atoll research bulletin no. 392 the flora of - Smithsonian Institution ...

ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETIN 

NO. 392 

THE FLORA OF NAURU 

RR THAMAN, F.R FOSBERG, EL MANNER 

AND D.C. HASSALL 

ISSUED BY 

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL J!WTORY 

SMllTJ!WNIAN INSTlTUTION 

WASHINGTON, D.C, USA 

FEBRUARY 1994

DEDICATION 

We dedicate this Flora of Nauru to Joseph Detsimea 

Audoa, his family and the people of the Republic of Nauru 

who have had their precious island and its flora destroyed 

and degraded as a result of wars and exploitation beyond 

their control.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

The authors would like to acknowledge, in particular, the late Honorable Joseph 

Detsimea Audoa, the Minister of Health and Education at the time of the commencement 

of the study and later Minister of Justice in the Government of Nauru, who, because of 

his vision and commitment to the culture and environment of Nauru, initiated and 

provided the financial support for the study of the flora of Nauru. He was particularly 

concerned that the plants of Nauru and their cultural uses be recorded before such 

knowledge was lost. 

We also acknowledge Mr. Lisle Newby, the then Director of Education, who, 

along with Joe Audoa, were the main supporters of the project, and who provided 

valuable logistical support throughout. Special thanks are also given to our main local 

informants and assistants, the Reverend James Aingimea and the late Henry Michael 

Heine; and to Daphne Fotu, Jacob Gabwinare, Katarina Satto, Kenia Raidinen, Reynold 

Capelle, Eda Adam and Montiba Star, our main informants in relation to the cultural uses 

and Nauruan names of plants. 

Our thanks also go to the Honorable Lawrence Stephen, Minister of Education 

during part of the project; Obera Menke, Robert Kaierua, Leo Keke, Delilah Capelle, 

Eddie Borak, John Healy, Gary Bailey, Dennis and Ria Berdinner, Julie Olsson, Dennis 

Ketner, Sio Fotu, Pine Harrison, John Brechtefeld, Rene Harris, Porthos Bop, Jacob 

Aroi, Leon Thompson, Benjamin Morgan, Iosefa Elisala and Teaora Tabanou, all of 

whom contributed in some way to the success of the study. To others who helped in any 

way during our study, we also give thanks. 

Thanks are also due to those people, who over the past 100 years, have collected 

and identified plants on Nauru; and to Saula Vodonaivalu of the South Pacific Regional 

Herbarium of The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji who identified, preserved 

and is the curator of the herbarium specimens collected by Thaman, Manner and Hassall. 

Without their efforts, this flora, would have been impossible. Similarly, we would like to 

thank The University of the South Pacific for the support it has provided throughout the 

duration of the study, both as the institution where the study was initiated and completed 

and as Nauru's own university of which it is one of twelve regional member countries. 

In addition to the above acknowledgements, Fosberg wants to mention the 

substantial assistance given him during his week-long visit to Nauru in 1983 This visit 

was at the invitation of Mr. Richard Wood, accountant for the Nauru government, who 

made the arrangements for the visit and who served as guide during the first day, 

reaching areas not otherwise accessible. The success of this visit was also made 

possible by transport and guidance by Mrs. Joan Nichols of the Australian High Commis- 

sion's office. In her company much of the interior of the island and some of the local 

gardens were visited and many plant specimens were gathered. The success of this visit

was largely due to the two people mentioned above, and their company in the field was 

much enjoyed and appreciated. Many thanks! 

Finally, we wish to express our heartfelt thanks to the people of Nauru whose 

warmth and hospitality made our work on their beautiful but damaged island so enjoyable 

and worthwhile. 

To all of you, TUBWA KOR, 

R.R Thaman, F.R. Fosberg, H.I. Manner and D.C. Hassall 

Suva, Fiji 

June 1993

CONTENTS 

PART I: INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS OF THE 

VEGETATION AND FLORA 

INTRODUCTION 

PREVIOUS STUDIES 

CURRENT STUDY 

BACKGROUNDONNAURU 

Physical Environment 

The People 

Development History 

Contemporary Economy 

Impact on the Flora 

VEGETATION TYPES 

Coastal Strand Vegetation 

Mangroves and Coastal Marsh Vegetation 

Relict Stands of Inland Forest 

Limestone Escarpment or Pinnacle Vegetation 

Coconut-Palm- and Pandanus-Dominated 

Agricultural Lands 

Houseyard Gardens and Urban Vegetation 

Ruderal Vegetation 

Phosphate-Mined Lands 

THE FLORA 

Nature of Indigenous Species 

Comparison with Other Island Floras 

Nature of Exotic Species 

ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL UTILITY OF EXISTING FLORAS 

GONCLUSION 

PAGE

PART 11: A COMPILATION OF THE VASCULAR FLORA OF NAURU 

KEY 

LatinIScientific Names 

Family 

Common Names 

Vernacular Names 

Antiquity Status 

Geographical Origin 

Abundance or Frequency Occurrence 

Species Description 

Uses and Cultural Utility 

Collectors and Herbarium Specimens 

VASCULAR PLANTS OF NAURU 

PTERIDOPHYTA (Ferns and Fern Allies) 

ASPLENIACEAE 

DAVALLIACEAE 

OPHIOGLOSSACEAE 

POLYPODIACEAE 

PSILOTACEAE 

PTERIDACEAE 

GYMNOSPERMAE (Gymnosperms) 

ARAUCARIACEAE 

CYCADACEAE 

ANGIOSPERMAE (Angiosperms or Flowering Plants) 

MONOCOTYLEDONAE 

ARACEAE 

ARECACEAEIPALMAE 

BROMELIACEAE 

CANNACEAE 

COMMELINACEAE 

CYPERACEAE 

DIOSCOREACEAE 

IRIDACEAE 

LILIACEAE (Including Agavaceae and Amaryllidaceae)

MARANTACEAE 

MUSACEAE 

ORCHIDACEAE 

PANDANACEAE 

POACEAE OR GRAMINEAE 

PONTEDERIACEAE 

STRELITZIACEAE 

TACCACEAE 

ZINGIBERACEAE 

DICOTYLEDONAE 

ACANTHACEAE 

AMARANTHACEAE 

ANACARDIACEAE 

ANNONNACEAE 

APIACEAE OR UMBELLIFERAE 

APOCYNACEAE 

AQUIFOLIACEAE 

ARALIACEAE 

ASCLEPIADACEAE 

ASTERACEAE OR COMPOSITAE 

BALSAMINACEAE 

BASELLACEAE 

BEGONIACEAE 

BIGNONIACEAE 

BOMBACEAE 

BORAGINACEAE 

BRASSICACEAE OR CRUCIFERAE 

CACTACEAE 

CAPPARIDACEAE OR CAPPARACEAE 

CARICACEAE 

CASUARINACEAE 

CHENOPODIACEAE 

CLUSIACEAE OR GU?TIFERAE 

COMBRETACEAE 

CONVOLVULACEAE 

CRASSULACEAE 

CUCURBITACEAE 

ERICACEAE 

EUPHORBIACEAE 

FABACEAE OR LEGUMINOSAE 

GENTIANACEAE 

GERANIACEAE

GESNERIACEAE 

GOODENIACEAE 

HERNANDIACEAE 

LAMIACEAE OR LABIATAE 

LAURACEAE 

LECYTHIDACEAE 

LYTHRACEAE 

MALPIGHIACEAE 

MALVACEAE 

MELIACEAE 

MORACEAE 

MORINGACEAE 

MYRTACEAE 

NYMPHAEACEAE 

NYCTAGINACEAE 

OLEACEAE 

ONAGRACEAE 

OXALIDACEAE 

PASSIFLORACEAE 

PIPERACEAE 

POLYGALACEAE 

POLYGONACEAE 

PORTULACACEAE 

RHAMNACEAE 

RHIZOPHORACEAE 

ROSACEAE 

RUBIACEAE 

RUTACEAE 

SAPINDACEAE 

SAPOTACEAE 

SAXIFRAG ACEAE 

SCROPHULARIACEAE 

SOLANACEAE 

STERCULIACEAE 

SURIANACEAE 

TILIACEAE 

URTICACEAE 

VERBENACEAE 

VITACEAE 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Table 1. 

Table 2. 

Table 3. 

Table 4. 

Appendix I. 

LIST OF TABLES 

Antiquity status of the flora of Nauru 

Species indigenous or possibly indigenous 

to Nauru 

Frequency of use for specified purposes of plant 

species present in Nauru 

Species of particular cultural utility on Nauru 

LIST OF APPENDICES 

Class, subclass, family and antiquity status of the 

vascular flora of Nauru 

Appendix 11. Nature and ecological and cultural (ethnobotanical) 

importance of coastal plant species of the 

tropical Pacific Ocean

THE FLORA OF NAURU 

A COMPILATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE VEGETATION AND FLORA OF 

THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC OCEAN ISLAND OF NAURU 

BY 

R.R. THAMAN1, F.R. FOSBERG2, H.I. MANNER3 AND D.C. HASSALL4 

PART I. 

INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS OF THE VEGETATION AND 

FLORA 

The recorded flora of the raised phosphatic limestone island of Nauru in the 

equatorial Pacific Ocean consists of approximately 493 species. Only 59 are possibly 

indigenous, none of which are endemic. The balance is composed of ornamentals, weedy 

exotics, food plants, and a limited number of other useful cultigens. Twelve of the 

recorded species are either extinct or were never successfully established on Nauru. Long 

human settlement, expansion of coconut monoculture during the colonial period, 

widespread destruction during World War 11, and almost a century of open-cast phos- 

phate mining, have led to serious vegetation degradation, disturbance, and displacement 

l. Professor of Pacific Islands Biogeography, Department of Geography, School of Social 

and Economic Development, The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji. 

2. Emeritus Professor of Botany, Botany Department, National Museum of Natural 

History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D. C. 

3. Professor of Geography, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Social Science 

and Anthropology, University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam. 

4. Former Senior Lecturer in Biology, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji. 

Manuscript received 12 July 1993; revised 6 August 1993.

of the indigenous flora. Although greatly outnumbered by exotics, indigenous species still 

dominate some of the most disturbed habitats, as well as constituting the most culturally- 

utilitarian and ecologically-importan t species. 

The flora is in two parts. PART I: INTRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS OF THE 

VEGETATION AND FLORA, includes a brief discussion of: 1) previous studies and the 

current study; 2) the physical environment, people, development history and contem- 

porary economy of Nauru; 3) the nature of the existing flora and vegetation associations 

of Nauru; and, 4) an analysis of the ecological and cultural importance of the flora in the 

context of modern small-island development. 

