midrib beneath;<br />
petiole, up to 4.5 cm long, usually half this length; male spike, up to about 8 to 10 cm<br />
long; fruit, ra<strong>the</strong>r small, shortly cylindric, usually with several large seeds and somewhat<br />
scanty pulp. Planted staple fruit tree. Same uses as for A. altilis, but fruit <strong>of</strong> A. marian-<br />
nensis eaten raw and cooked. 3(58755), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Ficus benghalensis L. -- "banyan", "Indian banyan", "east Indian fig", "Vada tree"<br />
Recent introduction. India. Occasional. Large spreading tree, up to 20 m or<br />
higher and <strong>of</strong>ten several times as wide, with milky latex and massive pillar roots,<br />
descending from branches, which extend <strong>the</strong> tree laterally, sometimes almost indefinitely;
leaves, 10 to 30 cm long and 5 to 20 cm wide, elliptic to ovate, obtuse, base usually<br />
cordate, glabrous (downy when young), lea<strong>the</strong>ry, with intercostal venation, <strong>the</strong> lateral<br />
nerves in 5 to 7 distinctly spaced pairs, <strong>the</strong> basal nerves elongate in 2 to 4 pairs; petioles,<br />
1.5 to 7 cm long, <strong>no</strong>t articulate to lamina; male inflorescences disperse; female inflores-<br />
cences similar to fig (gall); fruit, a fig about 14 to 25 mm in diameter, axillary, paired,<br />
sessile or <strong>the</strong> body pedicellate, depressed-globose, orange-red, edible, <strong>the</strong> basal bracts<br />
well-developed, 10 to 14 by 3 to 7 mm; seeds, small, smooth. Planted ornamental tree on<br />
coastal strip; common on golf course. 3(58749), 5(53), 6, 7.<br />
Ficus elastica Roxb . "Indian rubber tree", " rubber plant", "Indian rubber fig"<br />
Recent introduction. India to Nepal and Malaya, perhaps southward to Java.<br />
Occasional. A large spreading, fast-growing banyan tree, up to 35 m high (usually much<br />
smaller as an ornamental), with smooth gray bark, copious aerial roots and milky latex;<br />
leaves, 10 to 40 cm long and 4 to 22 cm wide, elliptic to subobovate, short-acuminate,<br />
thick, stiff, lea<strong>the</strong>ry, glabrous, dark-green and shiny above, paler beneath, primary lateral<br />
nerves usually in 15 to 22 pairs, <strong>the</strong> secondary lateral nerves almost as prominent as <strong>the</strong><br />
primary, leaves in bud enclosed in pointed, rolled, rosy, caducous sheaths; petioles, 4 to<br />
12 cm long, <strong>no</strong>t articulate to lamina; stipules large and conspicuous, pink to red; male<br />
flowers, disperse; figs, up to 12 by 9 mm, in pairs, short-ellipsoid or oblong, greenish-<br />
yellow, with a short thick peduncle usually 3 to 5 mm long and 4 to 6 mm thick, <strong>the</strong><br />
basal bracts 3, early caducous. Planted ornamental tree or house plant in its juvenile<br />
form. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Ficus prolixa Forst. f. var. carolinensis (Warb.) Fosb.<br />
eaeo, eyayo, yay 0 (N)<br />
"native banyan"<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Micronesia. Very abundant. Medium to large tree, 2 to 20 m high,<br />
with many aerial roots descending from branches; leaves, 8 to 16 cm long and 6 to 8 cm<br />
wide, alternate elliptic-oblong or oblanceolate, short acuminate, base cordate or subcordate,<br />
glabrous, primary nerves in 5 to 10 pairs; petioles, 0.8 to 3 cm long; male<br />
inflorescences ostiolar and disperse; figs, 5 to 10 mm in diameter, axillary, mostly<br />
solitary, subglobose, ripening white to pink and purple-black, with 3 slightly coherent<br />
rounded basal bracts, sessile or borne on peduncles up to 3 mm long. Common on<br />
plateau in areas <strong>of</strong> unmined forest, in older strip-mined areas, and on <strong>the</strong> escarpment and<br />
coastal strip, primarily on coral-limestone pinnacles and outcrops. F. prolixa seems to be<br />
one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> only species capable <strong>of</strong> long-term colonization <strong>of</strong> residual pinnacles in stripmined<br />
areas and could become dominant in <strong>the</strong> disclimax vegetation. Berry-like fruit<br />
(moduru) eaten cooked and mixed with boiled sap (toddy or karawai) from <strong>the</strong> coconut<br />
- - - f i o w e r ~ ~ ~ ; r ~ - m a f t : e ~ a a~gFoTdedengan<br />
~ ~ h o w n which can<br />
keep for two to four weeks, and, if cooked and dried in <strong>the</strong> sun, will keep for years if<br />
stored in a dry place; sap used as chewing gum (ikumi, kumi). 1, 3(58663), 5(19), 6, 7.
Ficus tinctoria Forst. f. var. neo-ebudarum (Summerh.) Fosb. "Dyer's fig", "native fig"<br />
debero (N); te bero (K); felo (T)<br />
Recent introduction. S. E. Asia to Polynesia and Micronesia. Rare. Small<br />
dioecious tree, up to 8 m high, commonly with long aerial roots or prop-roots; leaves,<br />
about 8 to 15 cm long and 5 to 8 cm wide, ovate, with a slightly asymmetric base, dark<br />
green wi<strong>the</strong>ring to a bright yellow with purplish veins, lateral nerves in 3 to 9 pairs;<br />
tepals, white; figs, about 12 mm in diameter, globose, yellowish turning dull reddish,<br />
borne on peduncles about 10 inm long. Planted food tree in Rev. J. Aigimea's garden.<br />
Fruit eaten cooked; fruit also cooked and mashed and mixed with boiled coconut syrup<br />
(kamimra, kamerara) to make a pudding (dedengan). Plant introduced from Kiribati,<br />
where it is a supplementary staple in many areas and a major staple in <strong>the</strong> drier islands <strong>of</strong><br />
sou<strong>the</strong>rn Kiribati. Use learned by some Nauruans from I-Kiribati, but recipe essentially<br />
<strong>the</strong> same as used by Nauruans for F. prolixa. 5(104), 6, 7(27808).<br />
Ficus sp.<br />
Recent introduction. Planted ornamental. Rare. 5 (197).<br />
MORINGACEAE (Moringa Family)<br />
Moringa oleifera Lam. "horseradish tree", "drumstick tree", "saijan", "seijan" (Hindi),<br />
malunggay (P)<br />
syns. Guilanrlina moringa L.; M. moringa (L.) Millsp.; M. pterygospenna<br />
Gaertn.<br />
Recent introduction. India. Occasional to common. Small s<strong>of</strong>t-wooded tree up to<br />
10 m high, with thick sterns, corky, gummy bark and pungent roots; leaves, 20 to 60 cm<br />
long, alternate, bi-tripinnate, <strong>the</strong> pinnae and leaflets opposite; leaflets, 1 to 3 cm long and<br />
5 to 18 mm wide, oval to obovate, sometimes faintly <strong>no</strong>tches, somewhat grayish-green;<br />
inflorescences, shorter than <strong>the</strong> leaves, axillary, many-flowered, paniculate; calyx, 5-<br />
lobed, lobes imbricate, subequal, spreading or reflexed, white; corolla, about 1.5 to 2.5<br />
cm across, 5-petaled, petals imbricate, shortly connate at base, unequal, <strong>the</strong> lowermost<br />
<strong>the</strong> largest, erect, <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r reflexed, white, greenish proximally, fragrant; stamens 10, 5<br />
with yellow an<strong>the</strong>rs, perfect, epipetalous, <strong>the</strong> filaments free; fruit, 15 to 4 cm long, a 3-<br />
valved, pendent, podlike capsule, elongated, beaked, subtorulose, <strong>the</strong> valves thick,<br />
spongy with 9 blunt ribs; seeds, many, about 10 mm in diameter, 3-angled, winged at-<br />
angles. Food plant in Indian home gardens on Meneng Terrace and in Filipi<strong>no</strong> Gardens at<br />
Location. Nutritious leaves, fruit, and flowers cooked as vegetables by resident Filipi<strong>no</strong><br />
and Indian families. Very common food tree planted by Indians in Fiji. 5, 6, 7.
MYRTACEAE (Myrtle Family)<br />
Eucalyptus sp. "eucalyptus", "gum tree"<br />
Recent introduction. Australia. Rare. Tree with peeling bark; leaves, aromatic;<br />
flowers, petals absent, with numerous showy stamens; fruit, a woody capsule, opening by<br />
slits; seeds, small and numerous. Planted ornamental tree in Nauruan houseyard garden.<br />
6.<br />
Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. "allspice"<br />
syn. P. <strong>of</strong>icinalis Lindl.; Myrtus pimcma L. ; M. dioica L.<br />
Recent introduction. C. America and W. Indies. Rare. Small to medium tree, 6 to<br />
12 m high, with nearly smooth silvery-brown bark and brittle wood; leaves, 5 to 20 cm<br />
long and 2 to 8 cm wide, opposite, narrowly elliptic to elliptic-oblong, bluntly acute,<br />
obtuse to rounded at base, thick, coriaceous, glabrous, dark green above and paler and<br />
gland-dotted beneath, pinnately veined, mid-rib impressed above and prominent below,<br />
highly aromatic; petiolzs, usually 1 to 1.5 cm long; inflorescences, many-flowered,<br />
subterminal axillary (in axils <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> upper leaves) cymose panicles, 5 to 15 cm long;<br />
pedicels, about 1 cm long, pubescent, with small brownish bracteoles; calyx, 4-sepaled<br />
campanulate with spreading persistent lobes about 2 mm long; corolla, about 8 to 10 mm<br />
in diameter, 4-petaled, petals, about 4 inm long, rounded, reflexed, white, spreading,<br />
caducous; stamens numerous, free; fruit, 5 to 7 mm in diameter, a small subglobose<br />
berry, dark purple when mature, with sweet pulpy mesocarp; seeds, usually 2, sub-<br />
globose with a spiral embryo. Planted ornamental seedling in home garden. 6.<br />
Psidium guajava L.<br />
kuwawa (N); tekuwawa (K); kuava (T)<br />
syn. P. pom.iferum L.<br />
"guava"<br />
Recent introduction? Trop. America. Common. Shrub or small, shallow-rooted<br />
tree, 2 to 10 m high, with smooth green, light reddish-brown or copper-colored bark,<br />
wide-spreading branches, and pubescent 4-angled or -winged young branches, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
producing suckers from roots near base <strong>of</strong> trunk; leaves 5 to 15 cm long and 3 to 7 cm<br />
wide, opposite, ovate-elliptic or oblong-elliptic, acute-acuminate, base obtuse to rounded,<br />
dull green, pubescent beneath, <strong>of</strong>ten ra<strong>the</strong>r brittle, lateral veins 7 to 20 per side, slightly<br />
sunken above: prominent below; petioles, 2 to 10 mm long inflorescences, axillary-<br />
solitary or in 2- to 3-flowered cymes; peduncle, about 1 to 2 cm long, pubescent; calyx,<br />
4- to 6-lobed, campanulate, splitting irregularly, lobes 1 to 1.5 cm long, reflexed,<br />
pubescent, persistent; corolla, about 2.5 to 3 cm across, petals 4 or 5, elliptic to obovate,<br />
slightly concave, reflexed, white, slightly fragrant, fugaceous; stamens, numerous (about
200 to 250), white, about as long as petals, with yellow an<strong>the</strong>rs; style, 1.5 to 2 cm long,<br />
filiform, greenish-yellow, exserted above stamens; fruit, 3 to 12 cm long, globose, ovoid<br />
or pyriform, surmounted with remnants <strong>of</strong> calyx lobes, shining pale green, whitish<br />
yellow or faintly pink when ripe, pulpy; pulp, granular-juicy, sweet-sour, light pink to<br />
reddish-pink or cream-colored, aromatic; seeds, many, 3 to 5 mm long, bony, reniform,<br />
yellowish to light brown, embedded in pulp. Occasionally planted or protected in home<br />
gardens; spontaneous on coastal strip and locally abundant in unmined forest on plateau<br />
and in mined areas. Wood an excellent firewood and makes good fishing poles; leaves<br />
used to treat diarrhea; ripe fruit eaten and made into jams. 3(58650, 58767), 4(105N),<br />
5(94), 6, 7, 8.<br />
Syzygium malaccense (L.) Merr. & Perry "Malay apple", "mountain apple"<br />
apolo Solomona ("Solomon Is. appleU)(T)<br />
syns. Eugenia malaccensis L.; Carophyllus malaccensis (L.) Stokes; Jambosa<br />
malaccensis (L.) DC.<br />
Recent introduction. S. E. Asia. Rare. Medium tree, 6 to 15 m tall; leaves, 10 to<br />
38 cm long and 5 to 22 cm wide; opposite, elliptic to oblong-obovate, bluntly acuminate,<br />
base obtuse to acute, <strong>the</strong>n abruptly decurrent on petiole, glossy, glabrous, paler beneath,<br />
obscurely punctate, thick-coriaceous, pinnately nerved, lateral nerves submarginally loop-<br />
connected 4 to 7 mm from margin; petiole, 8 to 15 mm long, stout, in young leaves<br />
reddish; inflorescences, dense few-flowered cymes, about 5 cm long, on defoliate older<br />
branches and on trunk; pedicels, 1 cm long or less; calyx tube, 1.5 to 2 cm long,<br />
turbinate, 4-lobed, lobes rounded, wider than long; corolla, 4 to 7 cm in diameter across<br />
expanded stamens, petals 4, 8 to 18 mm long, obovate, concave, red, fugaceous;<br />
stamens, many (about 125), 1 to 3.5 cin long, erect, red to vivid crimson-pink; an<strong>the</strong>rs,<br />
small yellowish; style, nearly 2 cm long, dark red; fruit, about 6 to 8 cm long, obovoid<br />
or pyriform, crowned by inflexed calyx-lobes, glossy and slightly waxy in appearance,<br />
crisp-succulent, light green maturing to red or greenish-white or striped or mottled,<br />
usually 1-seeded; flesh, white, watery; seeds, about 2 cm across. Planted fruit tree<br />
seedling in Tuvaluan garden at Location. Common aboriginal introduction throughout<br />
most <strong>of</strong> high-island Melanesia and Polynesia, where <strong>the</strong> fruit is eaten. 5, 6.<br />
NYMPHAEACEAE (Waterlily Family)<br />
Nymphaea sp. "water lily"<br />
Recent introduction. E. and S. Africa and Madagascar. Rare. Aquatic perennial<br />
herb with submerged rhizomes; leaves, peltate, floating, long-petiolate, arising from <strong>the</strong>-<br />
rhizome; flowers, cup-like, solitary, regular, bisexual; calyx, 4-sepaled, <strong>the</strong> sepals,<br />
nearly free, intergrading into <strong>the</strong> petals; corolla, many-petaled, petals, overlapping,<br />
showy, variously colored from rich blue, pink, yellow to creamy-white; stamens,
numerous, an<strong>the</strong>rs introrse, opening by slits; carpels united into a multilocular ovary<br />
bearing a flat radiate stigma; seeds, hard, operculate, arillate. Planted ornamental in<br />
water tanks and in small household fish ponds. 3(58684), 4, 5(251).<br />
NYCTAGINACEAE (Four-o'clock Family)<br />
Bougainvillea glabra Choisy "bougainv,illea" , "red bougainvillea"<br />
tsita, tsitta (N); te akanta (K); akanta (T)<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Stout, woody scrambling or climbing vinelike shrub,<br />
with spiny, but less thorny than B. specrabilis; leaves, alternate, elliptic, acute at both<br />
ends, sparsely puberulent on both surfaces; inflorescences, axillary, nearly 2.5 cm long,<br />
in threes within 3 involucral bracts; bracts, ovate, commonly red, but variable in color,<br />
persistent; perianth 5-lobed, swollen, 5-angled below constriction, yellow to yellowish-<br />
white; fruit, 7 to 13 mm long, a glabrous anthocarp. Occasional. Planted ornamental.<br />
Flowers used by I-Kiribati in garlands. 3(58726), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Bougainvillea Spectabilis Willd. "bougainvillea", "purple bougainvillea"<br />
tsita, tsitta (N); te akanta (K)<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil or Peru. Occasional. Stout, woody scrambling or<br />
climbing vinelike shrub with stout axillary spines and <strong>the</strong> young growth finely pubescent;<br />
leaves, alternate, ovate, acute at both ends, tomentose beneath and <strong>of</strong>ten above; inflores-<br />
cences, axillary, nearly 2.5 cm long, in threes within 3 involucral bracts; bracts, ovate,<br />
rich purplish-magenta to rosy pink, less comr<strong>no</strong>nly orange, pale yellow or white, veiny,<br />
persistent; perianth 5-lobed, tubular, indistinctly angled, yellow to yellowish white;<br />
stamens usually 8, unequal; fruit, 11 to 14 mm long, a 5-angled anthocarp, densely<br />
pilose, <strong>no</strong>t sticky. Planted ornamental. Flowers used by I Kiribati in garlands. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Mirabilis jalapa L. "four-o'clock", "marvel <strong>of</strong> Peru", "false jalap"<br />
teoua, teowa (N); te aoaaua, te awaava (K)<br />
Recent introduction? Mexico. Occasional. Erect, glabrous, somewhat succulent<br />
annual herb, up to 1 m tall, with tuberous roots; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long, opposite,<br />
ovate-lanceolate, apex long attenuate-acuminate, base broadly cordate; petioles up to 2.5<br />
cm long; inflorescences, bisexual, in terminal clusters; perianth,3.5 to 5 cm long, 5-<br />
el - -hap%-r-ea;-Pn@e,yellowormwagfa-nTo-p-efling-rn<br />
in <strong>the</strong> after<strong>no</strong>on; stamens, 5; fruit, 8 mm long, an anthocarp, hard, ribbed, black, <strong>no</strong>t<br />
prickly or sticky. Planted ornamental; spontaneous in some places on coastal strip.<br />
Flowers used in garlands. 3(58784), 5, 6, 7.
Pisonia grandis R. Br.<br />
yangis, yangys, yangits (N); te buka (K); puka, puka vai (T)<br />
syns. P. alba Span.<br />
" pisonia"<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Indopacific. Uncommon. Medium to large, s<strong>of</strong>t-wooded tree with a<br />
stocky trunk and brittle, <strong>of</strong>ten wind-broken, branches; leaves, up to 20 cm or longer and<br />
10 cm wide, opposite, elliptic or ovate, obtuse to acutish, base acute, thin, pale green,<br />
glabrous, pubescent along <strong>the</strong> midrib beneath, with numerous lateral veins; petiole, up to<br />
5 cm or longer; inflorescences, small, in terminal cymose clusters; perianth 4- to 6-<br />
lobed, fragrant; stamens 5 to 13, unequal; style present; fruit, about 1 cm long, an<br />
anthocarp, fusiform or short-cylindric, with rows <strong>of</strong> short spines, glandular, very sticky.<br />
Tree in unmined plateau forest bordering escarpment above Anibare Bay and on unmined<br />
residual rocky limestone outcrops. Very brittle wood used in past as an inferior fuel;<br />
most important roosting habitat for <strong>no</strong>ddy birds which are an important ceremonial food.<br />
6, 7.<br />
OLEACEAE (Olive Family)<br />
Jasminum multiflorum (Bur1n.f.) Andr. "jasmine", "star jasmine"<br />
rimone (N)<br />
syns. Nyctan<strong>the</strong>s multi<strong>flora</strong> Burm.f.; J. pubescens Willd.<br />
Recent introduction. India. Rare. Pubescent spreading, sometimes climbing shrub,<br />
1 to 2 m high, with copiously pilose or tomentose branchlets; leaves, 2 to 6 cm long and<br />
1.5 to 4 cm wide, opposite, ovate, acute, rounded or truncate to subcordate or cordate at<br />
base, pubescent on both surfaces or sometimes glabrate above; petiole, short; inflorescen-<br />
ces, short, compact terminal clusters; calyx, 4- to 8-lobed, lobes, 8 to 18 mm long,<br />
subulate, densely pubescent with spreading yellowish hairs 8 to 18 mm long; corolla,<br />
about 2.5 cm across, tube 19 to 28 mm long, 4- to 9- lobed, lobes, 12 to 20 mm long,<br />
acute, white, tube greenish, fragrant to odorless; fruit, a berry, 2-lobed, 2-locular and 2-<br />
seeded. Planted ornamental. 5, 6.<br />
Jasminum sambac (L.) Ait. "jasmine", "Arabian jasmine", "pikake" (Hawaii)<br />
rimone (N); te bitati (K); pitasi (T); sampagita (P)<br />
syn. Nyctan<strong>the</strong>s sambac L.<br />
--<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. India. Common. Pubescent, or somewhat downy,<br />
scrambling or sometimes climbing (scandent) shrub, up to 1 m or higher, with angular<br />
branchlets; leaves, 2 to 10 cm long and 1.5 to 6 cm wide, opposite, elliptic to ovate,<br />
acute or obtuse, base rounded or cuneate, nearly glabrous, with evident pinnate nerves,
lades with axillary hair tufts beneath; petiole, short, arched, pubescent; inflorescences in<br />
few-flowered axillary clusters; calyx, about 2.5 cm across, 4- to 10-lobed, lobes about 6<br />
to 7 mm long, linear, ciliate or glabrous; corolla, tubular, <strong>of</strong>ten double, tube about 15<br />
mm long, <strong>the</strong> lobes, oblong to nearly orbicular, obtuse, as long as tube, white, fragrant;<br />
fruit a berry. Planted ornamental, especially in I-Kiribati and Tuvaluan gardens at<br />
Location; also in Nauruan gardens. Flowers used in garlands and for scenting oil.<br />
3(58719), 5(18), 6, 7.<br />
ONAGRACEAE (Evening Primrose Family)<br />
Ludwigia octovalvis (Jacq.) Raven "swamp primrose", "willow primrose"<br />
te mam (K); titania? (T)<br />
syns. Jussiaea sufruticosa L. ; Oe<strong>no</strong><strong>the</strong>rn octovalvis Jacq.<br />
Recent introduction. Pantropical. Rare. Erect, coarse, slender, branching<br />
perennial herb, 50 cm to 2 m high, with sparingly to densely pubescent and longitudinal-<br />
ly-grooved stems which are somewhat woody at <strong>the</strong> base; leaves, 3 to 15 cm long and<br />
0.5 to 2.8 cm wide, alternate, linear-lanceolate to ovate, acuminate or acute, base cuneate<br />
to acute, with 11 to 20 pairs <strong>of</strong> lateral nerves; petioles, up to 1 cm long; inflorescences,<br />
solitary, axillary, 2.5 to 3 cm across, borne on short pedicels, about 1.2 cm long with 2<br />
small bracts near top; calyx, 4-lobed, lobes, 6 to 15 mm long and 1 to 7.5 mm wide,<br />
ovate-lanceolate to linear, persistent, sometimes red-tinged; corolla, 4-petaled, tubular,<br />
tube linear, about 2 cm long, petals, 5 to 17 mm long and 4 to 17 mm wide, broadly<br />
obovateor cuneate, emarginate (<strong>no</strong>tched), yellow, caducous; stamens 8, 1 to 4 mm long<br />
(excluding an<strong>the</strong>rs), alternately unequal; fruit, 1.7 to 6.5 cm long and up to 5 to 7 mm<br />
wide, a longitudinally 8- to 10-ribbed cylindrical 4-celled capsule with sepals persistent at<br />
apex, late dehiscent along <strong>the</strong> sides; seeds, 0.6 to 0.75 mm long, several-rowed in each<br />
cell, free, <strong>no</strong>t embedded in endocarp. Weed in swampy area bordering mangroves in<br />
Meneng. 4 (150).<br />
OXALIDACEAE (Wood Sorrel Family)<br />
Averrhoa bilimbi L. " belimbi"<br />
Recent introduction. Malaya to India. Rare. Small tree, 3 to 10 m high; leaves, up<br />
to 60 cm long, odd-pinnate with 15 to 41 pairs <strong>of</strong> leaflets; leaflets, 3 to 11 cm long am-<br />
1.5 to 3 cm wide, oblanceolate, acute-acuminate, a few proximal ones smaller than <strong>the</strong><br />
distal leaflets; inflorescences, cauliflorous or ramiflorous, borne in fascicles on branches<br />
or trunk; calyx, 5-sepaled, sepals imbricate, yellowish-red to purple; corolla, 5-petaled,
petals, 1 to 2 cm long, dark red, glabrous within, <strong>no</strong>t cohesive; stamens 10, all with<br />
an<strong>the</strong>rs; fruit, 5 to 10 cm long and 2 to 5 cm across, oblong-cylindric (cucumber-<br />
shaped), smooth, subterete, faintly 5-angled, yellowish-green, acid, crisp; seeds, 6 to 8<br />
mm long and 4 to 6 mm across, embedded in pulp, exarillate. Three large trees planted<br />
near Indian homes on Meneng Terrace. Fruit eaten ripe; green and ripe fruit made into<br />
pickles by Indian families. 7.<br />
Oxalis corniculata L.<br />
syn. 0. repens Thunb.<br />
"yellow wood-sorrel" , "creeping wood-sorrel"<br />
Pre-World War I introduction; reported by Schumann & Lauterbach (1901) as<br />
collected by Finsch. Paleotropical and paleosubtropical; <strong>no</strong>w cosmopolitan. Rare.<br />
Procumbent, creeping, freely-branching , pubescent perennial herb, ascending to 10 to 20<br />
cm high or decumbent, with several stems radiating from <strong>the</strong> main root, <strong>the</strong> individual<br />
stems rooting at <strong>the</strong> <strong>no</strong>des and rarely exceeding 50 cm in length; leaves, usually less than<br />
2.5 cm across, alternate, palmately trifoliate, clover-like, <strong>the</strong> terminal leaflet much larger<br />
than <strong>the</strong> lateral leaflets; leaflets, 4 to 20 mm long and wide, obocordate, deeply <strong>no</strong>tched<br />
at apex, base obtuse, nearly pubescent; stipules, up to 3 mm long, united to base at<br />
petiole, inconspicuous; petioles, 1 to 8 cm long; inflorescences, 1- to 6-flowered umbels<br />
on axillary peduncles, 2 to 7 cm long; pedicels, 4 to 15 mm long, slender; bracts and<br />
bracteoles, 0.5 to 3 mm long, deltoid-linear; calyx, 5-sepaled, sepals, 2.5 to 6 mm long,<br />
lanceolate to narrowly ovate; corolla, 5-petaled, petals, 4 to 8 mm long, oblanceolate,<br />
yellow; stamens 10, in two series; fruit, 5 to 20 mm long and 2 to 4 mm across, an<br />
oblong, 5-locular, 5-angled, acute-tipped, pubescent capsule, opening by longitudinal<br />
valves; seeds, 5 to 10 per locule, each about 1.5 mm long, compressed, cross-ridged or<br />
wrinkled, brown. Weed at MQ 40 Command Ridge. 1, 6(163).<br />
PASSIFLORACEAE (Passion Flower Family)<br />
Passi<strong>flora</strong> coccinea Aubl. "scarlet passion flower"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Climbing, tendril-bearing vine; leaves,<br />
up to 15 cm or longer, simple, ovate, too<strong>the</strong>d, woolly beneath; petioles, purplish, with<br />
<strong>no</strong> glands or 2 at base; inflorescences with striking scarlet petals, yellowish on reverse,<br />
with filaments white at proximally, shading through pink to purple distally; fruit, about 5<br />
cm in diameter, orange or yellow with green lines and spots, edible. Planted ornamental.<br />
6.<br />
- - - --.<br />
--
Passi<strong>flora</strong> edulis Sims "passionfruit"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Vigorous woody perennial climbing<br />
vine, up to 15 m long, with glabrous, grooved stems and axillary, spirally coiled tendrils;<br />
leaves, 10 to 15 cm by 12 to 25 cm, alternate, broadly ovate in outline, deeply palmately<br />
3-lobed, lobes ovate-oblong, sharply acute to acuminate, sinus rounded, base cordate,<br />
serrate; petioles, 2 to 5 cm long, usually glabrous, grooved on upper surface, with 2<br />
conspicuous glands near base <strong>of</strong> blade; stipules, about 1 cm long, lanceolate; inflorescen-<br />
ces, axillary, 7 to 10 cm in diameter; peduncle, 2 to 5 cm long, triangular; bracts 3, 1 to<br />
3 long and 1 to 2 cm wide, near apex <strong>of</strong> peduncle, leafy, ovate to lanceolate, serrate-<br />
glandular; calyx, 5-lobed, tubular at base, sepals, 2 to 3 cm long and 1 to 2 cm wide,<br />
ovate-oblong , spreading, reflexed, white above, yellowish-green below, spongy, fleshy,<br />
with thorn-like appendage near tip and 0 to 4 glands on margins; corolla, 5-petaled,<br />
petals, 2.5 to 3 cm long and 0.5 to 1 cm wide, elliptic, free, white, alternating with<br />
calyx, inserted on throat <strong>of</strong> calyx; corona <strong>of</strong> 2 outer rows <strong>of</strong> wavy, threadlike, radiating<br />
filaments, 2 to 3 cm long, white distally and purple or pink proximally, with several<br />
rows <strong>of</strong> short, purple-tipped papillae; stamens 5, filaments united in a tube around<br />
gy<strong>no</strong>phore for about 1 cm <strong>the</strong>n widely parted for 1 cm; an<strong>the</strong>rs, 1 to 1.5 cm long,<br />
versatile, transverse, 2-celled, pale yellow, hanging downwards below level <strong>of</strong> ovary;<br />
fruit, 4 to 6 cm long, subglobose or ellipsoid, yellow or purple depending on <strong>the</strong> variety<br />
or form, rind hard, endocarp white; seeds, many, about 5 by 3 mm, compressed, testa<br />
blackish, 3-too<strong>the</strong>d at base, attached to peg-like funiculi on <strong>the</strong> ovary wall and sur-<br />
rounded by yellowish-orange, aromatic pulpy and juicy aril with a tart but pleasing<br />
flavor; seeds, pulpy aril and juice edible. Two small seedlings in home garden. Sup-<br />
plementary food plant in many parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pacific and currently or formally an important<br />
cash crop in Niue, Fiji, W. Samoa, Hawaii and Papua New Guinea. 6.<br />
Passi<strong>flora</strong> foetida L. var. hispida (DC.) Killip "stinking passion flower",<br />
"love-in-a-mist" oatamo, watamo (N); te biku (K)<br />
syn. P. hispida DC. ex Triana & Planch.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Creeping or climbing<br />
perennial herbaceous vine, 1.5 to 5 m long, with weak, densely long-hispid, longitudinal-<br />
ly-grooved stems, axillary coiled tendrils and fetid (bad smelling) foliage; leaves, 4 to 12<br />
cm long and almost equally wide, simple, ovate or ovate-cordate in outline; palmately 3-<br />
lobed, <strong>the</strong> lobing shallow to halfway to <strong>the</strong> mid-vein, lobe apices acute, base subcordate,<br />
margins unevenly dentate or entire, both surfaces hispid-hirsute; petioles, 2 to 6 cm long,<br />
pubescent; stipules, laciniate, <strong>the</strong> divisions filiform; inflorescences, 2.5 to 5 cm across,<br />
solitary, axillary; pedicels 2 to 7 cm long; involucral bracts prominently 2- or 3-bipin-<br />
natifid; calyx, 5-lobed, tubular, sepals oblong, mucronate, inside white; corolla, 5-<br />
permeEr1.5 to 2.5 cm long, oblong, white; stanGK 3, pale green, surrounded by<br />
a ring-like corona <strong>of</strong> filaments, 9 to 15 mm long, white distally and purple to rich-blue<br />
proximally; fruit, 1.5 to 2.5 cm in diameter, subglobose to ovoid, yellowish-orange to<br />
red-orange, <strong>of</strong>ten with faint greenish vertical lines, lea<strong>the</strong>ry, thin-walled, surrounded by
pinnatifid involucral bracts, tardily dehiscent; seeds, many, surrounded by scanty, slimy,<br />
sweetly-tart yellowish-orange pulpy aril, edible. Weed, generally on plateau, but also on<br />
escarpment and coastal strip, along roadsides and in ruderal habitats. Scanty pulpy aril<br />
and seeds eaten by children. 2, 3(58592), 4(l l7N), 5(54), 6, 7, 8(9581).<br />
Peperomia obtusifolia (L.) A. Dietr.<br />
syn . Piper obtusifolia L.<br />
PIPERACEAE (Pepper Family)<br />
"jade plant", "baby rubber plant"<br />
Recent introduction. W. Indies and Florida. Rare. Erect or decumbent, spreading,<br />
branching, succulent perennial herb, up to 20 cm high, with reddish stems; leaves, 3 to<br />
10 cm long and 2 to 6 cm wide, alternate, oval to inverted-ovate, obtuse, apex sometimes<br />
<strong>no</strong>tched, base decurrent to cuneate, glabrous, shiny, dark green above pale below,<br />
succulent; petioles, 1 to 3 cm long, reddish; inflorescences, erect spikes, 5 to 15 cm or<br />
longer, green, bearing minute sessile flowers; stamens 2. Pot plant. 3(58691), 6, 7.<br />
Peperomia pellucida (L.) HBK.<br />
syns. P. pellucidurn L.; P. lineata Miq. ex Yuncker<br />
" peperomia"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Pale, erect or reclining, fleshy,<br />
glabrous, weak-stemmed perennial herb, 15 to 30 cm high, with branched stems; leaves,<br />
1 to 3.5 long, alternate, ovate-cordate, acute to acuminate, base rounded to cordate or<br />
cordate-truncate, glabrous, shiny above dull beneath; petioles, 3 to 12 mm long;<br />
inflorescences, slender leaf-opposed or terminal spikes, 2 to 5 cm long, bearing minute,<br />
well-separated green sessile flowers; calyx and corolla absent; stamens 2; ovary sub-<br />
tended by a minute bract; fruit, less than 1 inm in diameter, a green globose, rostellate<br />
(beaked) drupe with longitudinal ribs, containing a single warty seed. Weed <strong>of</strong> pot plants<br />
in homes. 5(7), 6, 8.<br />
Polygala paniculata L.<br />
POLYGALACEAE (Polygala Family)<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Slender, erect, pr<strong>of</strong>usely-branching<br />
.-<br />
annuar-herb,--0 cm taii, with giandular-pubescent stems andatuberou~lowstrongly<br />
aromatic tap-root with <strong>the</strong> scent <strong>of</strong> peppermint or wintergreen; leaves, 1 to 2.5<br />
cm long and 2 to 4 mm wide, linear-lanceolate, in whorls <strong>of</strong> 5 caducous leaves below<br />
and spirally arranged above; inflorescences, slender terminal racemes, 2 to 15 cm long,
earing numerous crowded small flowers, 2 to 3 mm long; calyx, 5-parted, <strong>the</strong> two inner<br />
sepals resembling wings and much larger than <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs and resembling petals; corolla,<br />
3-petaled, <strong>the</strong> upper pair ra<strong>the</strong>r narrow, <strong>the</strong> lower (keel) boat-shaped; petals and inner<br />
sepals at first white, becoming purplish or pinkish with age; stamens 8; fruit, about 2 to<br />
3 mm long, oblong, glabrous, <strong>no</strong>t winged; seeds, about 1.5 mm long, oval-oblong, black<br />
with tiny white hairs and a 2-lobed whitish caruncle. Weed along Topside running track<br />
and in o<strong>the</strong>r waste places. 5, 6(203), 7.<br />
POLY GONACEAE (Buckwheat Family)<br />
Antigo<strong>no</strong>n leptopus Hook. & Am. "Mexican creeper", "mountain rose",<br />
"confederate vine", "chain <strong>of</strong> love", "love vine", "hearts on a chain", "coral vine"<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Occasional. Perennial herbaceous climbing to<br />
scrambling vine with slender glabrous stems, axillary tendrils and tuberous roots; leaves,<br />
5 to 12 cm long, alternate, broadly ovate, cordate, apiculate to acuminate, net-veined,<br />
wrinkled and wavy-edged; petioles, 1 to 5 cm long; inflorescences, long, slender, loose,<br />
6- to 15-flowered racemes which end in branched tendrils; pedicels about 1 cm long;<br />
flowers about 13 mm long; tepals 5, rose pink or white with a darker center, becoming<br />
membra<strong>no</strong>us, greenish, reticulate-veined; fruit, up to 1.5 cm long, a triangular, brownish<br />
achene; seed, longitudinally grooved. Planted ornamental and spontaneous in waste places<br />
and ruderal habitats. 3(58679), 5(59), 6, 7, 8(9562).<br />
Coccoloba uvifera (L.) Jacq.<br />
syn. Polygonurn uvtfira L.<br />
"sea grape"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Small glabrous tree, up to 8 m or<br />
higher, with thick branchlets and spreading branches; leaves, 10 to 20 cm across, usually<br />
broader than long, alternate, suborbicular, cordate, firm, coriaceous, glossy, glabrous,<br />
<strong>the</strong> midrib and lateral nerves reddish; inflorescences, erect spike-like racemes, about 15<br />
cm long; individual flowers with 5 tepals, 8 stamens and 3 styles, greenish-yellow,<br />
fragrant; fruit, about 1 cm across, a subglobose or pyriform, reddish berry-like drupe,<br />
sweetish-acidic, astringent, edible. Planted ornamental near Buada Lagoon. 3(58787), 6.