PART 11: A COMPILATION OF THE VASCULAR FLORA OF NAURU, 

consists of a listing of all vascular plants reported to have been present on Nauru, along 

with relevant information on each species. Although a number of persons have collected 

plants on Nauru over the past century, this constitutes the first extensive flora the of 

vascular plants of the island. The plants are listed in alphabetical order by family and 

species within families, starting with the ferns and gymnosperms and then angiosperms, 

with monocotyledons listed first. Information on each species, variety or subspecies 

includes: 1) scientific (Latin) name and synonyms; 2) common (mainly English) name 

(s); 3) Nauruan, Kiribati, Tuvaluan, Chinese (Cantonese), Filipino and Solomon Island 

names, when available; 4) origin; 5) antiquity status (i.e., whether a species is indigenous 

to Nauru, an aboriginal introduction, an early post-European-contact introduction or a 

recent post-World War I1 introduction; 6) its status in terms of abundance (i.e., whether 

it is abundant, common, rare, extinct, etc); 7) a detailed botanical description; 8) its 

habitat or distribution on Nauru; and 9) its cultural or ethnobotanical importance. 

PREVIOUS STUDIES 

Although collections and observations of the flora have been made on Nauru by 

Finch prior to 1900; Burges in 1933; Fosberg in 1980; Scully in 1980; Thaman, Hassall 

and Manner in 1980 and 1981; Thaman and Manner in 1987; Swarbrick in 1988; and 

Raulerson in the early 1980s, little has been published. The only substantial publications 

on Nauru's vegetation include studies by Manner, Thaman and Hassall (1984 and 1985) 

on vegetation changes induced by phosphate mining; a list of Nauruan plant names by 

Thaman, Manner and Hassall (1985); and the "Vegetation of Nauru and the Gilbert 

Islands" by Thaman (1992). Fosberg, Sachet and Oliver's "A geographical checklist of 

Micronesian Dicotyledonae" (1979); "Geographical checklist of Micronesian Pteridophyta 

and gymnosperms" (1982); and "A geographical checklist of the Micronesian Mono- 

cotyledonae" (1987), are also important and list most of the species cited and specimens 

examined prior to 1980.

CURRENT STUDY 

The current study is based on an in-depth analysis of the above sources; five- 

weeks fieldwork, including two visits by R.R. Thaman, H.I. Manner and D.C Hassall of 

The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji in Nauru in 1980, 1981; one week each 

by Thaman and Hassall in 1987; and a three-day visit by F.R. Fosberg of the Botany 

Department of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. in 1987. During these visits 

herbarium specimens were collected and identified and the Latin and vernacular names of 

all plant species recorded and listed alphabetically. These lists were then cross-checked, 

consolidated, amended and augmented, both during and after the field studies, using lists 

and names from previous studies. Information was also collected on the cultural uses 

(ethnobotany) of the flora. 

BACKGROUND ON NAURU 

Physical Environment 

The Republic of Nauru is an isolated, uplifted limestone island located 41 km 

south of the equator at 166 deg 56 min E longitude, some 2000 km east-northeast of 

Papua New Guinea, 4450 km south-southeast of the Philippines and an equal distance to 

the southwest of Hawaii. The nearest island is Banaba (Ocean Island), 300 km due east, 

which is part of the Republic of Kiribati. The Gilbert Islands, the main islands of 

Kiribati, lie a further 400 km to the east. 

The island, with an area of only 22 km2, consists of a narrow coastal plain, 

ranging from 50 to 300 m wide, encircling a limestone escarpment rising some 30 m to 

the central plateau (See map of Nauru). The escarpment ranges in gradient from vertical 

cliffs to gradually-sloping areas of colluvial soil interspersed with limestone outcrops and 

pinnacles. The plateau, with a maximum elevation of 70 m, consists of a matrix of coral- 

limestone pinnacles and limestone outcrops, between which lie extensive deposits of soil 

and high-grade tricalcic phosphate rock (Viviani 1970, Tyrer 1963). Buada Lagoon, a 

landlocked brackish lake, and its associated fertile depression (about 12 ha in size), is 

located in the low-lying southwest-central portion of the island. 

Apart from Buada Lagoon, there are no surface freshwater resources on Nauru, 

although there are a few brackish ponds on the northeast of the island and an underground 

lake in Moqua Cave in the southeast (Viviani 1970:4). The only significant 

permanent freshwater resource is groundwater in the form of a "lens" of often slightly 

brackish freshwater, hydrostatically "floating" on higher density saltwater beneath it. The 

height of the freshwater - - -- lens above sea -- level -- and -the - level - - of - salinity vary -- in - relation to 

the-elevation, geology, texture and shape of the island, and with theamount of water use 

and rainfall. Replenishment or recharge of the lens is dependent on rainfall.

Climatically, Nauru is located in the dry belt of the equatorial oceanic zone, with 

mean daily temperatures ranging from 26 to 32°C. Annual rainfall is extremely variable, 

averaging 1500 mm per year with a range of 300 to 4572 mm. Severe prolonged 

droughts are common and place severe stress on even the most hardy coastal strand 

species, lead to the death of non-coastal exotics (such as breadfruit), and severely restrict 

the production of even coconut palms (Catala 1957). For example, in 1917 and 1918, 

during an unprecedented drought, when only 465 and 483 mm of rain fell, "thousands of 

coconuts and other fruit trees died" (Griffiths 1923). 

The coastal soils of Nauru are among the poorest in the world. They are shallow, 

alkaline, coarse-textured and have carbonatic mineralogy. They are composed of a 

variable layer of organic matter and coral sand and fragments, which overlay a limestone 

platform. The coastal soils are only about 25 cm deep, and contain more coral gravel 

than sand in the lower horizons. Potassium levels are often extremely low, and pH values 

of up to 8.2 to 8.9 and high CaCO, levels make scarce trace elements, particularly iron 

(Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), unavailable to plants. Fertility is, 

therefore, highly dependent on organic matter for the concentration and recycling of plant 

nutrients, lowering soil pH, and for soil water retention in the excessively well-drained 

soils. Although levels of organic matter can be relatively high in undisturbed soils under 

natural vegetation, it can decrease dramatically as a result of clearance by fire or 

replacement by coconuts and other introduced plants (Morrison 1987ab). 

The plateau soils of Nauru vary from shallow soils, on the tops of limestone 

pinnacles, composed primarily of organic material and sand or dolomite, with very little 

phosphate, to deep phosphatic soils and sandy phosphatic rock, up to over 2 m deep 

between the pinnacles. Topsoils range from 10 to 25 or 30 cm in depth, overlaying a 

deeper material which is frequently reddish yellow and between 25 and 75 cm deep, 

changing to pinkish grey at greater depth. Undisturbed plateau soils have a high level of 

organic material and are generally fertile. Calcium dominates the exchange complex and 

exchangeable magnesium is also high. Exchangeable potassium is low, while extractable 

phosphate values are generally high and sulphate moderate. The trace elements man- 

ganese, copper, cobalt and molybdenum levels are very low, and these, plus iron and 

zinc, are rendered unavailable to plants under pH values >6.5 (Morrison 1987b). 

Around Buada Lagoon and in some poorly drained swampy areas near the base of 

the escarpment on Nauru, there are poorly developed, but relatively fertile, wet soils. 

The People 

The indigenous people of Nauru are Micronesians, who have probably inhabited 

the island for up to 3000 *I% ormore. Txere% some evi-dence of Melanesian, and 

possibly Polynesian, influence. The Nauruan language is quite distinct from all other 

Pacific languages, reportedly a fusion of elements from the Gilbert, Caroline, Marshall 

and Solomon Islands. Early this century there was evidence of distinct racial types or

groups of mixed origin. The people were divided into twelve distinct, originally totemic, 

matrilineal clans, most of which spoke different dialects, some of which were still in 

evidence when trying to obtain vernacular plant names in the early 1980s. However, most 

dialects have become obsolete, having been replaced by the principle dialect, which was 

used for Bible translation by European missionaries early this century (Viviani 1970:4-7). 

The traditional subsistence economy of Nauru was based on coconut and pandanus 

as the main staples, a limited range of wild terrestrial food products, sea birds, such as 

the black noddy tern (Anous tenuirostris) and a very wide range of fish and other marine 

foods. Milkfish or ibija (Chanos chanos) fry, collected from the reef at low tide, were 

farmed in family-owned divisions of Buada Lagoon to provide fish for special occasions 

and when other supplies failed. Their housing, tools, clothing, medicines, fuel, fishing 

equipment, canoes, dyes, ornamentation, perfumes, toys and other material and many of 

their non-material needs were satisfied from their environment, especially from plants. 

The Nauruan population suffered from introduced diseases against which they had 

no natural resistance, and from incessant tribal warfare, with Nauruans numbering only 

1250 in 1910, a decline of 150 from the total of 1400 in 1840 and 300 less than recorded 

in the German census in 1905 (Viviani 1970:37). 

The estimated population of Nauru in the most recent census in 1983 was 8042, of 

whom 4964 were Nauruan, with the balance comprised mainly of I-Kiribati (people of 

Kiribati, formerly the Gilbert Islands of the British Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony), 

Tuvaluan, Chinese, Filipino or Solomon Island contract workers in the phosphate 

industry. There are also European, Indian and Pacific island expatriates working mainly 

for the Nauruan Government. The Nauruans live on the coastal strip and around Buada 

Lagoon, the phosphate workers in the Nauru Phosphate Company dormitory accom- 

modation at Location near the phosphate loading cantilevers, and the expatriate civil 

servants in residential areas on the escarpment. The town center is located between the 

airport and Location near the cantilevers (Figure I), with most government offices near 

the airport. 

Development History 

After the first recorded European sightings of Nauru by John Fearn of the British 

Ship Hunter in 1798 who named it "Pleasant Island", there was little regular contact with 

the island until the 1830s when British and American whalers made regular stops for 

water and food, and beachcombers arrived. The beachcombers, with the introduction of 

new weaponry, intensified a period of almost incessant clan warfare. At the time of the 

beginning-of- formal donid- influence--when Nauru was incorporated into Germany's 

Marsha11 Islands Protectorate in 1888, the island "had the appearance of a battlefield" 

(Viviani 1970:22). In 1919, after WorId War I, Nauru became a League of Nations 

mandate of Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand, administered by Australia. Nauru 

became independent in 1968.