PORTULACACEAE (Purslane Family)<br />
Portulaca grandi<strong>flora</strong> Hook. "portulaca", "purslane", "pigface"<br />
Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Decumbent, succulent, annual herb, up to 15<br />
cm high, with tufts <strong>of</strong> white silky hairs at <strong>the</strong> <strong>no</strong>des and just below <strong>the</strong> flowers; leaves,<br />
12 to 35 mm long and 1 to 4 mm wide, narrowly cylindric or subterete; inflorescences,<br />
terminal; calyx, 2-lobed, sepals, 5 to 12 mm long, connate; corolla, 2 to 3 cm across, 4-<br />
to 6-petaled, petals, 12 to 30 mm long, pink, red, yellowish, white or striped; stamens,<br />
many (40 to 75); fruit, about 5 mm in diameter, a membra<strong>no</strong>us capsule, circumscissile<br />
(dehiscent by a hemispherical lid). Planted ornamental. 3(58659), 5, 6, 7.<br />
Portulaca oleracea L. "pig weed", "purslane", "wild purslane"<br />
debois, doboiy (N); te boi (K); katuli (T)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Europe. Occasional. Prostrate, spreading, fleshy,<br />
glabrous herb, up to 30 cm high, branching at base with branches sometimes reddish;<br />
leaves, 4 to 30 mm long and 3 to 12 mm wide, alternate or clustered at branch ends,<br />
obovate, spathulate or oblong-cuneate, obtuse to slightly <strong>no</strong>tched, base cuneate, fleshy,<br />
flattened, dull green or reddish, subsessile; inflorescences, terminal, sessile, few-<br />
flowered; calyx, 2-lobed, sepals connate; corolla, usually 5-petaled, petals yellow,<br />
wi<strong>the</strong>ring early; stamens 7 to 15; fruit, about 4 mm long, a membra<strong>no</strong>us capsule,<br />
circumscissile (dehiscent by a hemispherical lid); seeds, numerous, small, black, slightly<br />
roughened. Weed in gardens and waste places, especially in sandy, hydroi<strong>no</strong>rphic soils <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> shores <strong>of</strong> Buada Lagoon. Cooked leaves and stems eaten after pounding and mixing<br />
with coconut flower spa<strong>the</strong> syrup (karnerara); important famine food during World War<br />
11; plants fed to pigs; leaves and stems boiled with water being used to cure scabies.<br />
3(58624, 58734), 5(4), 6, 7, 8.<br />
RHAMNACEAE (Buckthorn Family)<br />
Colubrina asiatica (L.) Brongn. " soapbush", "hoop wi<strong>the</strong>"<br />
ewongup (N)<br />
syns. Cm<strong>no</strong>thus asiaticus L.; Cea<strong>no</strong>thus capsularis F0rst.f.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Paleotropical. Common. Sprawling or climbing, much-branched shrub<br />
or small tree, 1 to 5 m high; leaves, mostly 4 to 11 cm long and 1 to 6.5 cm wide,<br />
alternate, ovate, acuminate, base rounded or subcordate, finely crenate-dentate, glossy<br />
green, nearly glabrous, palmately 3-to 5-nerved, <strong>the</strong> midrib branched upward; petioles, 1
to 3 cm long; inflorescences, small, axillary short-pedunculate, 3- to 7-flowered,<br />
compact, cymose clusters; peduncles less than 3 mm long; pedicels, about 3 mm long,<br />
slender; calyx, 5-sepaled, sepals acute, white to pale or dull yellow; corolla, 5-petaled,<br />
petals hoodlike, green to yellowish-green or whitish; stamens 5, less than 1 mm long;<br />
disc, broad, saucer-like, greenish-yellow to yellow-orange; fruit, 6 to 8 mm in diameter,<br />
depressed-globose, 3-celled, green or brown; seeds 3 (1 per cell), nearly 5 mm long,<br />
dark brown or black. Found in forests on plateau and on cliffs and slopes and at base <strong>of</strong><br />
escarpment. Rolled leaves used with flowers <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r species in garlands. A traditional<br />
source <strong>of</strong> soap in o<strong>the</strong>r Pacific islands, although <strong>no</strong>t reportedly used for this purpose on<br />
Nauru. 2, 3(58641), 4(113N), 5(69), 6, 7.<br />
RHIZOPHORACEAE (Mangrove Family)<br />
Bruguiera gym<strong>no</strong>rrhiza (L.) Lam. "brown mangrove"<br />
etum, etam (N); te tongo, te tongo buangui (K)<br />
syns. Rhizophora gym<strong>no</strong>rhiza L.; R. conjugata L.; Bruguiera gym<strong>no</strong>rhiza<br />
Savigny; B. rheedii Bl.; B. eriopetala W. & Arn.; B. conjugata (L.) Merr.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Indopacific. Occasional. Medium tree, 3 to 15 m tall (in Nauru rarely<br />
over 4 m), with an inconspicuously buttressed trunk, knee-like pneumatophores, dark<br />
fissured trunk bark, and smooth-barked slightly <strong>no</strong>dose stems; leaves, 9 to 20 cm long<br />
and 4 to 9 cm wide, opposite, elliptic-oblong, acute-acuminate at both ends, base<br />
decurrent, thick-coriaceous, quite glabrous, somewhat glossy dark green; petioles, up to<br />
4 cm or longer; stipules, to 3.5 cm long, linear-lanceolate, reddish, sheathing <strong>the</strong> new<br />
leaves, caducous; inflorescences, solitary, axillary, somewhat <strong>no</strong>dding, up to 3 or 4.5 cm<br />
across, on pedicels 1 cm long; calyx, 10- to 14-lobed, firm, glossy red to dull yellow or<br />
yellow-green, lobes, about 1.5 cm long, slender-subulate or very narrowly-lanceolate, as<br />
long as tube; corolla, 10- to 14-petaled, petals 3 to 5 cm long, narrowly oblong, <strong>no</strong>tched<br />
at apex, white fading to brown, each lobe bristly; stamens, many (or as few as 20), about<br />
1 cm long; an<strong>the</strong>rs, 4 to 5 mm long, linear; pollen dirty white; styles nearly 2 cm long,<br />
pale green; fruit, 2 cm long and 1.5 cm thick, turbinate, crowned by calyx limb; seed<br />
germinating on tree to form an elongated, somewhat extruded, cylindric radicle, reaching<br />
15 to 25 cm long before falling. Localized in system <strong>of</strong> brackish lakes or lagoons near<br />
base <strong>of</strong> escarpment in Meneng, Anabar and Anetan District (lake in Anabar k<strong>no</strong>wn as<br />
Araro); reportedly present in Buada Lagoon in <strong>the</strong> past. Strong wood excellent for house<br />
construction; pre-germinated seed (fruit) eaten cooked, after scraping, drying in <strong>the</strong> sun<br />
and <strong>the</strong>n boiling; <strong>the</strong> Nauruan delicacy k<strong>no</strong>wn as etum or etam, is prepared by mixing <strong>the</strong><br />
-gr~e~gerrmnateh~s~xithco.c~ _th-<br />
afs~-uuUed_t~. -<br />
prepare a black dye for traditional skirts (ridi). 2, 3(58746), 4(167N), 5(103), 6, 7.
ROSACEAE (Rose Family)<br />
Filipendula rubra (J. Hill) B.L. Rob. "queen <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> prairies"<br />
Recent introduction. Central U.S. Hardy, clump-forming, perennial herb, up to 60<br />
cm high; leaves, compound, up to 20 cm or longer; inflorescences, large, fea<strong>the</strong>r-like,<br />
compact, many-flowered, irregular panicles, 15 to 30 cm wide, bearing many small<br />
peach-pink flowers. Rare. Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
Rosa damascena Mill.<br />
dorot ("<strong>the</strong> roseU)(N); te roti ("<strong>the</strong> roseW)(K)<br />
"damask rose"<br />
Recent introduction. W. Asia. Occasional. Erect, robust, aculeate shrub, up to 2<br />
m high, with stems bearing numerous prickles or small thorns; leaves, pinnate, with 5 to<br />
9 leaflets; leaflets, 7 by 5 cm, ovate-oblong, puberulent beneath on <strong>the</strong> midrib; inflores-<br />
cences, clustered, 6- to 12-flowered corymbs, with bristly pedicels and receptacles;<br />
calyx, 5-sepaled, imbricate in bud; corolla, 5-petaled (sometimes more), red or pink,<br />
fragrant; stamens and ovaries numerous; hypanthium pilose within; fruit, a 1-seeded<br />
achene included by <strong>the</strong> fleshy, colored fruitlike hypanthium. Planted ornamental. 5(80),<br />
6.<br />
RUBIACEAE (C<strong>of</strong>fee Family)<br />
Aidia cochinensis Lour.<br />
enga, enguh (N)<br />
syns. Randia cochinchinensis (Lour.) Merr. ; R. racemosa (Cav.) F. -Vill. ;<br />
Stylocoryna racemosa Cav. ; Randia graeflei Reinecke; Stylocoryna den-<br />
siflom (Wall.) Miq. ; Randia densi<strong>flora</strong> (Wall.) Benth.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Trop. Asia to Pacific Is. Rare, possibly extinct. Small, glabrous tree<br />
or shrub, 1 to 2 m high, with smooth stems; leaves, 9 to 18 cm long and 3 to 6 cm wide,<br />
opposite, oblong-lanceolate to elliptic-ovate, acute or acuminate, base acute-decurrent or<br />
attenuate, thinly coriaceous, ra<strong>the</strong>r glossy, pinnately nerved; petioles, 0.5 to 2 cm long,<br />
ridged by decurrent leaf-blade margins; stipules, small, connate; inflorescences, axillary,<br />
ra<strong>the</strong>r dense, many-flowered, ra<strong>the</strong>r richly-branched, short-pedunculate, cymose clusters,<br />
up to 4 to 6 cm or longer, but <strong>no</strong>t longer than <strong>the</strong> adjacent leaf, glabrous or minutely<br />
puberulent; bracts shortly deltoid; calyx, short, 5 (rarely 4-)-too<strong>the</strong>d; corolla, usually 5-<br />
-lobed,tube-andlobesabGt equally long,--about 1.5 by 3 mm, creamy-white, throat<br />
pubescent; stamens 4 to 5 , inserted on corolla tube; an<strong>the</strong>rs, linear, exserted, nearly as<br />
long as corolla lobes; style, ra<strong>the</strong>r thick, exserted, 7.5 mm long; fruit, 5 to 9 mm long,<br />
globose, reddish to purplish, edible, with several to many seeds, crowned by calyx
emnant. Rare shrub with edible fruits in escarpment forest. Ripe fruit eaten, especially<br />
by children. 2(K9), 6(l65).<br />
Gardenia augusta (L.) Merr. "gardenia"<br />
syns. Varneria augusta L.; Gardenia florida L.; G. jasmi<strong>no</strong>ides Ellis; G.<br />
radicans Thunb.<br />
Recent introduction. China. Rare. Erect shrub, 1 to 2 m or higher; leaves, 4 to 12<br />
cm long, and 1 to 4 cm wide, opposite, ovate, oblong-lanceolate or elliptic obovate,<br />
acute or somewhat acuminate, decurrent at base on short petiole, somewhat glossy, dark<br />
green; petioles, 1 to 8 mm long, winged by decurrent leaf-blade margins; stipules, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
split nearly to base with a single unilateral lobe, but sometimes bilobed; inflorescences,<br />
axillary, solitary; calyx 5- to 7-winged, terminated by linear-lanceolate spurs, 15 to 30<br />
mm long and 1.5 to 6 mm wide; corolla, 6 to 8 cm across, 6-petaled (double cultivars<br />
with additional petals), tube 5 to 9 cm long, white aging yellow-brown, very sweetly<br />
fragrant; stamens 5 to 11; fruit, 2 to 3 cm long, ovoid, 5- to 6- ribbed, crowned by<br />
calyx, many-seeded. Planted ornamental. 6, 7.<br />
Gardenia taitensis DC.<br />
te tiare (K); tiale, siale (T)<br />
"Tahitian gardenia", tiare Tahiti (Tahiti)<br />
Recent introduction. Pacific Is. Rare. Large shrub to small tree, up to 5 m tall;<br />
leaves, 6 to 18 cm long and 3 to 10 cm wide, opposite, elliptic-obovate, obtusely short-<br />
pointed, base cuneate, somewhat glossy or shiny, bright green, prominently pinnately<br />
nerved, midrib very prominent; petiole, winged by decurrent leaf-blade margins, <strong>the</strong><br />
petiole bases <strong>of</strong> leaf-pairs joined toge<strong>the</strong>r by stipules; petioles, usually less than 5 mm<br />
long; stipules, connate, bilobed; inflorescences, solitary, in upper leaf axils; calyx,<br />
prominently 4-lobed, lobes 11 to 30 cm long and 2 to 8 mm wide, lanceolate; corolla, 4<br />
to 8 cm across, 4- to 8-petaled, petals, up to about 3 or 4 cm long, spreading from a<br />
tubular base, about equalling tube, bright white, very fragrant; fruit, about 2 to 2.5 cm in<br />
diameter, globose, longitudinally ridged. Planted ornamental in Tuvaluan garden at<br />
Location. Fragrant flowers used in garlands and to scent coconut oil. 6, 7.<br />
Gardenia sp. "Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Pucci gardenia"<br />
Recent introduction. Origin. Rare. Planted ornamental. 6.
Guettarda speciosa L.<br />
iut, yut (N); te uri (K); pua, puapua, uli (T)<br />
"guettarda"<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Trop. Asia to <strong>the</strong> Pacific Is. Small spreading tree, 4 to 15 m high,<br />
with thick branchlets; leaves, 10 to 25 cm long and 6 to 18 cm wide, opposite, broad-<br />
obovate, acute-subacuminate to obtuse, rounded or emarginate, base obtuse to subcordate,<br />
ra<strong>the</strong>r dark green above, paler and usually puberulent beneath, with 7 to 10 pairs <strong>of</strong><br />
prominent lateral nerves; petioles, 2.5 to 4 cm long, pubescent, leaving large scars on <strong>the</strong><br />
twigs when <strong>the</strong>y fall; stipules, small, ovate, leaf-like, at <strong>no</strong>des between leaf-pair petiole<br />
bases; inflorescences, compact, forked, many-flowered cymose clusters on axillary<br />
peduncles, 5 to 10 cm long, usually forming after leaf-fall; calyx, about 1 cm long,<br />
cupulate, truncate, pubescent; corolla, tubular, 2.5 to 5 cm long and 2 to 3 cm across <strong>the</strong><br />
limb, 5- to 6-petaled, dull or yellowish white, fragrant, villous within; flowers dimor-<br />
phic, some with short styles <strong>no</strong>t reaching <strong>the</strong> an<strong>the</strong>rs, o<strong>the</strong>rs with exserted styles; fruit, 2<br />
to 3 cm in diameter, a woody, depressed-globose, 4- to 9-chambered drupe with a<br />
circular rim at apex, whitish, pinkish or green when ripe, faintly ribbed, usually 4- to 6-<br />
seeded. Occasional in woods and thickets on coastal strip, but less common in forest on<br />
plateau near escarpment; common in regrowth in older strip-mined areas; planted in<br />
home gardens. Straight pieces <strong>of</strong> timber make excellent house rafters and used for ca<strong>no</strong>e<br />
parts and handicrafts; bark scraped and mixed with o<strong>the</strong>r plant extracts, eg., Scaevola<br />
taccada (emet) and Cordia subcordata (eongo) to produce a medicine for beriberi; leaves<br />
used to parcel food and as plates; flowers used in garlands and decorations, <strong>of</strong>ten after<br />
soalung in coconut oil; flowers considered <strong>the</strong> best for scenting coconut oil; juice from<br />
flowers used as a deodorant; flowers and young leaves soaked in water to make a love<br />
potion, which is drunk by women and which when sweating, makes men go crazy<br />
(reportedly learned from I-Kiribati); juice <strong>of</strong> flowers mixed with coconut juice used to<br />
keep hair healthy. 2, 3(58759), 5(70), 6, 7(27806).<br />
Hedyotis corymbosa (L.) Lam.<br />
syn. Oldenlandia corymbosa L.<br />
Recent introduction. Pantropical. Rare. Much-branched, annual herb, up to 20 cm<br />
high, with slender ascending or erect, bluntly 4-angled stems; leaves, 1 to 4 cm long and<br />
1.5 to 8 mm wide, opposite, linear-oblong or narrowly elliptic, acute at both ends, blade<br />
pale beneath, midrib prominent, chartaceous, subsessile or petiole very short; stipules<br />
fused to petioles; inflorescences, 2- to 8-flowered axillary cymes which are shorter than<br />
<strong>the</strong> leaves; pedicels, 4 to 8 mm long, slender; calyx, about 2 mm long, 4-lobed, <strong>no</strong>t<br />
exceeding ovary; corolla, about 2 lnln long, white or faintly pinkish-purplish; stamens<br />
inserted just above <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> tube; fruit, about 2 mm by 2 mm, a 2-celled capsule,<br />
cat Q-+wlthm~dehiscent<br />
by valves at apex. Weed in waste places and ruderal habitats. 4(140N), 5(143),<br />
6, 8(9560).
Ixora casei Hance "ixora"<br />
te katuru, te katiru (K); suni (T)<br />
syns. I. dufJii Baine; I. dufJii T. Moore; I. carolinensis Hosok.; I. conferti<strong>flora</strong><br />
Val. <strong>no</strong>n Merr. ; I. volkensii Hosok. ; I. pulcherrima Volk.<br />
Recent introduction. Caroline Is. (Sou<strong>the</strong>ast Asia?). Occasional. Large shrub, up<br />
to 3 m or higher; leaves, up to 30 cm long, opposite, narrow-oblong, acute, dark-green<br />
glossy, glabrous, short-petiolate; stipules, interpetiolar, entire, acuminate; inflorescences,<br />
many-flowered, terminal cymose clusters, about 20 cm in diameter, <strong>no</strong>t at all fragrant;<br />
calyx, tiny, 4-too<strong>the</strong>d; corolla, about 5 cm long, tubular, 4-lobed, lobes, ovate, more or<br />
less acute, spreading, twisted spirally in bud, deep vermilion-red to scarlet; stamens 4;<br />
fruit (rare), a 2-seeded, berry-like drupe. Planted ornamental in Nauru, but reportedly<br />
wild in Palau, Chuuk (Truk) and Pohnpei (Ponape) and Kosrae (Kusaie). 3(58707), 5, 6,<br />
7.<br />
Ixora coccinea L.<br />
syn. I. fraseri Hort. ex Grant<br />
"ixora", "flame <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> woods"<br />
Recent introduction. Sou<strong>the</strong>ast Asia. Occasional. Small shrub, up to 2.5 m high;<br />
leaves, 3 to 10 cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide, opposite, oblong-obovate or subcordate and<br />
slightly amplexicaul, obtuse, coriaceous, sessile; inflorescences, dense terminal corym-<br />
bose clusters; calyx, 4-too<strong>the</strong>d, puberulent; corolla, up to 5 cm long, tubular, 4-lobed,<br />
lobes 10 to 15 mm long, ovate-lanceolate, acute, red, orange-pink or yellow; stigmas, 3<br />
to 4 mm long, red; fruit, a 2-seeded berry-like drupe. Planted ornamental. 5, 6(202).<br />
Ixora sp. "ixora"<br />
Recent introduction. Rare. Planted ornamental. 5, 6(l96).<br />
Morinda citrifolia L. var. citrifolia "beach mulberry", "Indian mulberry"<br />
dene<strong>no</strong> (N); te <strong>no</strong>n (K); <strong>no</strong>nu (T)<br />
syn. M. indica L.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Trop. Asia and Australia to S.E. Polynesia. Common. Shrub or small<br />
tree, up to 6 m or higher, with quadrangular branchlets; leaves, 15 to 30 cm long and 6<br />
to 18 cm wide, opposite, broadly elliptic or slightly obovate, acute or obtuse, dark green,<br />
glossy, pubescent when young; petioles, 1 to 2 cm long, narrowly ridged by decurrent<br />
leat- blade m a r g i ~ ~ i - ~ s t r e a t h i + ~ ) - . A<br />
bifid; inflorescences, axillary, solitary, fleshy, headlike clusters, up to 2.5 cm long,<br />
irregularly subglobose on peduncles, 2 to 3 cm long; calyx, truncate; corolla, about 1 cm<br />
long, pilose in <strong>the</strong> throat, usually with 5 acute lobes about 5 mm long, pure white;<br />
an<strong>the</strong>rs included or slightly exserted; style about 1.5 cm long; fruit, 4 to 12 cm long, a
globose-ovoid, fleshy, compound drupe (syncarp) containing 1 -seeded pyrenes, somewhat<br />
waxy, shiny, creamy to yellowish-white; flesh, strongly fetid and gelati<strong>no</strong>us, but edible<br />
when ripe; seed, bony. Common to abundant on coastal strip, <strong>of</strong>ten protected or planted<br />
around homes and in waste areas; occasional in plateau forest and in older strip-mined<br />
areas. Plants kept around homes to ward <strong>of</strong>f evil spirits; small pieces cut up and rubbed<br />
on hands, face, etc., to ward <strong>of</strong>f evil spirits; roots ground to provide a yellow dye; ripe<br />
fruit eaten raw, but far more common eaten in <strong>the</strong> past; fruit cooked and mixed with<br />
coconut syrup to make pudding (dedangan); fruit and branches cooked to eliminate evil<br />
smells, especially after war; roots and branches crushed and squeezed to cure rashes,<br />
fruit and roots ground and cooked to cure headaches, tender leaves heated up with<br />
coconut oil and used as a poultice to suck puss out <strong>of</strong> boils (ibir, ibur), raw fruit ground<br />
and drank as a cure for diabetes, and fruit cooked and used as a cure for dysentery. Plant<br />
also a very important medicinal and multi-use plant in Kiribati and Tuvalu. In Kiribati,<br />
where <strong>the</strong>re have been recent outbreaks <strong>of</strong> vitamin A-deficiency-induced nightblindness<br />
among young children, programs encouraging mo<strong>the</strong>rs to feed children <strong>the</strong> cooked leaves<br />
<strong>of</strong> vitamin A-rich M. citrifolia have reportedly improved <strong>the</strong> situation. 2, 3(58754),<br />
5(98), 6, 7(27807).<br />
Mussaenda erythrophylla Schum. & Thonn. "red mussaenda"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Rare. Shrub or liana, 2 to 4 m high, <strong>of</strong>ten with<br />
drooping or climbing branches and copiously pilose branchlets; leaves, 5 to 12 cm long<br />
and 3 to 8 cm wide, oval-ovate to almost cordate (when young), acuminate, base obtuse<br />
to slightly decurrent, copiously pilose, prominently veined; petioles, 1 to 6 cm long;<br />
stipules, interpetiolar; inflorescences, terminal, several-flowered, branched, corymbose<br />
cymes; calyx, 5-lobed, one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> lobes (rarely 2) enlarged, petal-like, up to 9 cm long<br />
and 6.5 cm wide, ovate-lanceolate, lax-pendant, bright red above and somewhat paler<br />
beneath, palmately veined, pubescent, <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r lobes, up to about 1 cm long and 2 mm<br />
wide, narrowly linear-lanceolate, caducous, bright red, calyx tube reddish-pubescent;<br />
corolla, about 2.5 cin long, tubular, 5-lobed, red-pubescent outside with tube white or<br />
pale-yellow within distally; stamens 5, included; fruit, a berry with numerous minute<br />
seeds; Planted ornamental. 6(l95).<br />
Mussaenda frondosa L.<br />
syn. M. sericea B1.<br />
"mussaenda"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Africa and Madagascar to S. Asia. Rare. Erect shrub,<br />
up to 4 m or higher, with drooping or rambling branches; leaves, 5 to 18 cm long and 3<br />
to 7 cm wide, opposite. ovate to lanceolate, acuminate. base obtuse, rounded or decur-<br />
rent, puberulent; petioles, 1 to 3 cm long; stipules, concealing a band <strong>of</strong> hairs, caducous;<br />
inflorescences, terminal corymbose cymes; bracts and bracteoles caducous; calyx 5-lobed,<br />
one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> lobes (rarely more) enlarged, petal-like, foliaceous, colored, white or pink;<br />
corolla, mostly 2 to 3 cm long, tubular, 5-lobed, dark-yellow to orange; stamens 5,
-- ---<br />
included, an<strong>the</strong>rs <strong>no</strong>rmal but always devoid <strong>of</strong> pollen in "female", long-styled flowers;<br />
fruit, 1 to 1.5 cm long, a berry, ellipsoid, truncate at base, black when ripe, seeds,<br />
numerous, reticulate. Planted ornamental. 6(248).<br />
Pentas bussei K. Kr. "red pentas", "red star cluster"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Africa? Rare. Planted ornamental. 3(58675), 6.<br />
Pentas lanceolata (Forssk.) K. Schum. "pentas", "Lady Fletcher", "Egyptian star cluster"<br />
syns. Ophiorrhiza. lanceolata Forsk. ; Pentas carnea Benth .<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Africa, Madagascar, Comorro Islands and Arabian<br />
Peninsula. Occasional. Erect, pubescent, sometimes straggling, perennial herb or sub-<br />
shrub, up to 80 cm high; leaves, 2.5 to 15 crn long, opposite, ovate, acute to acuminate,<br />
pubescent; inflorescences, up to 7.5 cm across, terminal, open, headlike, corymbose<br />
clusters; corolla, long-tubular, commonly 5-lobed, lobes, acute, mauve or rich purple to<br />
pink and white, with a white-bearded throat; fruit, about 4 mm long, obovoid, capsular<br />
with minute seeds. Planted ornamental. 3(58689), 5, 6(233,166), 7.<br />
Spermacoce assurgens R. & P. "buttonweed"<br />
syns. S. suflrutescens Jacq.; Borreria. laevis sensu auct. plur. <strong>no</strong>n (Lam.) Griseb.<br />
Recent introduction. S. Asia. Uncommon. Decumbent or ascending, perennial<br />
herb, up to 40 cm high, with slender, wiry, somewhat angled stems and slightly woody<br />
and branching near <strong>the</strong> base; leaves, 2 to 6 cm long and about 0.5 to 2 cm wide, elliptic-<br />
lanceolate, sharply acuminate, base cuneate, pinnately nerved, nerves prominent, scabrid<br />
near margin but o<strong>the</strong>rwise glabrous, subsessile; stipules, connate, with filamentous<br />
processes, interpetiolar, fused to <strong>the</strong> leaf-stalks; inflorescences, in axillary verticillate<br />
headlike clusters; calyx, small, 4-lobed, lobes ovate; corolla, 1.5 to 3.5 mm long,<br />
infundibular, 4-lobed, lobes, spreading, white or pink-tinged; stamens 4, exserted from<br />
<strong>the</strong> corolla, with white filaments and pale blue or bluish-tinged an<strong>the</strong>rs; style, pink and<br />
white-tinged; fruit, 1 to 4 mrn long, 2-seeded, enclosed in calyx, finally splitting; seeds,<br />
1.5 to 2 mm long, oblong, brown, transversely ridged, still clasped by <strong>the</strong> half-calyx<br />
with part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> septum. Weed in waste places and houseyard gardens. 5(2), 6.<br />
Tarenna sambucina (F0rst.f.) Dur. ex Drake<br />
exme<br />
uJ1l... ~ _ s m b u c i n (F0rst.f.) a A. Gray;<br />
Tarenna glubra Merr.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us? New Caledonia to<br />
glabrous or minutely puberulent shrub<br />
S . E. Polynesia and Micronesia. Extinct? Small<br />
or small tree, 1.5 to 12 m high, with 4-angled
young branches; leaves, 10 to 20 cm long and 5 to 9 cm wide, opposite, narrowly-elliptic<br />
or ovate-elliptic, acute at both ends, attenuate to petiole, membranaceous or thin-<br />
coriaceous, lateral nerves usually 7 or 8 pairs; petioles, 1 to 4 cm long; stipules,<br />
interpetiolar, deltoid, entire, persistent; inflorescences, terminal, many-flowered corym-<br />
bose cymes; calyx, about 2 cm long, 5-lobed; corolla, 6 mm long, funnelform, creamy-<br />
white turning yellowish, villous within, fragrant; stamens 5; style exserted 3.5 mm long,<br />
an<strong>the</strong>rs white, <strong>the</strong> style greenish to white; fruit, 5 to 6 mm in diameter, a globose berry,<br />
green turning purplish-black; seeds, about 8, each 2 mm long, 4-sided. Reported present<br />
by Burges in 1935, but <strong>no</strong>t collected since. 2.<br />
RUTACEAE (Rue Family)<br />
Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle<br />
derem, deraim (N); te raim (K); laim, tipolo (T)<br />
syn. Limonia aurantifolia Christm.<br />
"lime"<br />
Pre-World War 11 introduction. Malesia. Occasional. Small, much-branched tree,<br />
2 to 6 m high, with copious short, stiff, sharp spines; leaves, 4 to 10 cm long and 4 to 6<br />
cm wide, alternate, usually ovate-elliptic but variable in different cultivars, margins<br />
somewhat crenulate; petioles, 5 to 18 mm long and 1.5 to 6 mm wide, spathulate,<br />
narrowly-winged, leaflike, articulate with leaf blades; inflorescences, axillary , 1- to 7-<br />
flowered, produced over an extended period, 2 to 2.5 cm in diameter; corolla, small, 4-<br />
to 5-parted, 8 to 12 mm long and 2.5 to 4 mm wide, white to pale pink; stamens 20 to<br />
25; ovary 9- to 12-locular; fruit, 2.5 to 6 cm in diameter, ovoid to subglobose, green to<br />
yellowish when ripe depending on <strong>the</strong> cultivar; peel, thin, 1 to 3 mm thick, glandular,<br />
adherent; pulp greenish, juicy , very acid but pleasantly fragrant in some cultivars; seeds,<br />
small, oval, flattened angular, pale yellow or whitish. Planted fruit tree. Juice <strong>of</strong> fruit<br />
used to marinate raw fish and to make drinks. 3(58695), 5, 6(221), 7.<br />
Citrus limon (L.) Burm.f. "lemon "<br />
te remen, te remon (K); moli, lairn (T<br />