Apart from the provisioning of whaling vessels, mainly with fish, pigs and 

coconuts, the first regular non-traditional economic activity was a sporadic copra trade 

established in the 1880s. By the late 1880s Nauru produced about one million pounds of 

copra annually, one of the main reasons that Germany, on the recommendation of 

resident German traders, annexed the island in 1888. In the 1890s, due to drought and 

infrequency of ships, the copra trade failed to reach its potential with Nauruans refusing 

to make more copra than needed to pay their taxes (Viviani 1970; Carter 1984). 

The strategic and economic importance of Nauru increased dramatically with the 

discovery, in 1900, of high grade phosphate rock, containing up to 78 per cent tricalcic 

phosphate. The mining of phosphate, without approval of the indigenous inhabitants, 

began in 1907. Caroline Islanders and Chinese contract-laborers were recruited to mine 

the deposits. Since then, I-Kiribati, Tuvaluan, Filipino and Solomon Islands contract 

workers have been recruited to work in the phosphate industry. The deposits have been 

mined continuously since 1907, except for disruptions during World War I and again 

during World War 11. Copra production continued to fluctuate, with over 300 tons having 

been exported the year before the phosphate trade began in 1906, 277 tons in 1916, and 

falling to only 10 tons in 1918 due to a prolonged drought (Viviani, 1970: 22-38). 

With the beginning of the phosphate trade, the whole pattern of Nauruan life 

began to change. Although barter continued, money became the medium of exchange, 

and trade stores with their array of goods, further encouraged the trend. As Viviani 

(1970:38) argues: 

Old crafts such as mat making began to be forgotten as woven 

materials become available. Rites and customs were debased. 

Faced on all sides by the white man's attempt to dominate their 

environment and the disintegration of their culture, the Nauruans 

sought a new orientation for their lives. They could no longer 

follow the old ways completely and so settled for a combination 

of the basic elements of the old culture, clinging strongly to 

their family life, and some of the advantages of Western civili- 

sation. They were able to achieve this because, although royal- 

ties were low - only about 230 Pounds Sterling per annum at 

this time for the whole population - this money, together with 

land rents and some return from copra, freed them from the 

necessity of working on the phosphate fields to pay their taxes. 

The most disruptive period for Nauru was World War 11, during which the island 

was cnntinuously bombed b y Japanese- and Americans planesJ3eginning in 1940,five 

phosphate vessels were sunk off Nauru and the island shelled by German warships. 

Nauru was again bombed by Japanese planes in 1941 and 1942 prior to Japanese 

occupation of the island. After a Japanese military airstrip was completed in 1943, the 

island was bombed almost continuously by Allied planes. By the end of 1943, due to the

importation of at least 3000 Japanese marines, some 1500 Japanese and Korean laborers, 

and the relocation of 700 Banabans to Nauru, the food situation became so serious that 

1201 Nauruans, seven Chinese and two priests were deported to Truk. Malnutrition and 

dysentery were widespread. Allied bombings increased considerably until the Japanese 

surrender to an Australian occupation force in 1945. At this time, of nearly 5200 people, 

only 591 were Nauruan, and the destruction of the phosphate works and buildings on 

Nauru was almost total. The 737 Nauruans who had not died under the harsh conditions 

imposed by the Japanese in Truk returned home in 1946 (Viviani 1970; Carter 1984). As 

argued by Viviani (1970:85): 

The Japanese had destroyed the Nauruan's homes, schools, and 

churches, placed them on a semi-starvation level and destroyed 

much of what was left of their old way of life. The deportation 

of two-thirds of the Nauruans and the death of nearly 500, 

mostly the old and the young, left the society after the war with 

a gap in generations and a disruption of family life. Again the 

Nauruan population had fallen well below the 1,500 level which 

the Nauruans themselves regarded as a minimum for survival. 

Contemporary Economy 

Nauru's sole export continues to be phosphate, with the sporadic export of copra 

having ceased in the 1950s. Phosphate earnings have made Nauru among the wealthiest 

nations in the world in terms of per capita income, although the distribution of wealth is 

uneven due to unequal land rights to phosphate deposits. Nauru is considered totally 

urbanized, with Nauruans having almost completely abandoned subsistence production, 

except for the harvest of coconuts and pandanus fruit for consumption; pandanus leaves 

for plaited ware; the acquisition of fish and other seafood; and the hunting of noddy 

terns, which are considered a delicacy of chiefly status, and the capture and caring for of 

frigate birds as pets, both traditional pastimes. Most of the limited subsistence agricul- 

tural production is in the hands of immigrant communities. 

The establishment of its own heavily subsidized international airline, Air Nauru, 

in 1970, which flies to Asia, Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific islands, and the 

extension of the runway over the reef have accelerated the processes of urbanization and 

an increasing dependence on imported products. Of concern is the impact that the 

destruction of the traditional subsistence food system, rapid urbanisation and the almost 

total dependence -- - on - nutritionally-poor 

-- ---- imported food and drink, including extremely high 

rates of alcohol consumption, have had-on thehealthof ~auruans, which have the among 

highest or most rapidly increasing rates in the world of obesity, dental disease, alcoholism 

and nutrition-related non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular 

disease, gout and hyperuricemia and liver cancer. All are causes of premature

mortality (Zimmet et al. 1977, 1978; Speake et al. 1979; Taylor 1983; Coyne 1984; 

Thaman 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988a). 

In terms of Nauru's economic future, the phosphate deposits on Nauru are 

projected to be depleted shortly after the turn of the century. Fortunately, a significant 

proportion of recent phosphate returns have been wisely invested in overseas properties, 

businesses and investment funds to provide income in post-phosphate-mining Nauru. A 

further source of income is derived from Nauru's status as a "financial center" or "tax 

haven" for overseas companies wishing to register there. Finally, negotiations and 

litigation arising out of a recent Commission of Inquiry into the Rehabilitation of the 

Worked-out Phosphate Lands in Nauru to determine culpability and the extent of damages 

to the Nauruan culture and environment are currently in process and could lead to 

substantial payments to Nauru and the development of plans for the rehabilitation of the 

island. 

Impact on the Flora 

Due to environmental factors described above - extreme isolation from major plant 

source regions, small island size, extremely poor soils, and climatic and physiological 

drought - the indigenous flora of Nauru is among the poorest and most restricted on 

earth. Moreover, the long settlement history, widespread destruction during World War 

11, monocultural expansion of coconut palms as the sole cash crop, increasing ur- 

banization and contact with, and importation of plants from the outside world, and over 

75 years of open-cast phosphate mining (in Nauru and Banaba), have all played a role in 

the serious degradation, disturbance, and displacement of the indigenous flora and 

vegetation. 

VEGETATION TYPES 

The terrestrial primary vegetation types of Nauru are limited to: 

1. coastal strand vegetation; 

2. limited areas of mangroves and coastal marsh vegetation; 

3. relict stands of inland forest; and, 

4. limestone escarpment or pinnacle vegetation. 

Secondary and cultural vegetation types include: 

1. coconut-palm-dominated lands under various degrees of maintenance;

2. houseyard gardens and urban vegetation; 

3. extensive and variable areas of ruderal vegetation; and, 

4. three-quarters of the entire island under severely-modified disclimax 

vegetation in various stages of succession after some 80 years of open-cast 

phosphate mining. 

These vegetation types will each be described in turn. 

Coastal Strand Vegetation 

The coastal strand vegetation of Nauru has been severely modified as a result of: 

1) thousands of years of human habitation and selective removal of indigenous species for 

construction, boatbuilding, firewood and other purposes; 2) the expansion of monocul- 

turd coconut groves for export production of copra; 3) the expansion of coastal set- 

tlements which occupy most of the coastal plain; and, 4) the widespread practice of 

allowing pigs to forage freely along beach flats (Viviani 1970). 

The dominant species in the outer coastal zone in Nauru include the herbaceous 

species Lepturus repens, Cyperus javanicus, Ipomoea pes-caprae and Vigna marina; the 

woody species, Scaevola taccada, Tournefortia argentea and Morinda citrifolia, plus the 

aboriginal introduction, Cocos nucifera. Species common on rocky limestone outcrops 

along the coast include the same species plus Polypodium scolopendria, Capparis 

cordifolia, Clerodendrum inerme, Terminalia catappa and Calophyllum inophyllum. 

Species present on non-rocky, somewhat disturbed inland coastal sites between the strand 

and the base of the escarpment include Hibiscus tiliaceus, Cocos nucifera, Premna 

serratifolia, Calophyllum inophyllum, Pandanus tectorius, Morinda citrifolia, Terminalia 

catappa, Ochrosia elliptica, and isolated specimens of Barringtonia asiatica, Thespesia 

populnea and Hern.andia nymphaeifolia. Shrubby species include Scaevola taccada, 

Colubrina asiatica, Abutilon indicum and Phyllanthus societatis; herbaceous species 

include Cyperus javan.icus, Digitaria setigera, Vigna marina, Ipomoea macrantha and the 

ferns, Polypodium scolopendria and Nephrolepis biserrata. Caesalpinia bonduc, Euphor- 

bia chamissonis, Sida fallax and Triumfetta procumbens are scarce, but were probably 

more abundant in the past. 

Mangroves and Coastal Marsh Vegetation 

- Shallow--water habitats with muddy- bouoms and protected from strong wave action 

are extremely limited on Nauru. Although reportedly present in the past around Buada 

Lagoon, Nauru's single mangrove species, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, is ROW restricted to a 

system of landlocked brackish ponds or small lagoons near the base of the escarpment in 

Menen, Anabar and Anetan Districts. The largest concentration is found around Araro

Lake in Anetan. Fosberg (c. 1972) also reports the occurrence of B. gymnorhiza in similar 

landlocked ponds, sink-holes and small inland swamps in Palau. 

Other species commonly associated with mangroves and present in Nauru include 

Derris tnifolia, encountered on limestone outcrops, and Vitex negundo, which is present 

in depressions near the base of the escarpment in Menen District. 

The swampy areas surrounding Buada lagoon and near the base of the escarpment 

on Nauru are dominated by Cyperus javanicus and C. compressus, with one specimen of 

Ludwigia octovalvis collected from a coastal depression. 

Relict Stands of Inland Forest 

In terms of relict stands of primary inland forest on Nauru, there seem to be two 

distinct types: 1) plateau forest, which probably covered up to 90 per cent of the island 

before the onset of phosphate mining, and 2) escarpment forest, including forest on 

unmined limestone outcrops or pinnacles on the plateau. 