syns. C. medica var. lhon L.; C. limonum Risso; C. limonia Osbeck<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. E. Asia. Rare. Small tree or shrub, 2 to 9 m high,<br />
with stout, stiff spines; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long and 3 to 6 cm wide, alternate, long-<br />
ovate, acute, serrate; petioles, 0.5 to 1 cm long, very narrowly winged or margined,<br />
- p+<br />
to 5 cm in diameter; corolla, usually 5-parted, petals white within but pinkish or<br />
purplish-tinged outside and when in bud; stamens 20 to 40; ovary 8- to 10-locular; fruits,<br />
5 to 12 cm long, ovoid or ellipsoid, 8- to 10-locular, with a broad apical papilla or<br />
nipple; peel, about 5 mm thick, adherent, prominently gland-dotted, slightly rough, green
to bright yellow when ripe depending on <strong>the</strong> cultivar; pulp, pale yellow, juicy, sour;<br />
seeds, ovoid, white. Planted fruit tree. Reportedly more abundant in <strong>the</strong> past. Juice used<br />
to marinate raw fish and to make drinks. 5, 6, 7.<br />
Citrus reticulata Blanco "tangerine", "mandarin orange"<br />
syns. C. deliciosa Ten.; C. <strong>no</strong>bilis Lour. var.<br />
Recent introduction. Rare. E. Asia. Small, usually spiny tree, 3 to 8 m high;<br />
leaves, 4 to 8 cm long and 1.5 to 4.5 cm long, alternate, ovate or elliptic to lanceolate,<br />
usually crenate, dark shining green above, yellowish-green beneath; petioles, 5 to 15 mm<br />
long and 1.5 to 3 mm wide, alternate, narrowly winged or margined, 1.5 to 3 mm wide<br />
across <strong>the</strong> wings, clearly articulate with leaf blades; inflorescences, axillary, small 1.5 to<br />
2.5 cm in diameter; corolla, usually 5-parted, petals, white; stamens about 20; ovary 10-<br />
to 15-locular; fruit, 5 to 8 cm in diameter, depressed-globose to subglobose, greenish<br />
with yellowish patches to bright orange; peel, thin, loose, separating easily from <strong>the</strong><br />
segments; pulp, orange, sweet, juicy; seeds, small. Immature planted fruit tree. 5, 6.<br />
Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck<br />
te aoranti (K)<br />
syn. C. aurantium var. sinensis L.<br />
"orange", "sweet orange"<br />
Recent introduction. S. Asia. Rare. Small to medium tree, 4 to 12 m high, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
with stout spines; leaves, 5 to 15 cm long and 2 to 8 cm wide, alternate, ovate to oval-<br />
elliptic, glabrous, dark green above, sometimes slightly serrate; petioles, 1 to 2.5 cm<br />
long and 3 to 5 mm wide, winged, clearly articulate with leaf blades; inflorescences,<br />
axillary, solitary or in small racemes, 2 to 3 cm in diameter; corolla, usually 5-parted,<br />
petals white, fragrant; stamens 20 to 25, united into groups; ovary 10-to 14- locular;<br />
style slender with globose stigma, soon deciduous; fruit, 4 to 12 cm in diameter,<br />
subglobose, greenish-yellow or orange, juicy, edible; peel up to 5 mm thick, tightly<br />
adherent to segments; pulp, yellow-orange to dark orange, juicy, slightly acidic, sweet;<br />
seeds, <strong>no</strong>ne to many, obovoid, white. I~nmature planted fruit tree; reportedly more<br />
common in past and planted by <strong>the</strong> Japanese during World War 11. 6, 7.<br />
Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack "mock orange", " orange jessamine", "orange jasmine"<br />
syns. Chalcas paniculara L. ; Murraya. exotica L.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia, Malesia and Australia. Rare. A shrub to small<br />
tree, 1 to 8 m w u t usually kept under my-prmrirr-Am --<br />
leaflets, 3 to 7, usually 5, 3 to 10 cm long and 2 to 4 cm wide, ovate to subobovate,<br />
glossy, thin-coriaceous, nitid; petiolules, very short; inflorescences, 1 - to 8-flowered,<br />
compact paniculate clusters; calyx, 5-parted, deeply-lobed, sepals basally somewhat<br />
united; corolla, 5-parted, petals, usually 10 to 15 mm long and 3 to 6 mm wide,
imbricate, pure white, fragrant; stamens 10, <strong>the</strong> filaments 6 to 12 mm long, <strong>the</strong> style 5 to<br />
9 mm long; ovary 2-locular, styles with capitate stigma; fruit, 1 to 1.3 cm long, an ovoid<br />
to ellipsoid reddish-orange berry; seeds, 1 to 2, villous. Planted ornamental and pot plant<br />
at Location. 6(184), 7.<br />
Dodonaea viscosa (L.) Jacq.<br />
eteweo, eteweau (N)<br />
syns. Ptelea viscosa L.<br />
SAPINDACEAE (Soapberry Family)<br />
"native hop bush"<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pantropical. Common. Shrub or small tree, 0.5 to 6 m high, with<br />
angular branchlets and slightly sticky resi<strong>no</strong>us exudate; leaves, 5 to 12 cm long and 1 to<br />
3 cm wide, alternate, narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, acute at both ends, long-<br />
attenuate at base, margins somewhat wavy, firm to somewhat coriaceous, olive green<br />
above, paler beneath, somewhat viscid appearing varnished, subsessile; petioles, 1 to 2<br />
mm long, winged; inflorescences, in short, lax terminal or axillary panicles about half as<br />
long as <strong>the</strong> leaves, individual flowers about 4 mm across, greenish-yellow; calyx, 5-<br />
parted; petals <strong>no</strong>ne; disk, small or obsolete; stamens, usually 8, distinct; fruit, 15 to 20<br />
mm in diameter, inflated, papery, reddish or orange to brown, 2- to 4-winged (lobed)<br />
capsule, <strong>the</strong> wings membra<strong>no</strong>us, veiny, glabrous; seeds, 1 or 2 per lobe, black, with a<br />
spiral embryo. Common in scrub and occasional in plateau forest; occasional in revege-<br />
tated older mined areas. Strong but flexible trunks and branches used for fishing rods and<br />
for frames for flying-fish and <strong>no</strong>ddy nets; leaves occasionally used to scent coconut oil.<br />
2, 3(58598, 58637), 5(73), 6, 7, 8(9578).<br />
Nephelium litchi Camb.<br />
syn . Litchi chinensis Sonn<br />
"lychee" , "lychee nut"<br />
Recent introduction. S. China. Rare. Small to medium tree, up to 10 m high, with<br />
a heavy trunk, spreading crown and thick foliage; leaves, paripinnate with 2 to 4 pairs <strong>of</strong><br />
leaflets; leaflets, 8 to 15 cm long and 3 to 4 cm wide, elliptic-oblong, coriaceous, glossy;<br />
inflorescences, large terminal panicles; individual flowers, small, pale greenish-yellow;<br />
calyx, 5-parted; petals <strong>no</strong>ne; disk, annular; stamens 6 to 10; fruit, 3 to 3.5 cm in<br />
diameter, pendent in loose clusters, covered with small pyramidal tubercles, usually<br />
bright red to purplish when ripe; pulp-like aril, white, translucent, fleshy, somewhat<br />
*bqw~-~-edihle,\Kith-a=elike consistency; seed, dark brown,<br />
covered by aril. Planted fruit tree seedling. 6.
SAPOTACEAE (Sapodilla Family)<br />
Chrysophyllum cainito L. "star apple", "cainito"<br />
Recent introduction. W. Indies. Rare. Medium tree, 5 to 12 m high, with<br />
puberulent, golden-brown young branchlets and white latex; leaves, 8 to 20 cm long and<br />
3 to 9 cm wide, alternate, 2-ranked, elliptic to elliptic-oblong, sharply acute or obtuse,<br />
base acute, coriaceous, pinnately nerved, lateral veins very slender, shiny, dark-green<br />
above, densely silky-pubescent and golden-brown beneath; petiole, 1 to 2 cm long;<br />
inflorescences, axillary, <strong>of</strong>ten many-flowered, pedicellate to sessile clusters; calyx, 5 (4<br />
to 6)-parted, spirally arranged; corolla, usually exserted from calyx, 3 to 5 mm long,<br />
tubular, 5 (4 to 11)-lobed, lobes equal to or longer than tube, purplish-white; stamens, as<br />
many as corolla lobes, inserted; fruit, 5 to 12 cm in diameter, subglobose to ovoid,<br />
smooth, with light green to purple skin; pulp, white, sweet, <strong>of</strong>ten juicy, edible; seeds, 4<br />
to 8, hard, obliquely obovoid, compressed, with a broad lateral scar, glossy, brown,<br />
embedded in a star-like arrangement in <strong>the</strong> pulp. Planted fruit tree seedling. 6.<br />
SAXIFRAGACEAE (Saxifrage Family)<br />
Saxifraga sarmentosum L.f.'mo<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong> millions", "mo<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong> thousands", "roving sailor",<br />
"strawberry geranium"<br />
syn. S. stolon.$era ?? authority<br />
Recent introduction. E. Asia. Rare. Tufted perennial herb, up to 30 cm high, with<br />
many slender, strawberry-like, branching red runners upon which numerous new plants<br />
are formed; leaves, 2.5 to 10 cm in diameter, rounded, cordate, scalloped or dentate,<br />
s<strong>of</strong>tly-pubescent, green and white- or silvery-veined or variegated above and pale green,<br />
suffused with red or pink beneath; inflorescences, erect, loose, long-stalked, spikelike<br />
clusters, up to 15 to 50 cm high; corolla, 5-petaled, star-like, 2 petals about 12 mm long<br />
which far exceed <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r 3, irregularly-shaped, white to flesh-pink; stamens 10. Pot<br />
plant. 4 (144).<br />
SCROPHULARIACEAE (Snapdragon Family)<br />
. . .4- h-- "an-a", "monkey face"<br />
syns. A. gardneri auct. <strong>no</strong>n Hook.; A. salicarifolia auct. <strong>no</strong>n H. & B.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Erect perennial herb, up to about<br />
60 cm high; leaves, up to 7.5 or 9 cm long and 1 cm wide, opposite or verticillate (or
distal one alternate), narrow-oblong or lanceolate, minutely glandular-serrulate to<br />
subentire, sessile or subsessile; inflorescences, axillary, solitary or paired, slender-<br />
pedicellate; calyx, deeply 5-lobed; corolla, 1.5 to 2 cm across, short-tubular, 2-lipped,<br />
<strong>the</strong> limb widely cupuliform, about 2 cm across, short-spurred, 5-lobed, 4 broad and flat,<br />
<strong>the</strong> lower one cupuliform in <strong>the</strong> lower half, <strong>the</strong> throat broadened into a sac-like cup, blue<br />
or purplish; stamens 4, borne on <strong>the</strong> dorsal side <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> cupuliform part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> corolla, <strong>the</strong><br />
filaments short, thick; fruit, a globose or ellipsoid, 2-valved capsule, rarely indehiscent.<br />
Planted ornamental. 3(58723), 5, 7.<br />
Angelonia bi<strong>flora</strong> Benth. "angelonia"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect perennial herb, up to 1 m high;<br />
very similar to A. angustijblia, except that it is slightly taller and has a slightly larger and<br />
paler, <strong>of</strong>ten white, corolla. According to Smith (1991), it is questionable whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>se<br />
two taxa constitute separate species. 6(256). Planted ornamental<br />
Bacopa procumbens (Mill.) Greenm.<br />
syns. Erinus procumbens Mill.); Herpestris chamaedryoides HBK.; Bacopa<br />
chamaedryoides (HBK.) Wettst.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Suberect, perennial herb, with quadrangular<br />
glabrous stems, rooting at <strong>the</strong> <strong>no</strong>des; leaves, 1 to 2.5 cm long and 6 to 12 mm wide,<br />
opposite, elliptic or shortly ovate-elliptic, crenulate-serrulate; inflorescences, axillary,<br />
usually solitary; pedicels, 4 to 6 mm long, extending in fruit to 18 mm; calyx 5-parted,<br />
upper segment broadest; corolla, slightly longer than <strong>the</strong> calyx, subregular, cylindric-<br />
tubular, 5-lobed, yellow; stamens, 5; fruit, a 2-valved capsule, enclosed by <strong>the</strong> calyx.<br />
Weed in lawns and disturbed places. 2 (58813).<br />
Russelia equisetiformis Schlecht. & Cham. "firecracker flower", "coral plant"<br />
dokaibangi, dugaibangi, dogaibwangi (N); te kaibaun (K)<br />
syn. R. juncea Zucc.<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Occasional. Shrub or subshrub, up to 1.5 m high,<br />
with long, straggling, longitudinally-ridged, whorled or drooping green branches or<br />
stems; leaves, up to 2 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, ovate, dentate, whorled in groups <strong>of</strong> 5<br />
to 8 on main stem, but more <strong>of</strong>ten, reduced to minute, opposite, linear, awl-shaped scales<br />
on branches; inflorescences, narrow, terminal, loose, drooping paniculate cymes; pedicels<br />
Amut 1 w a l y x 5-prkd~orolla~ 1.5 to 2.5 cm lone, lonn-tubular, with a small_<br />
5-lobed limb, lobes about 3 mm long, bright red, <strong>no</strong>dding; stamens 4, inserted; fruit,<br />
about 5 mm long, globose or broadly ellipsoid, 4-valved, rostrate; seeds, many, oblong.<br />
Planted ornamental. 3(58678), 4(157N), 5, 6(213), 7.
Russelia sarmentosa Jacq.<br />
Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Shrub or subshrub, up to 1.5 m high; leaves,<br />
ovate to triangular, in whorls; inflorescences, in clusters <strong>of</strong> 30 to 40 individual flowers;<br />
calyx 5-parted nearly to base; corolla, tubular, 5-lobed, scarlet; stamens 4, inserted;<br />
fruit, globose or broadly ellipsoid, 4-valved, rostrate; seeds, many, oblong. Planted<br />
ornamental. 3 (58795).<br />
Scoparia dulcis L.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Branched, subligneous, perennial herb,<br />
20 to 80 cm high, with wiry, angular-ribbed stems; leaves, 3 to 4 cm long and 1 to 1.5<br />
cm wide, opposite or whorled in threes, narrowly elliptic, oblong-obovate or oblan-<br />
ceolate, subsessile, distally serrulate or serrate, gland-dotted beneath; inflorescences,<br />
axillary, solitary, pedicellate; calyx 4-lobed nearly to base, lobes, imbricate; corolla, 5 to<br />
8 mm across, 4-lobed nearly to base, <strong>the</strong> lobes spreading, subequal, obtuse, white to pale<br />
blue or pale purple with a darker center, pubescent within; stamens 4, subequal,<br />
greenish; stigma, slender; ovary green; fruit, an ovoid or subglobose, 2-valved capsule;<br />
seeds, many, tuberculate or scrobiculate. Weed <strong>of</strong> waste places. 6(159), 8(9557).<br />
SOLANACEAE (Nightshade Family)<br />
Capsicum annuum L. var. annuum "chilli pepper", "red pepper"<br />
epeba (N); te beneka (K); tili, polo feuu (T)<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Erect, glabrous, annual or short-lived, much-<br />
branched perennial herb or subshrub, up about 1 m high; leaves, 1.5 to 12 cm long and<br />
0.5 to 7.5 cm wide, alternate, broadly lanceolate to ovate-elliptic or acute-acuminate,<br />
base cuneate or acute, thin, subglabrous; petioles, 0.5 to 2.5 cm long; inflorescences,<br />
usually solitary or paired, terminal, pendulous, but because <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong> branching<br />
appear somewhat axillary; pedicels, up to 1 or 1.5 cm long, usually 1 per <strong>no</strong>de after first<br />
flowering; calyx, about 2 mm long, campanulate, shortly 5-dentate, 10-ribbed, persistent,<br />
usually enlarging to enclose <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fruit; corolla, 0.8 to 2 cm in diameter, rotate-<br />
campanulate with a very short tube, deeply 5- to 6-parted, white, sometimes with a<br />
greenish or bluish tinge; stamens, 5 to 6, inserted near base <strong>of</strong> corolla, an<strong>the</strong>rs bluish or<br />
purplish drying green, dehiscing longitudinally, style simple, white or purple; fruit, 3 to<br />
AdlonPandt.0 to ccm \aride-&lang_ttowhglabromewhat irregularly shaped, ... _<br />
wrinkled or twisted, a many-seeded pendent berry, with a lea<strong>the</strong>ry skin, green turning<br />
bright red when ripe, indehiscent, hot-spicy, pungent; seeds, 2 to 4 mm long, subor-<br />
bicular, compressed, pale yellow. Planted spice plant in expatriate garden at Meneng<br />
Terrace. Fruit used to spice food. 6, 7.
Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum (L.) Sendtn. "bell pepper", "sweet pepper",<br />
"sweet capsicum", "paprika", "pimento" PePa (TI<br />
syn. C. grossum L.; C. duke Hort. ex Dun.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Similar to C. annuum L. var. annuum,<br />
but bearing a larger, oblong to linear, almost quadrangular, or sometimes broadly<br />
ellipsoid-acuminate fruit, 6 to 14 cm long and 5 to 10 cm across, green to bright red or<br />
occasionally yellow, partially hollow, usually sweet and <strong>no</strong>n-pungent. Food plant in<br />
Topside workshop gardens. Fruit eaten raw in salads and cooked as a green vegetable. 5,<br />
6.<br />
Capsicum frutescens L. " tabasco", "bird chilli", "perennial chilli"<br />
epeba (N); te beneka (K); tili, polo feuu (T)<br />
C. minimum Roxb.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Coarse, perennial,<br />
suffrutescent, much-branched subshrub, 0.6 to 2 m high, leaves, 2 to 9 cm long and 1 to<br />
4 cm wide, alternate, ovate-elliptical to ovate-lanceolate, acute-acuminate, base acute or<br />
obtuse, entire or slightly undulate, glabrous or slightly pubescent; petioles 1 to 3 cm<br />
long; inflorescences, terminal and axillary, commonly paired, sometimes more, long-<br />
pedicellate; pedicels, 1 to 2.5 cm long, 2 (rarely 3) per <strong>no</strong>de after first flowering; calyx,<br />
2.5 to 3 mm long, tubular, shortly 5-dentate, persistent, usually enlarging to enclose <strong>the</strong><br />
base <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fruit; corolla, 1 to 1.5 cm in diameter, deeply 5-lobed, white to greenish-<br />
white or purplish-white; stamens 5, an<strong>the</strong>rs purple; fruit, 1 to 1.5 cm long and about 5<br />
mm across, ellipsoid-lanceolate, ellipsoid-ovoid or subconic, an erect, many-seeded<br />
berry, with a lea<strong>the</strong>ry skin, green or greenish-yellow turning bright red when ripe,<br />
indehiscent, hot-spicy, pungent; seeds, 2 to 3 mm long, suborbicular, compressed, pale<br />
yellow. Planted or protected in Tuvaluan garden at Location and in Topside Workshop<br />
gardens. Reportedly much more common in <strong>the</strong> past. Fruit used to spice foods. 6.<br />
Cestrum <strong>no</strong>cturnum L. "night cestrum" , "night flowering cestrum" , "night-flowering<br />
or night-blooming jasmine", "lady <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> night" fafine o te po (T)<br />
Recent introduction. W. Indies. Rare. Erect, glabrous shrub, 2 to 5 m high;<br />
leaves, 7 to 20 cm long, spiralled, ovate-oblong to lanceolate-elliptic, petiolate; inflores-<br />
cences, cymose racemes longer than petioles; calyx, about one-third as long as <strong>the</strong><br />
corolla, 5-too<strong>the</strong>d, green, persistent; corolla, 1.5 to 2.5 cm long, tubular, 5-lobed,<br />
narrowed at throat, widened at apex, with a small spreading limb, lobes, 5 to 6 mm long,<br />
- w A X t € % f C , ~ i ~ ~ ~ e ~ e r t f f ! - W<br />
extremely fragrant, mostly at night; stamens 5, included, puberulent at base; fruit, 6 to<br />
10 mm long, a subglobose berry, white, 1- to 3-seeded. Planted ornamental. 5(15), 6.
Datura metel L.<br />
syn. D. fastuosa L.<br />
"datura" , "cornucopia", "jimson weed"<br />
Recent introduction. S.E. Asia. Rare. Erect herb or subshrub, 1 to 2 m high;<br />
leaves, 4 to 25 cm long and 2 to 20 cm wide, narrowly ovate to angular-ovate, acute,<br />
base oblique, sinuate-repand to sinuately-lobed, major lobes 2 or 3 per side, glabrous to<br />
slightly puberulent; petiole, 1 to 16 cm long; inflorescences, solitary, terminal, single or<br />
double (or triple); pedicels, 8 to 15 min long, erect or <strong>no</strong>dding; calyx, 3 to 9 cm long,<br />
tubular, with 5 (-9) conspicuous longitudinal veins, usually 5-lobed, lobes 8 to 25 mm<br />
long, circumscissile after <strong>the</strong> an<strong>the</strong>sis; corolla, commonly 12 to 18 cm long, <strong>of</strong>ten double<br />
or triple, tubular, trumpet-like, 5-lobed, <strong>the</strong> lobes with acumens 1 to 2.5 cm long, purple<br />
without, pale lavender to white within; stamens 5, at apex <strong>of</strong> tube, an<strong>the</strong>rs 1 to 2 cm<br />
long; style, 10 to 14 mm long; fruit, 3 to 4 cm in diameter, a capsule, deflexed,<br />
subglobose, prickly or spiny with 100 to 200 conical tubercules, each 2 to 5 mm long,<br />
irregularly dehiscent; seeds, 4 to 5 lnin long, many, compressed, yellow-brown. Planted<br />
ornamental. 6.<br />
Nicotiana tabacum L.<br />
te kaibake (K)<br />
"tobacco "<br />
Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Coarse, erect herb up to 2<br />
m or higher; leaves, 30 to 60 cm long, spiralled, <strong>the</strong> lowest ones forming a rosette,<br />
oblong-ovate to lanceolate, acute, sometimes shortly-decurrent on stem, surfaces<br />
pubescent, subsessile; inflorescences in terminal racemose panicles, pubescent; calyx, 1<br />
to 2 cm long, tubular-campanulate, 5-lobed, accrescent, puberulent; corolla, 3 to 5 cm<br />
long, tubular, 5-lobed, lobes, ovate, puberulent, pink to red; stamens 5, included or<br />
slightly exserted, filaments puberulent at base; ovary glabrous; fruit, 15 to 17 mm long, a<br />
brown capsule with persistent calyx at base; seeds, numerous, minute, subreniform,<br />
tuberculate. Planted in home gardens; reportedly more common in <strong>the</strong> past. Leaves dried<br />
and cured for smoking. 3, 5, 6.<br />
Physalis angulata L. "cape gooseberry", "bladderberry", "ground cherry"<br />
watamo, oatamo (N); te baraki (K); pini (T)<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Common. Erect, nearly glabrous,<br />
branching annual herb, up to 80 cm or higher, with hollow angular-ribbed stems; leaves,<br />
3 to 14 cm long and 2.5 to 9 cm wide, alternate, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, acute-<br />
acuminate to obtuse, base obtuse or acute (somewhat asymmetrical), irregularly too<strong>the</strong>d<br />
or sinuate-entire, very short-puberulent on both sides; petioles, 2 to 11 cm long;<br />
i ~ ~ e n c e ~ ~ ~ c e l s , ~ E ~ q + k n r l P<br />
2.5 cm in fruit; calyx, 3 to 6 mm long, enlarging to 2 to 4 cm long in fruit, short-<br />
puberulent; corolla, 0.6 to 1 cin long, pale-yellow , yellowish-green near base, partly<br />
puberulent externally; stamens 5, 2.5 to 4 mm long, capitate; an<strong>the</strong>rs, 1 to 2.5 mm long,<br />
blue; style, 4 to 5 inm long; fruit, 1 to 1.6 cm in diameter, subglobose or ellipsoid,
fleshy, enclosed in an inflated, balloon-like, ovoid calyx, up to about 3 cm long, with an<br />
apical opening; seeds, about 1.7 mm long, flat, reniform, yellowish. Weed in low ground<br />
near Buada Lagoon, on road fill in currently mined areas, and in disturbed soil and<br />
dumps on coastal strip. Ripe fruit eaten by children. 2, 3(58645, 58768), 4(130N), 5(14),<br />
6, 7(2232l), 8(9541).<br />
Physalis lagascae R. & S. "ground cherry", "wild cape gooseberry", "bubble fruit"<br />
watamo, oatamo (N); te baraki(K); pini (T)<br />
syn. P. minima L.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Low, much-branched, somewhat<br />
sprawling annual herb; leaves, 1.5 to 6 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide, mostly alternate,<br />
oval-ovate, acute at both ends, margin entire or somewhat wavy, spreading pilose on both<br />
surfaces; petioles, 0.5 to 3 cm long, slender; inflorescences, solitary, axillary; pedicels, 2<br />
to 5 mm long, enlarging to 9 mm in fruit; calyx, short-spreading-pilose without,<br />
glabrescent, green, inflated, enclosing but free from fruit; corolla, 4 to 6 mm across,<br />
yellow, with a darker center with 5 very distinct brownish blotches; fruits, 5 to 7 mm in<br />
diameter, berrylike, sessile, enclosed in a papery, inflated, bag-like calyx, 12 to 25 mm<br />
long, ovoid acuminate, prominently 5-angled. Weed in low ground near Buada Lagoon.<br />
3 (5 8646).<br />
Solanum lycopersicum L. var. lycopersicum "tomato"<br />
te tomato (K); tomato (T)<br />
syns. Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.; L. lycopersicum (L.) Karst.<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect, pilose, glandular<br />
herb, 0.5 to 2 m high, with capitate hairs on <strong>the</strong> younger parts, slightly succulent, solid<br />
green stems, which sometimes becoming prostrate and spreading, a strong tap-root, and a<br />
distinctive strong odor; leaves, 10 to 30 cm long and 6 to 20 cm wide, spirally arranged,<br />
pinnate or bipinnate, with a terminal leaflet and equal or unequal smaller lateral leaflets<br />
alternating with larger leaflets; petiole, 3 to 6 cm long; larger leaflets (major pinnae) 7 to<br />
9, 5 to 10 cm long, opposite and/or alternate, usually irregularly too<strong>the</strong>d or incised,<br />
sometimes pinnatifid, puberulent; inflorescences, extra axillary (opposite or between <strong>the</strong><br />
leaf axils), 4- to 12-flowered racemes, <strong>the</strong> individual flowers, about 2 cm in diameter,<br />
pendent; pedicels, 1 to 2 cm long; calyx, 5- to 8-lobed, sepals, about 1 cm long, slender,<br />
persistent, enlarging in fruit; corolla, about 1 cm long, rotate, 5- to 8-lobed, lobes,<br />
lanceolate, stellate, later reflexed, yellow; stamens, 5 to 8 or 10; an<strong>the</strong>rs, 5 mm long,<br />
apical appendage 2 mm; ovary glabrous; fruit, 2 to 12 cm in diameter, subglobose,<br />
-- usually depressed at both ends, a 3 to 12-celled berry, bright red or yellowish when ripe,<br />
--<br />
juicy, edible; seeds, many, 3 to 5 mm long and 2 to 4 mm wide, reniform, compressed,<br />
silvery-pubescen t, light brown or yellowish. Food plant at Location and in expatriate<br />
home gardens; spontaneous in waste heaps. 5, .
Solanum melongena L. "egg plant", "aubergine", "brinjal"<br />
Recent introduction. S. Asia. Rare. Erect, stellate-tomentose, weakly-perennial,<br />
branching herb or subshrub, 0.5 to 1.5 m high, <strong>the</strong> stems sometimes prickly and all parts<br />
covered with a gray tomentum; leaves, 6 to 25 cm long and 4 to 15 cm wide, alternate,<br />
ovate to elliptic oblong, obtuse to acute, base obtuse to subcordate, usually shallowly<br />
sinuately 2- to 4-lobed, both surfaces densely or sparingly stellate-tomentose; petioles, 1<br />
to 10 cm long; inflorescences, solitary or 2- to 5-flowered cymes, opposite to subopposite<br />
<strong>the</strong> leaf axils, <strong>the</strong> lower flowers bisexual <strong>the</strong> upper ones male; pedicels, 1 to 3 cm long,<br />
elongating and enlarging in fruit; calyx, about 2 cm long, narrowly 5- to 7-lobed, lobes,<br />
1 to 1.5 cm long, acuminate, enlarging and sometimes splitting in fruit, stellate-hairy,<br />
persistent; corolla, 3 to 5 cm in diameter, 5- to 6-lobed, campanulate, lobes about <strong>the</strong><br />
length <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> tube, broadly-triangular, incuwed, hairy beneath, glabrous within, pale<br />
violet to purplish-violet; stamens, 5 to 6, about 1 cm long, free erect, yellow, with short<br />
filaments; an<strong>the</strong>rs, 5 to 8 mm long, yellow; fruit, 5 to 30 cm long and 3 to 8 cm across,<br />
pendent, highly variable in shape depending on <strong>the</strong> cultivar, subglobose, oblong,<br />
cylindric or obovoid or pyriform, a fleshy berry with lea<strong>the</strong>ry skin, smooth, shiny,<br />
purple-black to purple, white, yellowish or striped; seeds, many, compressed, pale<br />
yellow or light brown, Food plant in home gardens. 5, 6.<br />
Solanum tuberosum L. "potato", "Irish potato"<br />
Recent introduction. S. America-Andes Mts. Rare. Branched, sprawling annual<br />
herb, up to 1 m high, with a mass <strong>of</strong> fine, fibrous, adventitious roots and swollen stem<br />
tubers borne on underground stolons; leaves, 10 to 25 cm long, pinnate, with small<br />
interjected leaflets between larger leaflets (main pinnae); larger leaflets, 5 to 9, ovate;<br />
inflorescences, leaf-opposed, few-flowered cymose panicles; peduncles, 5 to 10 cm long;<br />
calyx lobes, 5 to 8 mm long, lanceolate; corolla, about 2 cm in diameter, subrotate,<br />
white or pale violet to purple or bluish; fruit, 1.5 to 2 cm in diameter, subglobose, a<br />
small inedible berry; seeds, suborbicular to subreniform, green or yellowish. Immature<br />
food plant at Location. 5, 6, 7.<br />
STERCULIACEAE (Cocoa Family)<br />
Wal<strong>the</strong>ria indica L.<br />
syns. W. americana L. ; W. elliptica Cav.<br />
" wal<strong>the</strong>ria"<br />
Recent introduction. Pantropical. Occasional. Downy perennial subshrub, 0.3 to 1<br />
- -- -<br />
m high, with erect, branched tomentose Gems and woody near base; leaves, 1 to 6 cm<br />
long Hnd 0.5 to 3 cm wide, alternate, ovate-oblong, crenate or serrate, velvety-pubescent<br />
with mixed stellate and simple hairs, prominently veined; petioles, about 1 to 1.5 cm<br />
long; stipules, narrow, caducous; inflorescences, axillary, dense cymose clusters;
peduncles, up to 4 cm long; bracts 3, linear, caducous; calyx, about 6 mm long, 5-lobed;<br />
corolla, slightly longer than calyx, 5-lobed, clawed, yellowish-orange to yellow,<br />
persistent; stamens 5, connate at base; ovary, 1-celled, sessile; fruit, a 2-valved capsule;<br />
seeds 1, rarely 2, exalate. Weed in waste places, vacant lots and ruderal habitats on<br />
coastal strip. 3(58668), 4(112N), 5(5, 109a), 6, 7(22301), 8(9599).<br />
Suriana maritirna L.<br />
gie" , gie cool? (T)<br />
SURIANACEAE<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Pantropical. Rare. Shrub or small tree with pubescent young growth,<br />
1 to 4 m high, <strong>of</strong>ten dwarfed and wind-trimmed when exposed to salt spray; leaves, 1.5<br />
to 3 cm long and 2 to 6 mm wide, alternate, crowded, narrowly obovate-oblong or<br />
linear-spathulate, acute, base decurrent, very short-petiolate; inflorescences, axillary<br />
racemose clusters; bracts, green, persistent; calyx, 5-lobed, persistent; corolla, 5-lobed,<br />
petals, about 8 mm long, imbricate, yellow; stamens 10; fruit, a 5-parted, 5-angled<br />
capsule, pubescent, brownish, enclosed in persistent calyx, Rare coastal plant. 7(27820)<br />
Muntingia calabura L.<br />
bin (bean)(N)<br />
TILIACEAE (Linden Family)<br />
"Panama cherry", "Panama berry"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Small pubescent tree, 3 to 12 m<br />
high, with tiered, slightly drooping branches; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long and 2 to 3.5 cm<br />
wide, alternate, crowded, oblong-acuminate, obliquely subcordate, strongly asymmetrical,<br />
thin, serrulate, sticky-pubescent, soon wilting; stipules, about 5 mm long, linear, paired,<br />
unequal, caducous; inflorescences, supra-axillary, 1 or few-flowered clusters; pedicels,<br />
about 2 to 3 cm long; calyx, 5 (rarely 6 or 7)-parted, sepals, about 1 cm long, lan-<br />
ceolate-caudate, tomentose-hirsute; corolla, 5-parted, petals about 12 to 13 mm long,<br />
broadly spathulate-deltoid, white or pink-tinged; stamens about 75, yellow; filaments,<br />
about 6 mm long, slender, distinct, white; an<strong>the</strong>rs, small, rounded, yellow; fruit, 1 to 1.5<br />
cm in diameter, subglobose, berry-like (baccate), 5-celled, light-red to yellowish, sweet,<br />
juicy, edible; seeds, many, about 0.5 mm long, elliptic, grayish-yellow, embedded in<br />
~~~ o r r t ~ h i t t ~ ~ ~ ~ - e<br />
interior Baiti District. Ripe fruit eaten as a snack food, primarily by children. 3(58752),<br />
4(139N), 5(91), 6, 7.