The former, four-fifths of which has been removed during phosphate mining, is 

dominated almost entirely by 16 m-tall Calophyllum inophyllum. Infrequent canopy trees 

include Guettarda speciosa, Premna serratifolia and Terminalia catappa, with the 

understorey dominated by Scaevola taccada, Morinda citnifolia and Dodonea viscosa, the 

parasite Cassythafiliforrnis, Psilotum nudum, and the ferns, Polypodium scolopendria and 

Nephrolepis biserrata. Also occasional in open sites is Phyllanthus societatis. Exotic 

species dominant in disturbed sites include Psidium guajava, Lantana camara and two 

herbaceous species, Euphorbin hirta and Desmodium triflorum (Manner et al. 1984, 

1985). 

Limestone Escarpment or Pinnacle Vegetation 

The dominant species on the limestone cliffs of the escarpment and on emergent 

pinnacles on Nauru is Ficus prolixa, with Terminalia catappa, Ochrosia elliptica and 

Guettarda speciosa constituting important second stratum species (Manner et al. 1985). 

Isolated relict stands of Barringronia asiatica and Pisonia grandis are also found along 

the crest of the escarpment above Anibare Bay. The ferns, Nephrolepis biserrata and 

Polypodium scolopendria, and the liana, Ipomoea macrantha, are locally abundant, and 

the herb, Laportea ruderalis, is found in moist shady habitats at the base of the escarpment. 

On the more gradually-sloping colluvial portions of the escarpment almost 

impenetrable-thiekets of--HibisewtiZ&e are- found, Uqde~storey- specks include 

Colubrina asiatica and Tacca kontopetaloides. In Anetan District, in the north (Figure 

I), Clerodendrum inerme festoons limestone outcrops and cliffs. In some areas the exotic

fruit trees, soursop and sweetsop (Annona muricata and A. squamosa) have become 

naturalised and constitute the dominant understorey species. 

Coconut-Palm- and Pandanus-Dominated Agricultural Lands 

As stressed above, coconuts and pandanus were the two most important staple 

crops in pre-European-contact Nauru. Coconut groves, although far less important today 

than in the past when copra was the main export, are still found in a number of sites on 

Nauru's coastal strip. In most cases, the plantations are comprised of randomly scattered 

trees of varying heights and ages. In poorly-maintained groves, coconut seedlings and 

fallen leaves and husks dominate the understorey. 

Planted groves of edible Pandanus tectorius cultivars in forest clearings, both on 

the plateau and on the more gradually sloping areas of the escarpment, were also once a 

prominent feature of Nauru's traditional agricultural vegetation. Today, they are 

restricted to a few relict groves, some of which were found to be present in the unmined 

areas of Anibar District in 1980. 

Houseyard Gardens and Urban Vegetation 

Although indigenous and aboriginally introduced species are important com- 

ponents, most houseyard gardens and urban vegetation are dominated by recently 

introduced exotic species. The high diversity of recently introduced exotics in Nauru is 

due mainly to the almost complete destruction of the subsistence economy, urbanization 

and increasing air transport contact with overseas sources of non-quarantined planting 

materials. 

In indigenous Nauruan houseyard gardens the dominance of recently introduced 

ornamental species is very pronounced, with some 118 of 140 species being classified as 

recent introductions. Indigenous species include Abutilon indicum, Barringtonia asiatica, 

Calophyllum inophyllum, Cerbera rnanghas, Clerodendrum inerme, Cordia subcordata, 

Ficus prolixa, Guettarda speciosa , Morinda citrifolia, Ochrosia elliptica, Premna 

serratifolia and Terminalia catappa, which in some cases, such as with Cerbera manghas 

and Cordia subcordata, are only present today in Nauru in houseyard gardens. Common 

food plants include, in order of importance, coconut, breadfruit, bananas, pandanus, 

papaya, Citrus spp. and guava. Common ornamentals, found in at least four of 16 sample 

gardens, include Acalypha amentacea vars., Bougainvillea spp., Caesalpinia pulcherrima, 

Caladium bicolor, Casuarina equisetifolia , Catharanthus roseus, Codiaeum variegatum, 

Cordyline fruticosa, Crinum sip., ~elonix -- - -~~ regia, ~ Dicfenbachia 

~ ----- - ~~ spp., ~ibis& 

~ rosasinensis, 

Hosta plantaginea, Hym.en.ocallis littoralis, Ixora spp., Jasminum samba~, 

Jatropha integerrima, Nerium. oleander, Pen.tas spp., Plumeria spp., Polyscias spp., 

Pseuderanthemum. carruthersii, Sansevieria trifasciata , Tabernaemontana divaricata , 

Tecoma stans and Th.un.bergia erecta.

The houseyard gardens of I-Kiribati, Tuvaluan, Chinese and Filipino contract 

workers, and in the European and Indian expatriate communities of Nauru, are very 

different. Each reflect distinctive preferences in food and ornamental plants, and are 

commonly dominated by food plants. I-Kiribati and Tuvaluan gardens at Location, where 

there is very little space for planting, usually consist of a single banana, coconut, papaya 

or breadfruit tree, or a few cassava, sweet potato, taro, tannia (Xanthosoma sagit- 

tifolium), pineapple, sugarcane, hibiscus spinach (Hibiscus manihot), or chilli (Capsicum 

frutescens) plants. All are often grown in boxed or fenced areas filled with imported soil 

or mulch. Chinese gardens at Location focus more on short-term vegetable plants, such 

as Chinese cabbages (Brassica spp.), onions and garlic (Allium spp.), amaranth spinach 

(Amaranthus spp.), coriander (Coriandrum sativum), long beans (Vigna sesquipedalis) 

and a range of cucurbits. Filipino workers plant sweet potato, hyacinth bean (Dolichos 

lablab) and horseradish or drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera). European expatriates plant 

tomatoes, lettuce and parsley, whereas the expanding Indian expatriate community has 

planted eggplant (Solanum melongena), okra (Hibiscus esculentus), horseradish tree 

(Moringa oleifera) and bilimbi (Averrhoa belimbi). A similar range of food species are 

cultivated behind the workshops on Topside, although the areas under crops are greater, 

with some gardeners growing taro, tannia and giant swamp taro, employing the tradi- 

tional intensive mulching systems of Kiribati and Tuvalu (Thaman 1987a, 1988b). 

The balance of the "urban vegetation" is composed of many the same species 

which are occasionally planted as roadside trees or around government and Nauru 

Phosphate Corporation buildings and parking lots. The remaining area of extensive urban 

vegetation is the golf course in Aiwo District which is lined with trees, including 

Hibiscus tiliaceus, Thespesia populnea, but dominated by banyan trees (Ficus spp.). 

Ruderal Vegetation 

Extensive areas of highly disturbed ruderal vegetation in settlements, waste places, 

along roadsides and airstrips, and in areas associated with pre-mining vegetation 

clearance are found in Nauru. The dominant species in most areas are pioneering grasses, 

annuals and shrubby weedy species. 

Common species include; 1) the grasses, Cenchrus echinatus, Chloris inflata, 

Cynodon dactylon, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Digitaria spp., Eleusine indica, Eragrostis 

amabilis, Lepturus repens and Tricholaena rosea; 2) the sedges, Cyperus javanicus, C. 

rotundus and Fimbristylis cymosa (which, along with Digitaria setigera and Lepturus 

repens, are probably indigenous); and, 3) the herbaceous species, Ageratum conyzoides, 

Alysicarpus vaginalis, Amaranthus dubius, A. viridis, Bidens pilosa, Cassia occidentalis, 

Cleome 

- rutidosperma, 

- C. viscosa, 

--- Crotalaria goreensis, C. spectabilis, Desmodium 

tortuosum, Euphorbia spp., Hedyotis-cotjiibosa, Indig$cra- hifiuta, Malvastrum 

coromandelianum, Passijlora foetida, Phyllanthus amarus, Physalis spp., Portulaca 

oleracea, Sida rhombifolia, Spermacoce assurgens, Stachytarpheta urticifolia, Synedrella

nodiflora, Tridax procumbens and Vemonia cinerea, plus the indigenous species, 

Phyllanthus societatis and the parasitic Cassytha filiformis. 

A few tree or tree-like species have become naturalized in dense stands in Nauru. 

Mangifera indica is dominant in dense forests behind residences in the Buada Lagoon 

depression; Annona muricata and A. squamosa, as mentioned above, form dense stands 

on gradually sloping areas of the escarpment; Adenanthera pavonina, Lantana camara 

var. aculeata, Leucaena leucocephala and Psidium guajava form dense stands or thickets 

between Buada Lagoon and the decalcination plant on the coastal strip in Aiwo District; 

and Casuarina equisetifolia and Muntingia calabura have colonized roadside areas and 

portions of the phosphate-mined area. Of particular interest, is the almost monospecific 

colonization of the large topsoil stockpile on Topside by the cucurbit, Lu#a cylindrica 

var. insularum. 

Phosphate-Mined Lands 

As a result of almost 80 years of open-cast phosphate mining, some three-quarters 

of Nauru is under severely-modified disclimax vegetation in various stages of succession. 

Prior to mining the vegetation is removed by bulldozer and the topsoil removed to expose 

the phosphate deposits which lie between coral-limestone pinnacles. The extraction of 

phosphate then causes dramatic changes in local relief, which varies between 4 and 8 m 

from the top of the pinnacles to the pit bottoms, with about three to four pinnacles 

occurring within each 100 m2. Because mining is only about 20 per cent efficient, 

unconsolidated phosphate deposits remain in the pit bottoms and on the saddles and scree 

slopes between the pinnacles. These deposits (which might be mined at a later date) and 

the pinnacle surfaces, constitute the main sites for recolonization (Manner a d. 1984, 

1985). 

Although there is widespread evidence that exotics commonly replace indigenous 

species in highly disturbed habitats, the Nauru study by Manner, Thaman and Hassall 

(1984, 1985) supports the conclusion of Mueller-Dombois (1975) that indigenous 

(pioneer) species are often better adapted to edaphically harsh environments, given the 

cessation of human disturbance. Their study shows a very rapid colonization of mined 

areas by indigenous ferns and exotic herbs, followed by a fairly rapid replacement by 

native, primarily coastal strand, species. 

Early pioneer species include the non-woody exotics, Alysicalpus vaginalis, 

Cleome rutidospema, Crotalaria goreensis, Emilia sonchifolia, Eragrostis amabilis, 

Euphorbia cyathophora, E. hirta, E. prostrata, Hedyotis corymbosa, Synedrella nodi- 

flora, Tricholaena rosea, Tridax procumbens and Vemonia cinerea, plus the indigenous 

ferns,-Nephrolepk biserrata and Pdypodium scolopendZa. Of these, only the Go ferns 

species, and Euphorbia hirta, E. prostrata, Tricholaena rosea, Tridax procumbens and 

Vemonia cinerea remain significant components of the flora in the later stages - 

of 

succession, usually in open disturbed sites. -

Species entering the succession early and remaining dominants in the 40- to 80- 

year-old sites include: the trees, Calophyllum inophyllum, Dodonea viscosa, Ficus 

prolixa, Guettarda speciosa, Morinda citrifolia and Premna serratifolia; the shrubs, 

Phyllanthus societatis and Scaevola taccada; the grasses and sedges, Lepturus repens, 

Fimbristylis cymosa and Qperus javanicus; the parasite, Cassytha filiformis; and the 

diminutive fern, Ophioglossum petiolatum, All are indigenous. Larger exotics found in 

the later stages of succession in more open habitats include Lantana camara, Psidium 

guajava and Stachytalpheta urticifolia. 

The study suggests that the potential natural disclimax vegetation of the open-cast 

mined plateau will probably be dominated by Calophyllum inophyllum and Guettarda 

speciosa, with the epiphytic Ficus prolixa dominating the more ecologically severe 

pinnacle habitats. Morinda citrifolia, Premna serratifolia and the exotics, Lantana 

camara and Psidium guajava, could become important components of the subcanopy. The 

exotics, Casuarina equisetifolia (which is native to limestone habitats on other Pacific 

islands) and Muntingia calabura, both now locally abundant in some mined areas, could 

enter into the succession as well. 

As argued by Manner et al. (1985), given no deliberate human intervention, the 

succession to a disclimax vegetation association capable of sustaining human life will 

probably take "many thousands of years". It is stressed that it is ironic that Nauru's 

central plateau, from which Nauruans formerly obtained some of the necessities of life, 

will be a "topographic jungle" stripped of its natural vegetation, before the next century, 

in order to provide the phosphate needed to revive phosphate-poor soils to fuel the 

development of Australia and New Zealand. 

THE FLORA 

Like the extremely limited, degraded and displaced vegetation types, the indigenous 

terrestrial flora of Nauru exhibits extreme poverty and current numerical domination 

by exotics. Of a total of 493 species or hybrid cultivars reported to have been present on 

Nauru, only 59 (12%) are possibly indigenous (Tables 1 and 2). There are no reported 

endemics, reflecting the lack of habitat diversity and the predominance of ubiquitous, 

easily-dispersed pantropical or paleotropical coastal species. Two species (Achyranthes 

canescens and Tarenna sambucina are presumably now extinct, Aidia cochinchinensis 

possibly now extinct, and half (28) of the remaining 56 species are severely restricted in 

distribution, endangered or possibly extinct, due to removal and severe habitat modification 

or limitation (Table 2). The high number of recent introductions in Nauru reflects its 

increasing contact with the outside world via its national airline, Air Nauru, increasing 

urbanization and the total absence of quarantine regulations. 

- - - - - -- -- - -- 

-

Table 1. Antiquity status of the flora of Nauru in terms of whether species are presumed 

to be indigenous to Nauru; aboriginal or recent post-European-contact introductions; or 

now extinct. 

ClassIGenera Indigenous Aboriginal Recent Extinct Total 

Pteridoph ytes 8 - 3 - 11 

Gymnosperms - - 2 - 2 

Monocotyledons 6 2 137 - 145 

Dicotyledons 45 3 278 9 335 

Total 5 9 5 420 9 493 

In terms of diversity at the family level, only 97 vascular plant families are 

represented on Nauru (Appendix I). Of these, only 33 are represented by indigenous 

species. 

The pteridophytes and gymnosperms are represented by six families, all of which 

are represented by an indigenous species. The Gymnosperms are represented by only two 

families, none of which are indigenous. 

The 145 monocotyledons fall into 18 families, only three of which, Cyperaceae, 

Pandanaceae and Poaceae, are indigenous. Araceae, Liliaceae and Poaceae are the only 

families with over ten separate species (26, 34 and 26 respectively). Other monocotyl- 

edon families represented by five of more species include Arecaceae, Commelinaceae, 

Cyperaceae, Marantaceae, Orchidaceae and Zingiberaceae. The majority of species from 

these families are cultivated ornamentals, or in the case of Poaceae, weedy grasses. 

The dicotyledons are represented by 71 families, 25 of which are possibly indige- 

nous. Families represented by two or more indigenous species each are Apocynaceae, 

Boraginaceae, Capparidaceae, Convolvulaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, 

Rubiaceae and Verbenaceae (see Part I1 and Appendix I).

Table 2. Species indigenous or possibly indigenous to Nauru (? = status uncertain, 

possibly an aboriginal or recent introduction; E = possibly extinct; e = endangered or 

rare). 

TypeISpecies Status 

PTERIDOPHYTES 

Asplenium nidus 

Nephrolepis biserrata 

Nephrolepis hirsutula 

Ophioglossum petiolatum 

Polypodium scolopendria 

Psilotum nudum 

Pteris tripartita 

Pyrrosia adnascens 

Subtotal 

HERBS 

Achyranthes canescens 

Heliotropium procumbens 

Laportea ruderalis 

Triumfetta procumbens 

Subtotal 

GRASSES AND SEDGES 

Qperus javanicus 

Digitaria setigera 

Fimbristylis cymosa 

Lepturus repens 

Stenotaphrum micranthrum 

Subtotal

VINES AND LIANAS 

Canavalia cathartics 

Canavalia rosea 

Capparis quinzjlora 

Cassytha jilijiormis 

Derris trifoliata 

Ipomoea littoralis 

Ipomoea macrantha 

Ipomoea pes-capme 

Vigna marina 

Subtotal 

SHRUBS 

Abutilon asiaticwn var. albescens 

Caesalpinia bonduc 

Capparis cordijiolia 

Clerodendrum inerme 

Colubrina asiatica 

Dodonaea viscosa 

Euphorbia chamissonis 

Phyllanthus societatis 

Scaevola taccada 

Sida fallax 

Suriana maritima 

Subtotal 

TREES 

Aidia cochinchinensis 

Barringtonia asiatica 

Bruguiera gymnorhiza 

Calop hyllurn inophyllurn 

Cerbera rnanghas 

Cordia subcordata 

Erythrina -- variegata 

Fagraea bcrteriana 

Ficus prolixa 

~uettarda speciosa

Hemandia nymphaeifolia 

Hibiscus tiliaceus 

Morinda citrifolia 

Ochrosia elliptica 

Pandanus tectorius 

Pisonia grandis 

Premna serratifolia 

Tarenna sambucina 

Terminalia catappa 

Thespesia populnea 

Toumefortia argentea 

Vita negundo 

Subtotal 

TOTAL SPECIES 

Sources: An extensive review of the available literature and personal records and 

observations by the authors; see in particular Thaman 1992; Manner, Thaman and 

Hassall 1984, 1985. 

Nature of Indigenous Species 

Of the indigenous species, eight are widespread pantropical or paleotropical 

pteridophytes, including Psilotum nudum, Polypodium scolopendria, Ophioglossum 

petiolatum, Pteris tripartita and Nephrolepis spp., with Pyrrosia adnascens, a common 

epiphyte, also present on Nauru (Table 2). Asplenium nidus, although almost certainly 

indigenous, was found only as an ornamental in houseyard gardens during the current 

study. 

There are no indigenous gymnosperms, although the widespread Cycas circinalis is 

found in cultivation. 

Indigenous monocotyledons are restricted to Pandanus tectorius, some cultivars of 

which are undoubtedly aboriginal introductions, and a small range of sedges and grasses 

(Cyperaceae and Poaceae), some of which might be aboriginal or recent introductions. 

TG coconut palm (Cocos nucifcra) is classified as an aboriginal introduction. The grass 

Stenotaphrum .- --- micranthrum - (reported 

endangered or now absent. 

present - by 

Fosberg et al. 1987) - is 

considered to be 

- ---

The dicotyledons are comprised almost exclusively of salt-tolerant, widely- 

dispersed, pantropical coastal species. Of the 42 herbaceous and woody dicotyledons, half 

(21) are endangered or rare (Table 1). Species such as Heliotropium procumbens, 

Laportia ruderalis, Triumfetta procumbens, Abutilon asiaticum , Caesalpinia bonduc, 

Euphorbia chamissonis, Sida fallax, Suriana maritima, Aidia cochinchinensis, Bar- 

ringtonia asiatica, Cerbera manghas, Erythrina variegata, Hemandia nymphaeifolia, 

Pisonia grandis, Thespesia populnea and Vitex negundo are represented by only a few 

remaining individuals, often in houseyard gardens, or by localized relict communities. 

Prior to widespread disturbance, Nauru would have undoubtedly had more species than it 

has at present. 

Comparison with Other Island Floras 

The extreme poverty of the indigenous flora of Nauru becomes more obvious when 

compared with estimates of the indigenous floras of island groups which are larger or 

closer to the Asian plant source region. The estimated number of indigenous species for 

the following island groups are: Malaya (c. 20,000), Philippines (10,000), Bismarck 

Archipelago (700), Vanuatu (750), Fiji (more than 1, loo), Tonga (257), Samoa (548) and 

French Polynesia (600). Only extremely isolated small islands such as Easter Island and 

the three small atolls of Tokelau, with indigenous floras of 32 and 33 species respec- 

tively, have poorer floras than Nauru (Good 1947 in Manner 1987, Parham 1971). When 

taken individually, the floras of Pacific atolls range from as few as three to perhaps 150 

indigenous species, compared to some Indian Ocean atolls, nearer to continental areas, 

which have close to 300 indigenous species (Fosberg 1952). 

The floristic poverty of Nauru becomes even more pronounced based on a 

comparison of the frequency occurrence of 142 widespread coastal species in eleven 

Pacific island groups (see Appendix I1 and Thaman 1992). All of the species considered 

have the ability to cope successfully in environments characterized by loose shifting 

sands, wave action, soil-less limestone and volcanic terraces and rock outcrops, high 

salinity, strong sunlight, strong winds, seaspray and associated physiological drought 

(Fosberg 1952, 1960) and, in some cases, periodic inundation and waterlogging, all 

conditions common in Nauru. 