Triumfetta procumbens F0rst.f. "beach burr"<br />
ikiau, ikiow, igiau, giau (B)(N); te kiaou (K); tolotolo, kiaou (T)<br />
syn. T. fabreona Gaud.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Paleotropics. Rare. Pubescent prostrate subshrub with long-trailing,<br />
densely-stellate pubescent branches up to 3 m long; leaves, 1.5 to 6 cm long and nearly<br />
as wide, alternate, broadly ovate to suborbicular or shallowly 3-lobed, rounded to obtuse,<br />
base rounded to subcordate, crenate-serrate, densely stellate-woolly beneath, palmately 5-<br />
to 7-nerved; petioles, up to 6 cin long; inflorescences, axillary, pedunculate, subumbel-<br />
late clusters; calyx, 5-lobed, with a cornate protuberance at tip; corolla, 10 to 12 mm<br />
across, 5-parted, petals bright yellow; stamens, numerous and distinct; fruit, 6 to 12 mm<br />
in diameter, subglobose, spiny, burr-like, stellate-pubescent. Growing along coastal strip<br />
and in open areas in coastal thickets. Probably incorrectly reported as T. semitriloba<br />
Jacq. by Burgess in 1935. Juice from crushed leaves used medicinally to cure filariasis<br />
and fever, to retard hair from falling out, and for a gelati<strong>no</strong>us post-natal medicine which<br />
is drunk by mo<strong>the</strong>rs to help rid <strong>the</strong>m <strong>of</strong> afterbirth; crushed leaves and stems also mixed<br />
with toddy (kera.wa.i) and used as poultices on boils. 1, 2, 4(11 IN), 5(109), 6, 7(27803).<br />
URTICACEAE (Nettle Family)<br />
Laportea ruderalis (F0rst.f.) Chew<br />
luna, aluna, pakisikisi (T)<br />
syns. Urtica ruderalis Forst. f. ; Fleurya. ruderalis (Forst. f.) Gaud. ex Wedd. ;<br />
Schykowskya. rudera.1i.s (Forst. f.) Endl. ; Boehmeria paniculata Gaud. ;<br />
Fleurya. panicu1a.ta Gaud.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Malayo-Pacific. Rare. Erect, un- or few-branched, slightly fleshy,<br />
glabrous herb, up to 40 cm high; leaves, 1.5 to 8 cm long and 1 to 4 cm long, alternate,<br />
obtuse, obtuse or acute, base truncate or subcordate, coarsely crenate; petiole, as long as<br />
blade; inflorescences, axillary, pedicellate, in open paniculate clusters, shorter than<br />
petiole; male flowers, 4-rarely, 3- or 5-merous; female flowers, 4-merous, perianth with<br />
unequal lobes; fruit, obliquely ovate, an achene partly enclosed in <strong>the</strong> persistent perianth.<br />
Growing in shady areas near caves and in moist habitats at <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> limestone<br />
escarpment. 5(99), 6, 7(27809).<br />
Pellionia sp.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Small, creeping, succulent, perennial herb;<br />
leaves, 2.5 to 7 cm long, oval, attractive, variegated with combinations <strong>of</strong> purple, light<br />
green, bronzy-green or gray depending on <strong>the</strong> species and cultivar; inflorescences,<br />
inconspicuous, greenish. Pot plant. 6.
Pilea cardieri Gagn. & Guill. "aluminum plant"<br />
Recent introduction. Vietnam. Occasional. Erect, branching, somewhat succulent<br />
when young, perennial herb, up to 40 cm high, with somewhat 4-angled stems and<br />
swollen inter<strong>no</strong>des; leaves, up to 9 cm long and 5 cm wide, ovate, paired, dentate near<br />
apex, dark-green with silvery blotches above, light green beneath; petioles, 2 to 3 cm<br />
long; inflorescences, axillary, long-pedicellate, globose clusters; perianth segments, dull<br />
white or slightly pink-tinged. Pot plant. 5, 6.<br />
Pilea microphylla (L.) Liebm. "artillery plant"<br />
syns. Parietaria nzicrophylla L. ; Pilea muscosa Lindl.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Low, delicate, much-branched,<br />
succulent, glabrous, perennial herb, up to 30 cm high, with tender greenish or purplish<br />
stems; leaves, 3 to 6 lnm long and 1 to 2 mm wide, opposite, 2-ranked, crowded, elliptic<br />
to spathulate or obovate; inflorescences, axillary, cymose clusters; individual flowers,<br />
minute, unisexual, minute, greenish, sometimes red-tinged; female flowers, 3-tepaled,<br />
tepals, unequal; stamens, opening explosively. Weed in pot plants and under planted<br />
ornamentals. 3(58713), 5(8), 6, 7.<br />
Pilea nurnmularifolia (Sw.) Wedd. "creeping Charlie"<br />
Recent introduction. Tropical America. Occasional. Creeping perennial herb, up<br />
to 20 cm high, rooting at <strong>the</strong> <strong>no</strong>des; leaves, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, oval, crenate,<br />
succulent, pubescent, 3-veined from base; inflorescences, rose-red. Pot plant; ground<br />
cover in shaded areas. 5, 6.<br />
VERBENACEAE (Verbena Family)<br />
Clerodendrum inerme L. var. oceanicuni A. Gray "beach privet"<br />
eamwiye, eamwije, eyamwiye, eyamwije (N); te inato (K); inato (T)<br />
syns. Volkumeria intv-mis L. ; Clerodendrum nereifolium Wal. ; C. commersonii<br />
(Poir.) Spreng.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Indomalaysia, Australia and <strong>the</strong> Pacific Is. Common. Erect, trailing<br />
or scrambling, sometimes shrubby, glabrous perennial, up to S m high; leaves, 3 to 13<br />
cm long and 1 to 7 cm wide, opposite, or sometimes in whorls <strong>of</strong> 3, elliptic to obovate<br />
or narrowly lanceolate, short-acuminate or cuspidate to somewhat blunt, base acute,<br />
glabrate, thinly fleshy, pinnately nerved, dotted beneath with a few sunken glands
asally; petiole, 0.4 to 2 cm long, slender, leaf scars prominently somewhat raised;<br />
inflorescences, axillary, supra-axillary or pseudoterminal, 3- to 12-flowered cymose<br />
clusters; peduncle, 1 to 4 cm long, slender, subglabrate; pedicels, 3 to 6 mm long;<br />
bracteoles, small, few; calyx, 4 to 6 mm long, campanulate, subtruncate and minutely 5-<br />
denticulate, enlarging somewhat as fruit matures; corolla, up to 3.5 cm long, hypocrateri-<br />
form or slender-tubular, 5-lobed, lobes, 5 to 8 mm long, ovate, subequal, somewhat<br />
expanded distally, bluntly acute at apex, glabrous white or pinkish along tube, fragrant;<br />
stamens 4, 1 cm long, exserted, inrolled in bud, filaments red, purple or pinkish;<br />
an<strong>the</strong>rs, yellow; style, exserted to 20 mm, purple to rich pink distally, paler proximally;<br />
fruit, about 1 to 1.5 cm in diameter, obovoid, drupaceous, separating into four 1-seeded<br />
nutlets, yellow-green to dark-brown, turning black at maturity, subtended by a indurate,<br />
striate-ve<strong>no</strong>se calyx; seeds, oblong. Abundant on limestone cliffs and pinnacles, forming<br />
luxuriant curtains near edge <strong>of</strong> escarpment and on parts <strong>of</strong> coastal strip in Anetan<br />
District; occasionally a planted ornamental. Fragrant flowers used in garlands; leaves<br />
reportedly pounded and used as a cure for leprosy in <strong>the</strong> past (cure reportedly received in<br />
a dream). 2, 3(58664), 4(103N, 166N), 5, 6, 7(27817).<br />
Clerodendrum ,paniculatum L. "pagoda flower"<br />
Recent introduction. E. Trop. Asia. Rare. Perennial shrub, up to 1 to 2 m high,<br />
with medullose to hollow, bluntly quadrangular branchlets, <strong>the</strong> <strong>no</strong>des with a broad band<br />
<strong>of</strong> hairs; leaves, 4 to 15 (-40) by 7 to 20 (-38) cm, opposite, broadly ovate, prominently<br />
3 to-7-lobed or <strong>the</strong> uppermost ones entire, base cordate, <strong>the</strong> lobes acute to short-acu-<br />
minate and remotely dentate to crenate or entire, thin chartaceous to membranaceous,<br />
minutely strigillose to glabrous above, squat<strong>no</strong>se with peltate scales beneath; inflorescen-<br />
ces, axillary or terminal, many-flowered panicles, up to 45 cm long and broad; pedicels,<br />
4 to 15 mm long, filifortn, reddish; calyx, 3 to 5 mm long, campanulate, deeply-divided,<br />
red to orange-red; corolla, hypocrateriform or narrow-tubular, <strong>the</strong> tube, up to 2 cm long,<br />
slender, <strong>the</strong> limb spreading to 1 cm across, orange-red to vivid scarlet (rarely white),<br />
puberulent; stamens and style exserted 2.5 to 3.5 cm beyond corolla throat; fruit,<br />
drupaceous, greenish-blue to black at maturity. Planted ornamental. 5, 6(235), 7.<br />
Clerodendrum thomsoniae Balf. f. "bleeding heart"<br />
Recent introduction. W. Africa. Rare. Perennial shrub or climbing vine, up to 3<br />
m or higher, with slender, distally 4-angled and terete proximal branchlets and twining<br />
older branches; leaves, 5 to 15 cm long and 2.5 to 7 cm wide, elliptic to elliptic-ovate,<br />
acute to short-acuminate, base subcordate to subacute or rounded, glabrate on both<br />
surfaces or puberulent on venation; petioles, 8 to 30 mm long; inflorescences, terminal or<br />
--disra~aXlllary,cymo~usters, to i2--by i 3 cm-uncies, 2.StoE5TICij5<br />
slender; pedicels, 7 to 16 mm long, slender; calyx, 2 to 2.7 cm long, deeply 4- to 5-<br />
lobed, lobes sharply acute, pale yellow-green, becoming white or pinkish in flower, redviolet<br />
in fruit, prominently veined; corolla, 2.2 cm long, hypocrateriform or tubular, <strong>the</strong>
tube, 1.5 to 2.5 cm long, slender, greenish-red, 5-lobed, lobes up to 1 cm long, deep red<br />
to scarlet or crimson distally, <strong>the</strong> limb spreading or reflexed, to 2 cm broad; stamens and<br />
style, long-exserted, pale green; fruit, a drupe, glossy, black, with a brilliant red aril<br />
uniting <strong>the</strong> 4 pyrenes; seeds, 4, nutlets. Planted ornamental. 3(58794), 5, 6, 7(27817).<br />
Duranta repens L. "golden dewdrops", "golden eardrops"<br />
D. erecta L. ; D. plumieri Jacq.<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect perennial shrub or small tree, up<br />
to 4 m or higher, with slender, arching, drooping or trailing branchlets and sometimes<br />
bearing axillary or suppressed spines; leaves, 1.5 to 7 cm long and 0.5 to 4 cm wide,<br />
opposite or in whorls <strong>of</strong> 3, elliptic or ovate, rarely elliptic-obovate, obtuse to acute to<br />
acuminate or apiculate, base cuneate, entire or distally serrate, usually thin-textured,<br />
glabrate on both surfaces; petioles, 1 to 8 mm long, slender; inflorescences, axillary or<br />
terminal, erect or recurved, loose, many-flowered paniculate clusters or racemes, 5 to 30<br />
cm long; pedicels, 1 to 5 mm long; bracteoles, minute or occasionally subfoliaceous;<br />
calyx, 3 to 4.5 mm long at an<strong>the</strong>sis, tubular, angular, minutely too<strong>the</strong>d or subulate;<br />
corolla, about 8 mm long, surpassing calyx by about 2 to 5 mm, tubular, 5-lobed, 7 to<br />
14 mm across <strong>the</strong> limb, pale purple to bluish-purple, 2 slightly smaller lobes with a<br />
purple stripe and 3 slightly larger plain lobes, fragrant, puberulent on both surfaces;<br />
stamens 4; fruit, 6 to 12 mm in diameter, a globose, 8-seeded drupe, juicy, yellow to<br />
orange, enclosed by <strong>the</strong> enlarged, curved-beaked, yellowish calyx. Planted ornamental. 5,<br />
6, 7.<br />
Lantana camara L. var. aculeata (L.) Mold.<br />
magiroa (N); te kai buaka (K); kaipuaka (T)<br />
"lantana"<br />
- _<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction . Trop. America. Occasional. Erect or rambling,<br />
more or less pungent-odorous, perennial shrub, 1 to 5 m high, <strong>the</strong> stems and branches<br />
usually armed with short, recurved prickles; leaves, 2 to 12 cm long and 2 to 6 cm wide,<br />
opposite, decussate or whorled, ovate to oblong-ovate, acute to short-acuminate, base<br />
abruptly rounded and cuneate, crenate-serrate, stiff chartaceous, reticulate-rugose and<br />
scabrous above, downy or hispid,below, pinnately nerved, spicy pungent if rubbed;<br />
petioles 0.7 to 2 cm long; inflorescences, axillary, crowded, hemispherical, manyflowered,<br />
corymbose heads, 2 to 4 cm across; peduncle, 2 to 9 cm long, slender;<br />
bracteoles, 4 to 9 mm long and 1 to 1.5 cm wide, oblong to lanceolate, acute to subulate<br />
at apex; calyx, about 3 mm long, 2-lobed, inconspicuous; corolla, 10 to 12 mm long,<br />
tubular or hypocrateriform, 4 to 5-lobed, 5 to 8 mm across <strong>the</strong> limb, pubescent internally<br />
_)-) white pink, orange and red with a darker ey-e, <strong>the</strong> youngest flowers central, pale, <strong>the</strong>--_older<br />
flowers orange, <strong>the</strong> oldest ones red (or white); stamens 4; fruit, 3 to 4 mm in<br />
diameter, a fleshy, slightly juicy drupe, purple-black; seeds 1, a 2-celled pyrene with an<br />
air cavity between <strong>the</strong> cells. Planted ornamental; naturalized in ruderal sites and in<br />
unmined open plateau forest; occasional in older revegetated strip-mined sites. Flowers
--<br />
used in garlands. The first Nauruan to plant lantana was reportedly a woman by <strong>the</strong> name<br />
<strong>of</strong> Magiroa who stole it from a garden <strong>of</strong> an expatriate British Phosphate Company<br />
employee, hence <strong>the</strong> Nauruan name. 2, 3(58599, 58798), 4(101N), 5(42), 6, 7, 8(9563).<br />
Lantana camara L. var. "drap d'or" "cloth <strong>of</strong> gold lantana"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Cultivar with single-colored yellow<br />
flowers. Planted ornamental. 3, 6.<br />
Premna serratifolia L. "premna"<br />
idibiner, idibinerr (N); te ango (K); aloalo, valovalo, te ango (T)<br />
syns. P. obtusifolia R. Br.; P. gaudichaudii Schauer; P. mariannarum Gaud. ex<br />
Schauer; P. in.regrifolia L.; P. tairensis Schauer; P. corymbosa (Burm.f.)<br />
Rottl. & Willd. ; P. alba Lam. ; P. an.gustifolia Lam. ; P. paulobarbata<br />
Lam.<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. Indopacific. Common. Small, nearly glabrous shrub or small tree, up<br />
to 5 m or higher, with minutely puberulent youngest branches; leaves, 2 to 15 cm long<br />
and 1 to 9 cm wide, opposite, elliptic to oblong-ovate or suborbicular, subacuminate to<br />
blunt, sometimes short-mucronate, base rounded or obtuse to subcordate, chartaceous,<br />
shiny, usually ventrally concave, glabrate or minutely puberulent dorsally on nerves, 4 to<br />
7 pairs <strong>of</strong> lateral nerves; petioles 0.5 to 6 cm long; inflorescences, terminal, sometimes<br />
also axillary, richly-branched, many-flowered, corymbose clusters, 3 to 10 cm or more<br />
across; peduncles, up to 2 cm long; pedicels, up to 1 mm long; bracts, to 5 mm long,<br />
paired at each <strong>no</strong>de, subulate to narrowly lanceolate, persistent; calyx, 1.5 to 2 mm long<br />
at an<strong>the</strong>sis, cupular, bilabiate, minutely 4- to 5-too<strong>the</strong>d or subtruncate, minutely puberu-<br />
lent on both surfaces; corolla, 2.5 to 4 mm long, tubular or short-hypocrateriform to<br />
subrotate, tube up to 2.5 cm long, 4- to 5-lobed, somewhat bilabiate, <strong>the</strong> longest lobe to<br />