The island groups analyzed ranged from large, geographically-older high island 

groups such as Fiji, composed of over 300 islands with a total area of 18,376 km2, to the 

three small isolated atolls of Tokelau with a total land area of only 12.2 km2. Also 

included in the comparison were high island groups with diverse habitats, such as Guam, 

a volcanic island with extensive areas of limestone and an area of 549 km2; Samoa and 

Hawaii, recent basaltic volcanic island groups, with little or no limestone; Palau, a group 

- - - -- - - - _ ___-----.- --_p_p---of 

some 340 volcanic and uplifted limestone islands, including an atoll, Kayangel, and 

the raised phosphate island of Angaur, located only 850 km to the east of the Philippines; 

Tonga, a group of about 150 uplifted limestone and some volcanic islands, with a total 

area of 697 km2; Niue, an isolated uplifted limestone island, like Nauru, but with an area 

~

of 258 km2, and few beaches; and Makatea, an uplifted phosphatic island about the same 

area as Nauru, and like Nauru, with no protective barrier reefs or coastal lagoons 

(Thaman 1992). 

Although these comparisons are strongly biased by the size and geologic age of the 

islands, their distance from plant source areas and the unavailability of information on 

other analogous islands such as Banaba (Ocean Island), the poverty of the coastal floras 

of the two small phosphate islands of Nauru and Makatea (in the Tuamotu Archipelago of 

French Polynesia) is clearly apparent, both with only 55 of the 142 widespread coastal 

species each. The Gilberts and Tokelau, both groups of low-lying atolls, have only 74 

and 34 species each. All other island groups, including Hawaii and Niue, have at least 

two-thirds of the 142 species present as indigenous or long-established introductions, an 

indication of greater habitat diversity and/or less habitat degradation (Thaman 1992). Of 

interest is that 55 of Nauru's 59 indigenous species are among the 142 widespread coastal 

or mangrove species listed in Appendix I. 

As atoll groups, the Gilbert and the Tokelau Islands, have the fewest ferns, 

although Nauru has the fewest widespread coastal herbs. It could be assumed that the 

fern, Davallia solida, and widespread herbaceous species, such as Boerhavia, Hedyotis 

and Portulaca spp. and Sesuvium portalucastrum, were all originally present on Nauru, 

but eliminated due to widespread destruction of coastal habitats. In terms of coastal 

grasses and sedges, Nauru, the small atolls of Tokelau, and Makatea have the fewest 

species, possibly due to the combination of widespread habitat destruction and a relative 

absence of marsh or wetland environments. The widespread destruction of the areas 

around Buada Lagoon for cultivation by the Japanese during World War I1 may have 

destroyed many natural wetland environments. Species which might have been present 

include the grasses Paspalum distichum and Thuarea involuta. Whether a given sedge 

species arrived naturally or was introduced deliberately due to its cultural utility is 

uncertain. 

Coastal vines and lianas are noticeably fewer on Makatea and Nauru, with only 

three and eight out of the 14 widespread species. Noticeably absent on Nauru are Abrus 

precatorius, Entada phaseoloides and Mucuna gigantea. 

With the exception of the Tokelau Islands (with only three species), Nauru and 

Makatea have the poorest shrub flora, with only 10 and 11 species respectively, out of a 

possible 27 species. Similarly, the Tokelaus have only 16 of 62 common coastal tree 

species, with Nauru and Makatea having only 23 and 21 species respectively. Conspicuously 

absent on Nauru are the shrubs, Allophylus timoriensis, Pemphis acidula, Sophora 

tomentosa and Wollastonia bijlora; and the trees, Ficus tinctoria, Neisosperma oppositifolia, 

Pipturus argenteus and Tcrminalia samoensis, most of which are present on 

the sm2leFelevatd~ phosphate-fich island -of-FaS and the cord-limestone island of 

Satawal in the western Caroline islands (Fosberg and Evans 1969).

There are other widespread non-coastal species which might have been present in 

the past on Nauru, which were present in 1932 (before mining, which ceased in 1966, 

almost completely destroyed the island's inland vegetation) on the analogous phosphate 

island of Makatea, which is located much further from the centers of plant diversity than 

Nauru. These include: the fern, Ophioglossum pendulum; orchids, such as Oberonia and 

Taeniophyllum spp.; the herb, Procris pedunculata; the vines, Abw precatorius 

(mentioned above) and Dioscorea bulbijiera (the most widespread of all yam species and 

present, in many cases probably as an aboriginal introduction, from East Africa to 

Micronesia and eastern Polynesia)(Stone 1970); and the shrubs and trees, Alyxia sp., 

Canthium barbatum, Celtis paniculata, Glochidion ramzjlorum, lxora sp., Melochia 

odorata, Planchonella (Pouteria) sp., and Timonius sp. (Wilder 1934). Tarenna sam- 

bucina, also present on Makatea, was reported present on Nauru by Burges in 1933, but 

is now considered to be extinct. 

Makatea has one presumably endemic species, Euprichardia vuylstekeana, and it 

might be expected, given the diversity of pre-mining microhabitats and the isolation of 

Nauru, that there could have been endemic species there also. Interestingly, the one plant 

that was thought to be possibly endemic on Nauru turned out to be Phyllanthus societatis, 

"a common plant among coral rocks" on Makatea in 1933 (Wilder 1934). 

A similar comparison with the relatively undisturbed flora of Henderson Island, a 

remote raised limestone island with a similar limestone plateau and pinnacle topography, 

provides further insight into some of the plant species that might have existed in the past 

on Nauru. Because it was unsuitable for permanent habitation and had no economic 

phosphate deposits, Henderson has survived successive Polynesian and European impacts, 

with only five known introduced plant species. Species of widespread genera found on 

Henderson, but not on Nauru include: the fern, Davallia solida; the herbs, Boerhavia 

tetrandra, Euphorbia sparmannii, Lepidium bidentatum, Peperomia hendersonensis, 

Portulaca lutea, Procris peduncu.lata and Sesuvium portalucastrum; the shrubs, Al- 

lophylus sp., Alyxia sp. , Canthium barbatum and C. odoratum, Glochidion pitcairnense, 

lxora fragrans, Jasminum didymum, Eugenia reinwardtiana (Eugenia ranyora), Morinda 

umbellata var. forsteri, Pemphis acidda, Timonius polygamus and Xylosma suaveolens 

var. haroldii; and the trees, Celtis paniculata var. viridis, Geniostoma hendersonense, 

Meryta brachypoda, Pittosporum arborescens, Sesbania coccinea and Santalum hender- 

sonense. Nine species or varieties are presently recognized as endemic, all of which are 

found in the interior. These are the very areas on Nauru that have been so devastated by 

phosphate mining, long settlement and devastation and scavenging for food and firewood 

during the Second World War. Not present on Henderson, but present on Nauru are 

Calophyllum inophyllum and Barringtonia asiatica (Paulay and Spencer 1989, Fosberg et 

al. 1983, Fosberg et al. 1989).

Nature of Exotic Species 

Exotic species, which constitute 88 per cent (434 out of a total of 493 reported 

species) of the flora of Nauru, dominate ruderal, houseyard and urban vegetation. Exotic 

species include a wide range of ornamentals, weedy species, food plants and a number of 

other useful species. 

Ornamentals, which are normally confined to houseyard and village gardens, 

comprise some 59 per cent (257) of the 434 exotic species. On Nauru, introductions by 

travellers from Australia, Fiji and other areas with highly developed ornamental gar- 

dening traditions; the absence of quarantine restrictions; and the almost total breakdown 

in the subsistence economy, seem to be the main reasons for the disproportionate 

importance of ornamental plants. Some of these ornamental, of course, have other uses 

such as living fencing or for the preparation of medicines or garlands. 

The proportions of the exotic flora composed of weedy species is 18 per cent (80 

of 434 species), an indication of both the poverty of the competitive indigenous flora and 

the highly disturbed nature of the vegetation. 

Although food plants represent 16 per cent of the exotic flora, due to the harsh 

environment, limited land area and limited focus on food production in Nauru, many of 

these species are restricted in numbers or utility and are often represented by experimen- 

tal attempts to diversify food production or by individual, often immature specimens of a 

given species. Exotic food plants of particular importance on Nauru include numerous 

edible pandanus cultivars (Pandanus tectorius), some of which are undoubtedly aboriginal 

introductions, and the coconut (Cocos nucifera), also an aboriginal introduction. Recent 

introductions of more localized importance, or of particular importance to contract 

worker communities on Nauru include: the vegetables, hibiscus spinach (Hibiscus 

manihot) , Chinese cabbage cultivars (Brassica spp.) , long beans (Vigna sesquipedalis) , 

amaranthus spinach (Amaranthus spp.) and pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo); the staple root 

crops, taro (Colocasia esculenta) , tannia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) , sweet potato 

(Ipomoea batatas) and cassava (Manihot esculenta); a range of banana and plantain 

cultivars (Musa cultivars); and the tree crops, lime (Citrus aurantifolia), guava (Psidium 

guajava), mango (Mangifera indica), soursop (Annona muricata) and the horseradish or 

drumstick tree (Moringa oleifem), all of which seem to do well in Nauru's harsh 

environment. Important emergency or pig foods include Polynesian arrowroot (Tacca 

leontopetaloides) and purslane (Portulaca spp.), both of which are found as naturalised 

plants in the coastal vegetation of in ruderal sites. 

Other useful exotic species include kapok (Ceiba pentandra), cotton (Gossypium 

barbadense), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), and bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris), which were 

all reportedly more abundant in thepast. As suggest&-avove, somelarger ~~eed~xotics, 

such as Adenanthera pavonina, Annona spp., Casuarina equisetifolia, Lantana camara, 

Leucaena leucocephala, Mangifera indica, Muntingia calabura and Psidium guajava, 

some which are classified as ornamentals, food plants or other useful plants, have

ecome naturalized and competitive with the indigenous species in some disturbed and 

relatively undisturbed sites. 

ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL UTILITY OF EXISTING FLORAS 

Although highly disturbed, outnumbered and, in some ways, "enriched" by 

introduced exotics, the vegetation and flora of Nauru still constitute a critical ecological 

and cultural resource to the people of Nauru. This is particularly true for the indigenous 

species, virtually all of which had wide cultural utility within the traditional subsistence 

economy. 

In terms of the more specific ecological attributes of Nauru's plant resources, the 

most important functions include the provision of shade and animal and plant habitats, 

protection from wind, erosion, flood and saltwater incursion, land stabilization, protec- 

tion from the desiccating effects of salt spray, soil improvement and mulching. 

In terms of more strictly cultural utility, preliminary analyses indicate 169 purposes 

or use categories for 39 indigenous species, an average of 4.3 uses per species. There are 

434 uses for 354 exotic species, an average of 1.2 uses per species (Table 3). This gives 

a combined total of 603 uselpurpose categories for 393 species (1.5 uses per species). 

Twenty (20) indigenous and 80 exotic species had no reported uses. The relative 

importance of the indigenous flora would undoubtedly be much more pronounced if: 1) a 

more systematic in-depth survey of the cultural utility of each indigenous species had 

been conducted; 2) Nauru had not experienced such widespread devastation of its 

population, traditional economy, traditional education system and its indigenous flora 

(and associated ethnobotanical knowledge) over the past 100 years; and 3) planted 

ornamentals, by far the most widespread use of exotic species, were excluded from the 

analysis of indigenous species. 

Table 3. Frequency of use for specified purposes of plant species present in Nauru (Note: 

Introduced includes both aboriginal introductions such as coconut and recent post- 

European-contact introductions). 

Cultivated Ornamentals 

9 

FoGI Plants 

--- - 

2- 

Body Ornamentation 16 

MedicinalIHealth 17 

Staple Foods 1 

Indigenous In trod uced Total 

x/59 ~1434 ~1493

General Construction 

Scenting OilIPerfumery 

FirewoodIFuel 

EmergencyIFamine Foods 

ToolsIUtensils 

BoatICanoe Building 

Handicrafts 

GamesIToys 

Food Parcelization 

Living FencesIHedges 

CordageIFibre 

Hair Conditioner 

Woodcarving 

AdhesiveIGluelCaulking 

Earth Oven Cover 

MagicISorcery 

DrinksIBeverage 

Fishing Equipment 

Clothing 

Animal Feed 

Plaited Ware 

LegendsIMythology 

Furniture 

Animal CagesIRoosts 

Fish Poisons 

Fire by Friction 

S trainers1Filters 

ThatchingIRoofing 

DyeslPig ments 

NetsITraps 

Fans 

Chewing GumIMasticants 

OilsILubricants 

CorksIS toppers 

Other Uses* 

TOTAL 169 434 603 

NO USES 

- 

* Other uses include aphrodisiacs, appetite stimulants, brushes, toilet paper, il- 

lumination, soaplshampoo, containers, deodorantslair fresheners, fishnet floats, green

manure, groundcover, meat tenderizer, insect repellen tsl fumigants, love potions, wild 

animal food, fishing bait, cigarette wrappers and tobacco. 

Moreover, if distinct uses within uselpurpose categories (e.g., tools with distinct 

functions, different types of fishing equipment, foods or ornamentation for different 

occasions or purposes, medicines for different ailments, or plants used for specific parts 

of boats or houses) are counted (see individual uses for each species as detailed in Part 

11), the economic and cultural utility of plants becomes even more pronounced. The 

coconut (Cocos nucifera) palm, for example, has 33 reported uses in Nauru (Table 4), 

almost undoubtedly a gross underestimate, in light of at least 128 reported uses (many of 

which are almost ubiquitous) for the coconut palm throughout the Pacific Islands 

(Thaman 1992). Next in order of importance, are 19 species, all with 5 or more reported 

uses. These include, in order of importance, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Pandanus tectorius, 

Scaevola taccada, Morinda citrifolia, Guettarda speciosa, Calophyllum inophyllum, 

Cordia subcordata, Terminalia catappa, Artocalpus altilis, Thespesia populnea, Tour- 

nefonia argentea, Premna serratifolia, Triumfetta procumbens, Vitex negundo, Ochrosia 

elliptica, Cassytha jiliformis, Musa ABB Group, Bambusa vulgaris and Carica papaya. 

Of these 20 species, only Cocos nucifera, Artocarpus altilis, Musa ABB Group, Bambusa 

vulgaris and Carica papaya, are aboriginal or recent introductions. The rest are probably 

indigenous or very early aboriginal introductions (e.g., some authorities suggest that 

species such as Hibiscus tiliaceus, Morinda citrifolia, Cordia subcordata and Terminalia 

catappa might have been aboriginal introductions into some Pacific islands because of 

their cultural utility. 

Another 13 species, 7 of which are indigenous (Dodonea viscosa, Hemandia 

nymphaeifolia, Plumeria rubra, Psidium guajava, Erythrina variegata, Bruguiera 

gymnorhiza, Barringtonia asiatica, Vigna marina, Glerodendrum inerme, Gardenia 

taitensis, Jasminum sambac, Crinum asiaticum and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), have at least 

3 uses each. Another 22 species have at least two reported uses each (Table 4). There is 

some usage overlap between categories, such as supplementary and emergency foods, 

medicinal, magical, ceremonial and body ornamentation plants, or plants used for 

handicrafts, woodcarving, cordage and clothing. Conversely, the categories could be 

further broken down to yield an even greater list of uses. Moreover, the list does not 

include the more strictly ecological functions of coastal plants, such as shade, protection 

from wind, sand and salt spray, erosion and flood control, coastal reclamation, animal 

and plant habitats, and soil improvement, all of importance, particularly on an ecological- 

ly devastated post-mining Nauru.

Table 4. Species of particular cultural utility on Nauru based on an analysis of different 

individual uses listed under each species in Part I1 (Notes: 1) uses do not include a wide 

range of ecological functions or uses; A = probably an aboriginal introduction; R = 

recent post-European-contact introduction; all undesignated species are possibly indige- 

nous). 

Latin Name Uses 

Cocos nucifera (A) 





Guettarda speciosa 

Calophyllum inophyllum 


Terminalia catappa 

Artocapus altilis 

Thespesia populnea 

Toumefortia argentea 

Premna serratifolia 

Triumfetta procumbens 

Vitex spp. 

Ochrosia elliptica 

Cassytha Jiliformis 

Musa ABB Group (R) 

Bambusa vulgaris (R) 

Carica papaya (R) 

Dodonea viscosa 

Hemandia nymphaeifolia 

Plumeria rubra (R) 

Psidium guajava (R) 

Erythrina variegata 



Vigna marina 

Clerodendrum inerme 

Gardenia taitensis (R) 

Jasminum sambac (R) 

Crinum asiuticum (R) 

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (R)

Note: Species with two (2) recorded uses each: Polypodium scolopendria, Cyperus 

javanicus, Abutilon asiaticum, Ficus prolixa, Pisonia grandis, Sida fallax, Ipomoea pes- 

caprae, Spondias dulcis (A), Ageratum conyzoides (R) , Asclepias curassavica (R) , 

Bougainvillea spp. (R) , Cassia occidentalis (R) , Catharanthus roseus (R) , Citrus 

aurantifolia (R) , Delonix regia (R) , Lxora casei (R) , Lantana camara (R) , Mangifera 

indica (R), Mirabilis jalapa (R), Ocimum basilicum and 0. sanctum (R). 

In terms of specific uses, cultivated ornamentals and food plants are by far the 

most common. If, however, only indigenous plants are considered, the most widely 

reported uses are for medicine, body ornamentation, general construction, cultivated 

ornamentation, boat or canoe building, tools or utensils, handicrafts, scenting coconut oil 

or perfumery, firewood or fuel, games and toys, hair conditioners, food parcelization, 

woodcarving, covering or insulating the earthen oven, magic or sorcery, emergency or 

famine foods, cordage or fibre, clothing, plaited ware and furniture. 

It must be stressed that the analyses are based on traditional uses, many of which 

have lapsed or are only employed in emergency, because modern technology has pre- 

empted them. Modern medicine, clothing, fishing lines, matches, crockery, plastic bags, 

soap, and emergency food rations (food aid) have, for example, replaced traditional 

plant-derived products in Nauru. Moreover, many of the current generation, schooled in 

the modern educational system and living in the cash economy, often know few of the 

traditional uses of plants, let alone their vernacular names . . . a state which could be 

referred to as "devegetation of the mind" . . . and which has undoubtedly contributed to 

the degradation of the indigenous and long-established aboriginal vegetation in Nauru. 

Of particular note is the importance of traditional food and beverage crops, the 

abandonment of which, for highly imported foods such as sugar, white rice and flour, 

cabin biscuits, noodles canned fish, soft drinks, alcohol and tea, has led, as stressed 

above, to dangerous levels of food dependency and some of the highest, or most rapidly 

increasing, incidences in the world of vitamin and mineral deficiency and nutrition related 

diseases. Diseases such as iron-deficiency anemia, vitamin-A-deficiency-induced night 

blindness, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, gout and hyper- 

uricemia, some forms of cancer and dental disease, which were rarely encountered in the 

past are now serious causes of morbidity and mortality in Nauru, and among other 

Pacific island populations (Speake gt d. 1979; Coyne 1984; Taylor 1983; Zimmet gt d. 

1977, 1978; Thaman 1982, 1983, 1988a). 

CONCLUSION 

The vegetation and flora of Nauru are among the most impoverished, degTaCd, 

disturbed and displaced in the Pacific islands. Long habitation, almost a century of open- 

cast phosphate mining, continuous bombing, destruction and displaceme~t of the people 

during World War 11, rapid urbanization and the abandonment of agriculture and

subsistence activities have arguably produced one of the most severely modified natural 

and cultural floras on earth. 

Although both the vegetation and limited indigenous flora of Nauru has been 

severely degraded and outnumbered by exotic species, many of the native species are still 

present, unfortunately often in an endangered state. The indigenous flora also still 

dominates most habitats, including the later stages of the phosphate-mined pit and 

pinnacle topography of Nauru. Even in ruderal habitats and in houseyard gardens and 

villages, where they are outnumbered by exotics, indigenous species constitute importan t 

components. 

It is argued that, while floristic degradation in Nauru appears to be among the 

most severe in the Pacific, the current flora still constitutes an important ecological and 

cultural resource that must be protected as part of the development process, and NOT as 

an afterthought. Even in the case of Nauru, it may not be too late.

PART 11 

A COMPILATION OF THE VASCULAR FLORA OF NAURU 

Part 11, "A Compilation of the Vascular Flora of Nauru", consists of a listing of, 

and relevant information on, the 493 vascular plant species or distinct cultivars and six 

widely recognised varieties of common species reported to have been present at some 

time on Nauru. 

It begins with Pteridophyta (ferns and fern allies), followed by Gymnosperms and 

then Angiosperms. Within Angiosperms, Monocotyledons precede Dicotyledons. Under 

these headings individual families are listed in alphabetical order (e.g. Acanthaceae, 

Amaranthaceae, Anacardiaceae . . .), with individual species being listed in alphabetical 

order by genus within each family (e.g. Asystasia gangetica, Barleria cristata, Barleria 

prionitis, Blechum brownei . . .). 