1.5 cm long, greenish; stamens 4 or rarely 5, 1.2 to 2.4 mm long, 2 longer, 2 shorter,<br />
very slightly exserted or included; fruit, 2 to 4 mm across, subglobose, glabrous, green<br />
turning purple-black at maturity. Common tree on coastal strip and in escarpment forest;<br />
common in home gardens. Timber used for house rafters in <strong>the</strong> past; wood considered to<br />
be among <strong>the</strong> best firewood for cooking pandanus; leaves boiled with coconut oil to scent<br />
it; flowers used in garlands; young leaves used as poultices to help wounds heal. 1(49.R),<br />
2(8.5), 3(58597, 58633), 5, 6, 7(27810).<br />
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl "Jamaica vervain", "blue rat's tail"<br />
edidubai, edidubaiy (N); te uti ("lice")(K)<br />
syns. Verbena jamaicensis L. ; Stachytarpheta indica (L.) Vahl<br />
Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Extinct? Erect, sparsely-<br />
branching perennial subshrub, up to about 1 in high; leaves, 4 to 11 cm long and 2.5 to 5
-<br />
cm wide, opposite, elliptic-oblong, acute or subobtuse, distally crenate-serrate, decurrent<br />
on <strong>the</strong> petiole, flat, pale, somewhat glossy, silvery- or irridescent-green, lateral nerves<br />
<strong>no</strong>t prominent dorsally; inflorescences, erect, elongated purplish spikes, 15 to 40 cm<br />
long; individual flowers, axillary to a bract, a few opening at a time, evanescent and<br />
soon caducous, sessile; bracts, 4 to 5 mm long, with a scarious margin; calyx, dorsally<br />
compressed, 4- to 5-too<strong>the</strong>d; corolla, 5 to 10 mm long and 4 to 12 mm wide tubular, 5-<br />
lobed, pubescent internally, pale violet to purple or whitish; fertile stamens 2, included;<br />
fruit, 4 to 5 lnln long, 2-segmented, enclosed in <strong>the</strong> calyx. Weed reported present by<br />
Burges in 1935, but <strong>no</strong>t reported since. 2.<br />
Stachytarpheta urticifolia Sims "blue rat tail", "false verbena"<br />
edidubai, edidubaiy (N) ; te uti ("liceW)(K)<br />
syn. C)lmburus urticifolius Salisb.<br />
Pre World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Common. Erect, sparsely-<br />
branching perennial subshrub, 0.5 to 1.5 m high; leaves, 4 to 12 cm long and 2 to 7.5<br />
cm wide, opposite, decussate, ovate-elliptic or ovate, acute or subobtuse, base cuneate-<br />
decurrent, distally crenate-serrate, leaf teeth ciliate, rich green, subglossy, pinnately<br />
nerved, lateral nerves prominent dorsally, bullate (convex between <strong>the</strong> veins); inflores-<br />
cences, erect, elongated, greenish spikes, 14 to 50 cm long, bearing numerous flowers in<br />
groove-like depressions on <strong>the</strong> rachis; peduncle up to 3 cm long; individual flowers,<br />
axillary to a bract, a few opening at a time, evanescent and soon caducous, sessile;<br />
bracts, 4 to 7 lnln long, erect, lanceolate, aristate at apex; calyx, 5 to 7 mm long,<br />
dorsally compressed, 4- to 5-too<strong>the</strong>d; corolla, up to 8 mm long, tubular, 5-lobed,<br />
pubescent internally, medium violet to dark blue-violet; fertile stamens 2, included,<br />
white; style, white; fruit, 2-segmented pyrene, enclosed in a persistent calyx. Common<br />
weed in waste places and ruderal habitats, especially along roadsides. Mature dried black<br />
fruits reportedly eaten by some children. 3(58632), 4(109N), 5(12), 6, 7, 8(9543).<br />
Vitex negundo L. var. bicolor (Willd.) H.J. Lam<br />
dagaidu, dogaidu (N); te kaitu? (K)<br />
syn. V. trifolia. L. var. bicolor (Willd.) Mold.<br />
"blue vitex"<br />
Indige<strong>no</strong>us. E. Africa to <strong>the</strong> Pacific Is. Occasional. Erect, aromatic, freely-<br />
branching shrub or small tree, 1.5 to 8 m high, with 4-angled puberulent branches;<br />
leaves, opposite, 3- to 5- (rarely 7-) foliate; leaflets, oblong-elliptic to ovate-lanceolate,<br />
acute to subacuminate, <strong>the</strong> central one longest, up to 11 cm and 3 cm wide, with<br />
petiolules up to 1 to 2 cm long, <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r leaflets smaller on shorter petiolules, pinnately<br />
nerved, dark above, densely white-tornentose beneath, aromatic; petioles, 2.5 to 6 cm<br />
ry, rrdrrmv, brarrctrmg,<br />
clusters; calyx, about 3 lnln long, 5-too<strong>the</strong>d, gray-puberulent; corolla, about 4 mm long,<br />
bilabiate, 5-lobed, blue-violet, puberulent; filaments and style blue to purple; fruit, 5 to 6<br />
mm long, subglobose drupe, 1-seeded, black. Occasional in some forest stands on coastal
strip in low-lying areas near base <strong>of</strong> escarpment and in some home gardens. Branches<br />
used for fishing rods for small fish; flowers and leaves used in garlands and o<strong>the</strong>r body<br />
ornamentation; seeds used to make garlands; young leaves and meristem crushed with<br />
coconut oil as a cure for fever blisters; juice <strong>of</strong> fruit drunk as a cure for fits and<br />
convulsion. 2, 3(58635), 4(119N), 5(19, 56), 6, 7, 8(9584).<br />
VITACEAE (Grape Family)<br />
Cissus sp. "cissus"<br />
Recent introduction. Trop. Asia? Rare. Thick-stemmed vine; leaves, cordate;<br />
flowers <strong>no</strong>t seen. Planted ornamental. 6.<br />
Vitis vinifera L. "grape"<br />
Recent introduction. S . E. Europe to India. Rare. Tendril-bearing, woody vine;<br />
leaves, 5 to 10 cm across, subcordate in outline, usually palmately lobed, usually serrate,<br />
more or less glabrate above, white- or reddish-tomentose beneath; inflorescences, leaf-<br />
opposed panicles; flowers bisexual and male, 5-merous; calyx, subtruncate; corolla, 5-<br />
parted, petals coherent distally, <strong>the</strong> calyptra caducous before full an<strong>the</strong>sis; fruit, 1 to 2<br />
cm in diameter, and ovoid to suglobose, 2- to 4-seeded berry, juicy, edible; seeds,<br />
rostrate at base, light brown. Single immature plant at Location. 5, 6.
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Wilder, G.P. 1934. l2e <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Makatea. Bulletin 120. Bernice P. Bishop Museum,<br />
Ho<strong>no</strong>lulu.<br />
-- -- .-<br />
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Wright, M., S. Minter, and B. Carter. 1984. l2e complete handbook <strong>of</strong> garden plants.<br />
Michael JosephIRainbow, London.<br />
Yuncker, T.G. 1959. Plants <strong>of</strong> Tonga. Bulletin 220. Bernice P. Bishop Museum,<br />
Ho<strong>no</strong>lulu.<br />
Zimmet, P.Z., P. Taft, A. Guinea, W. Guthrie, and K. Thoma. 1977. The high preva-<br />
lence <strong>of</strong> Diabetes Mellitus on a central Pacific island. Diabetologia 13: 1 1 1-1 15.<br />
Zimmet, P.Z., M. Arblaster, and K. Thoma. 1978. The effect <strong>of</strong> westernisation on<br />
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prevalence. Ausrralian and New Zealand Medical Journal 8(2): 141-146.
216<br />
Appendix I. Class, subclass, family and antiquity status <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> vascular <strong>flora</strong> <strong>of</strong> Nauru.<br />
- -efassm*--<br />
.-<br />
- ~ i -<br />
Family ge<strong>no</strong>us ginal<br />
PTERIDOPHYTA (Ferns and Fern Allies)<br />
Aspleniaceae 1<br />
Davalliaceae 2<br />
Ophioglossaceae 1<br />
Pol ypodiaceae 2<br />
Psilotaceae 1<br />
Pteridaceae 1<br />
Subtotal 8<br />
GYMNOSPERMAE<br />
Araucariaceae<br />
C ycadaceae<br />
Subtotal -<br />
ANGIOSPERMAE (Flowering Plants)<br />
MONOCOTYLEDONS<br />
Araceae<br />
Arecaceae<br />
Bromeliaceae<br />
Cannaceae<br />
Commelinaceae<br />
C yperaceae<br />
Dioscoreaceae<br />
Iridaceae<br />
Liliaceae<br />
Marantaceae<br />
Musaceae<br />
Orchidaceae<br />
Pandanaceae<br />
Poaceae<br />
Pon tederiaceae<br />
~ecent '~'ota!<br />
-
S trelitziaceae -<br />
Taccaceae -<br />
. -- m-<br />
Subtotal<br />
DICOTYLEDONS<br />
Acanthaceae<br />
Amaranthaceae<br />
Anacardiaceae<br />
An<strong>no</strong>naceae<br />
Apiaceae<br />
Apocynaceae<br />
Aquifoliaceae<br />
Araliaceae<br />
Aclepiadaceae<br />
A steraceae<br />
Balsaminaceae<br />
Basellaceae<br />
Begoniaceae<br />
Big<strong>no</strong>nicaceae<br />
Bombacaceae<br />
Boraginaceae<br />
Brassicaceae<br />
Cacataceae<br />
Capparidaceae<br />
Caricaceae<br />
Casuarinaceae<br />
Che<strong>no</strong>podiaceae<br />
Clusiaceae<br />
Combretaceae<br />
Convolvulaceae<br />
Crassulaceae<br />
Cucurbitaceae<br />
Ericaceae<br />
Euphorbiaceae<br />
Fabaceae<br />
Gen tianaceae<br />
Geraniaceae<br />
Gesneriaceae<br />
Goodeniaceae<br />
Hernandiaceae<br />
Lamiaceae<br />
..
Lauraceae 1 - 1 2<br />
Lecythidaceae 1 - - 1<br />
. - 1 1 .<br />
Malpighiaceae<br />
Malvaceae<br />
Meliaceae<br />
Moraceae<br />
Moringaceae<br />
M yrtaceae<br />
Nymphaeaceae<br />
Nyctaginaceae<br />
Oleaceae<br />
Onagraceae<br />
Oxalidaceae<br />
Passi<strong>flora</strong>ceae<br />
Piperaceae<br />
Pol ygalaceae<br />
Pol ygonaceae<br />
Portulacaceae<br />
Rhamnaceae<br />
Rhizophoraceae<br />
Rosaceae<br />
Rubiaceae<br />
Rutaceae<br />
Sapindaceae<br />
Sapotaceae<br />
Saxifragaceae<br />
Scrophulariaceae<br />
Solanaceae<br />
S terculiaceae<br />
Surianaceae<br />
Tiliaceae<br />
Urticaceae<br />
Verbenaceae<br />
Vi taceae<br />
Subtotal<br />
GRAND TOTAL 59 5 429 493
- Appendix 11. Nature and ecological and cultural (eth<strong>no</strong>botanical) importance <strong>of</strong> coastal .- -<br />
plant species <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> tropical Pacific Ocean (Notes: 1) Under "Habitat", 0 = outpost<br />
strand zone, I = inner littoral zone, M = mangrove habitats, W = coastal wetland or<br />
marshes; N = also found naturalized or wild in <strong>no</strong>n-coastal habitats, and C = cultivated<br />
or planted; 2) Under "Origin", I = indige<strong>no</strong>us, A = aboriginal introduction, R = recent<br />
post-European contact introduction, and ? = status unsure; 3) Under "Importance",<br />
"Eco" = ecological importance in coastal plant communities and "Cult" = cultural<br />
importance in terms <strong>of</strong> a species' range throughout <strong>the</strong> Pacific islands or its overwhel-<br />
ming importance in some localities, with + + + = very important in most island groups,<br />
with multiple usage in terms <strong>of</strong> cultural importance, + + = <strong>of</strong> considerable importance<br />
in some island groups or some important uses locally, + = present in some island<br />
groups or <strong>of</strong> some use in restricted localities, and - = <strong>of</strong> mi<strong>no</strong>r ecological importance or<br />
<strong>no</strong> cultural uses reported from Melanesia, Polynesia, or Micronesia).<br />
Latin Name Habitat Origin Importance<br />
Eco Cult<br />
FERNS<br />
Acrostichum aureum<br />
Asplenium nidus<br />
Davallia solida<br />
Nephrolepis spp.<br />
Polypodium scolopendria<br />
Pteris spp.<br />
Pyrrosia adnascens<br />
Ste<strong>no</strong>chlaena palustris<br />
Tectaria spp.<br />
Thelypteris spp.<br />
HERBS<br />
Achyran<strong>the</strong>s spp.<br />
Boerhavia spp .<br />
Crinum asiaticum<br />
Dendrobiurn spp.<br />
Hedyotis spp.<br />
Heliotropiurn spp.<br />
Hyme<strong>no</strong>callis littoralis<br />
Laportea spp.
Lepidiwn bidentatum<br />
Peperomia spp. -<br />
Portulaca australis<br />
Portulaca pilosa<br />
Procris pedunculata<br />
Sesuvium portalucastrurn<br />
Tacca leontopetaloides<br />
Taeniophyllwn fasicola<br />
Triwnfetta procumbens<br />
GRASSES AND SEDGES<br />
Cyperus javanicus<br />
Cyperus laevigatus<br />
Cyperus polystachyos<br />
Digitaria setigera<br />
Eleocharis spp.<br />
Fimbristy lis cymosa<br />
Ischaemum spp.<br />
Lepturus repens<br />
Paspalum spp.<br />
Sporobolus spp.<br />
Ste<strong>no</strong>taphmm spp .<br />
Thuarea involuta<br />
VINES AND LIANAS<br />
Abrus precatorius<br />
Canavalia cathartics<br />
Canavalia rosea<br />
Canavalia sericea<br />
Cassytha jilifomis<br />
Derris tnyoliata<br />
Entada phaseoloides<br />
Epipremnwn pinnatum<br />
Hoya australis<br />
Ipomoea littoralis<br />
Ipomoea macrantha<br />
Ipomoea pes-caprae<br />
Mucuna gigantea<br />
Vigna marina
SHRUBS<br />
Abutilon spp.<br />
Acanthus ebracteatus<br />
Allophylus timoriensis<br />
Bikkia tetrandra<br />
Caesalpinia bonrluc<br />
Canthiurn spp .<br />
Capparis spp.<br />
Clerodendnun inerme<br />
Colubrina asiatica<br />
Desmodium umbellatum<br />
Dalbergia candenatensis<br />
Dodonaea viscosa<br />
Euphorbia chamissonis<br />
Gardenia taitensis<br />
Geniostoma spp.<br />
Jossinia reinwardtiana<br />
Nypa fruticans<br />
Pemphis acidula<br />
Scaevola taccada<br />
Sida fallax<br />
Sophora tomen.tosa<br />
Suriana maritima<br />
Timonius spp.<br />
Tephrosia purpurea<br />
Wollastonia bzjlora<br />
Wikstroemia spp.<br />
Ximenia americana<br />
TREES<br />
Acacia simplex<br />
Aidia cochinchin,ensis<br />
A vicennia maritima<br />
Barringtonia asiatica<br />
Barringtonia racem.osa<br />
Bruguiera gym<strong>no</strong>rhiza<br />
Calophyllum i<strong>no</strong>phyllum<br />
Casuarina equisaijXia<br />
Cerbera manghas<br />
Ceriops tagal<br />
Cocos nucijka
222<br />
Cordia subcordata<br />
Qcas circinalis<br />
o,I,c<br />
I,N,C<br />
I,A<br />
I,A?,R<br />
+++++<br />
+ ++<br />
--4rt--<br />
Diospyros spp.<br />
Dolichandrone spathacea<br />
Erythrina fusca<br />
Erythrina variegata<br />
Ekcoecaria agallocha<br />
Ficus obliqua<br />
Ficus prolixa<br />
Ficus scabra<br />
Ficus storkii<br />
Ficus tinctoria<br />
Glochidion spp.<br />
Grewia crenata<br />
Guettarda speciosa<br />
Gyrocapus americanus<br />
Heritiera littoralis<br />
Hernandia so<strong>no</strong>ra<br />
Hibiscus tiliaceus<br />
I<strong>no</strong>carpus fagijier<br />
Intsia bijuga<br />
Leucaena insularum<br />
Lumnitzera littorea<br />
Mammea odorata<br />
Manilkara spp.<br />
Metroxylon spp.<br />
Morinda citrifolia<br />
Neisospenna oppositijiolia<br />
Pandanus tectorius<br />
Phaleria dispema<br />
Pipturus argenteus<br />
Pisonia grandis<br />
Pittosporum arborescens<br />
Planchonella costata<br />
Polyscias spp .<br />
Pongamia pinnata<br />
Premna serratijiolia<br />
Rhizophora spp.<br />
Santalum spp .<br />
Serian<strong>the</strong>s spp.<br />
Sonneratia alba<br />
Soulamea amara<br />
SYV~~W SPP-<br />
1vi , C t t<br />
1 T - -
Terminalia catappa 0717N7C 17A7R ++++++<br />
Terminalia littoralis 0.I.C I + -+ -- - - -<br />
Thespesia populnea 071 I ++ +++<br />
Toumefortia argentea 0717c I ++++++<br />
Vavaea amicorum 17N I + +<br />
Vita spp. 0717N7P I ++ ++<br />
Xylocalpus spp. M71 I + ++<br />
Sources: An extensive review <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> available literature and personal records and<br />
observations by <strong>the</strong> author; for full listing <strong>of</strong> sources, see Thaman, 1992.