KEY 

Under each speciesfentry the types of information and order of presentation is as 

follows: 1) Latin or scientific name; 2) common name (s); 3) local vernacular names used 

by the main ethnic groups in Nauru; 4) synonyms for the Latin or scientific name; 5) 

antiquity status of the species, i.e., whether it is indigenous to Nauru, an aboriginal 

introduction or a recent introduction to Nauru; 5) geographical origin of the species; 6) 

abundance or frequency of occurrence; 7) description of the species; 8) habitat or 

distribution in Nauru; 9) uses or cultural utility; and 10) an indication of the persons who 

have recorded or collected a given species, including numbers corresponding to her- 

barium specimens. This information, its organization and the symbols used under each 

category are explained below. 

Latinfscientific Names 

1. The first name listed in bold print is what the authors consider to be the currently 

most widely accepted published Latin binomial for a given species (usually the 

earliest published name or basionym). All names follow the International Code of 

Botanical Nomenclature. 

2. The Latin names provided in italics after the common and the vernacular names 

include Latin binomial sEonyms - (sp.) - or older names - no longer -- in -- - use -- for - the 

species, and, in some cases, incorrect names commonly applied to the species, 

which are indicated by sensu auct. non.

4. The name (s) or the abbreviation of the name (s) of the authority or authorities 

(persons responsible for describing and publishing a given species name) are 

provided after each species name, e.g., (L.) Anders. 

Family 

1. Family names (e.g., POLYPODIACEAE, ACANTHACEAE or RUBIACEAE) 

are centered in bold capitals immediately before the first species entry in each 

family. 

2. Where a family is known by two different names or a species placed in either of 

two families, both are listed (e.g., FABACEAE OR LEGUMINOSAE, POA- 

CEAE OR GRAMINAE or CLUSIACEAE OR GUTTIFERAE) 

Common Names 

1. English or common names for a species, and other widely-used names, are 

included in quotation marks, e.g., "coconut", immediately to the far right of the 

Latin name. 

Vernacular Names 

The vernacular names include the Nauruan names and other names used by the 

dominant ethnic communities of Nauru. These are found on the second line, after 

the common English names. 

The letter (B) after a Nauruan name indicates names listed by Burges (1933). All 

other names were collected by Thaman, Manner and Hassall as part of the current 

study. 

N, K, T, C, SI, Philippines and Hindi, are used in parentheses to indicate the 

Nauruan, Kiribati, Tuvaluan , Chinese (Cantonese) , Solomon Island, Filipino and 

Hindi names, respectively. 

The question mark (?) designates unverified or doubtful names. 

In terms of pronunciation, the Nauruan phonetics are difficult to match with the 

accepted sounds and orthography of the Latin alphabet. The closet approximations 

of the correct Nauruan pronunciation of a given name are provided instead of 

resorhg 30 theuse of strange combinationsuf letters or-special-phonetic symbols. 

In the cases of other vernacular languages used in Nauru, the 'g' in Tuvaluan is 

pronounced as if it were like 'ng' as in the word 'sing'; in Kiribati the t, when

followed by an i, is pronounced like an s, and when ti falls at the end of a word, 

the i remains silent, e.g., 'roti' is pronounced as if it were 'rose'. 

Antiquity Status 

Antiquity status indicates whether a given species is presumed to be indigenous to 

Nauru; an aboriginal introduction by Nauruans or other indigenous Pacific Islanders 

before European contact; or a post-European-contact introduction. In some cases it is 

suggested that a species may have been successfully introduced prior to European 

contact, but either not successfully established or brought to extinction before botanical 

collections or observations of the flora were made. In the case of recent introductions, 

some species are categorized as to whether they are assumed to be pre- or post-World 

War I1 introductions. This is based on information received from informants and/or 

whether a species was reported present before World War I1 by Burges in 1933. The ? 

indicates that the true status of a species is in doubt (e.g., whether it is really indigenous 

or an aboriginal introduction). 

Geographical Origin 

Geographical origin refers to what seems to be the original natural distribution of 

a given species before humans began to acts as dispersal agents for plants. In many cases 

it is difficult to be sure what the original pre-human or pre-European-contact range of a 

given species was because species introduced either deliberately or accidentally by the 

Pacific Island colonizers of the islands have often become naturalized and integral 

components of what now seems to be indigenous vegetation. 

With respect to terminology, Malesia (sometimes spelled Malayasia) is a biogeo- 

graphical term referring to an area encompassing insular southeast Asia, the Indonesia, 

Philippines and the island of New Guinea; Indomalaysia refers to an area encompassing 

the Indian Ocean and Malesia; Indopacific refers to an area extending from the Indian 

Ocean to the Pacific Islands; Paleotropics refers to the Old World tropics including 

tropical Africa, Asia and the tropical Pacific Islands; pantropical indicates that a species 

is found throughout the Old and New World tropics; and cosmopolitan indicates that a 

species is found almost worldwide. In some cases (usually in the cases of easily dispersed 

weedy pioneer species) information is provided on both the assumed original distribution 

and whether a species is now more widespread (e.g., pantropical). 

Abundance or Frequency Occurrence 

- - - -- -- . - -- -- -- - - 

The estimates of abundance or frequency occurrence or whether a given species is 

now endangered or extinct are based on in-the field observations by Thaman, Manner and 

Hassall from 1979 through 1987, plus information included in herbarium vouchers of

other collectors. In-the field data included in-depth analysis of all vegetation associations, 

transects at ten locations around the coastal plain,. transects across the entire island and 

extensive sampling using 100 m2 quadrats in areas where open-cast phosphate mining had 

occurred . 

Species Description 

Descriptions of individual species (and selection of the most widely accepted 

scientific names and authorities) were based on the analysis of living plants in Nauru, 

herbarium specimens and a synthesis of the best existing descriptions in the works listed 

in the Bibliography. Works of particular value included Fosberg, Sachet and Oliver 1979, 

1982, 1987; Haselwood and Motter 1976; Hay, McQuown, Beckett and Beckett 1974; 

Henderson and Hancock 1989; Henty and Pritchard 1973; Herklots 1972; Macoboy 1969, 

1979; Neal 1965; B.E.V. Parham 1972; J.W. Parham 1972; Purseglove 1972, 1974; 

Rotar 1968; St. John 1973; Smith 1979, 1981, 1985, 1988, 1991; Stemmermann 1981; 

Stone 1970; Sykes 1970; Whistler 1980, 1983, 1992; Wilder 1934; Wright, Minter and 

Carter 1984; and Yuncker 1959. 

Uses and Cultural Utility 

Ethnobotanical information (including vernacular names) on uses or cultural utility 

of the individual plant species was obtained through in-depth interviews with elderly 

person known for their knowledge of the traditional uses of Nauru's plants; other 

respondents, whenever possible; and from information in available documents and 

publications. Main informants included Joseph D. Audoa, James Aingimea, Henry 

Michael Heine, Daphne Fotu, Jacob Gabwinare, Katarina Satto, Kenia Raidinen, Reynold 

Capelle, Eda Adam and Montiba Star. 

Collectors and Herbarium Specimens 

The numbers listed at the end of the information on each species indicate which 

collectors or observers collected or recorded that species as being present on Nauru; the 

numbers in parentheses identify the numbers of the herbarium vouchers or specimens 

collected by each collector (s), e.g., 2, 3(58802), 4(168N), 5(92), 6, 7(27812). 

The numbers and the collectors/observers are as follows: 

1 refers to citations by persons such as Finch prior to 1900, about which there is 

- 

ve~y little information; - 

2 refers to citations by Alan Burges of Sydney University who collected in 1933 

and most of whose specimens are lodged at Kew Botanical Gardens, London;

3 refers to citations by F.R. Fosberg of the National Museum of Natural History 

of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. in 1980, whose specimens are 

lodged with the Smi thsonian Institution; 

4 refers to Brian Scully of the University of California at Riverside who also 

collected in 1980 and most of whose specimens are also lodged with the Smith- 

sonian Institution; 

5 and 6 refer R. R. Thaman, H.I. Manner and D.C Hassall of The University of 

the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji who collected over two 2-week periods in November 

1980 and July 1981, respectively, and whose specimens are lodged with the South 

Pacific Regional Herbarium at The University of the South Pacific, Suva; 

7 refers to Thaman and Manner (then with the University of Guam) who collected 

again in July-August 1987 and whose specimens are also lodged at the South 

Pacific Regional Herbarium; and, 

8 refers to John Swarbrick, of the University of Queensland, Gatton College who 

collected weedy species on Nauru in June 1988, and whose specimens are lodged 

in Queensland with duplicates at the South Pacific Regional Herbarium.. 

When possible, F.R. Fosberg of the Smithsonian Institution examined and verified 

the identifications of all herbarium specimens. These include some specimens collected in 

the early 1980s by Dr. Lynn Raulerson of the University of Guam.

VASCULAR PLANTS OF NAURU 


ASPLENIACEAE 

Asplenium nidus L. "bird's-nest fern" 

laulu, laukatafa, laukatapa (T) 

syns. Neottopteris nidus (L.) Sm. ; N. curtisorus (Christ) Hosok. ; Asplenium 

curtisorum Christ; A. phyllitidis D. Don; Neottopteris phyllitidis (D. Don) 

J. Sm. 

Indigenous? Paleotropical. Rare. Large epiphytic fern with a short creeping 

rhizome; fronds, up to 1 m or more long and 15 cm wide, simple, bright green, 

elongated, swordlike, with prominent midribs, forming a rosette-like cluster; sori 

numerous, linear, borne on distal parts of fronds, reaching nearly to the margin. 

Reported by Burgess as an epiphyte on Calophyllum inophyllum in 1935, but seen only as 

a ornamental by Thaman, Hassall, and Manner in 1980 and 1981. 2, 5, 6, 7(27813). 

DAVALLIACEAE 

Nephrolepis biserrata (Sw.) Schott "sword fern" 

dakeang, dageang (N); te keang, te keang ni Makin (K); sulufe (T) 

syns. Aspidium biserratwn (Sw.); Nephrodiwn biserratum (Sw.) Gaud.; N. 

splendens (Willd .) Gaud. ; Aspidium spbndens Willd. 

Indigenous. Pantropical. Abundant. Terrestrial tufted fern with short scaly 

creeping to erect rhizome; stipes, up to 30 cm or longer, clustered; fronds, up to 2 m or 

longer and 30 cm wide, oblong-elliptic in outline, pinnate; pinnae up to 15 cm or longer 

and 2 cm wide, margins usually serrate, apex acuminate; sori, large, in a row at a 

distance from the margin (submarginal). Found in colonies and dense populations in 

unmirted- areaand -in -pits between pinnacles in mined areas; one--of- first--plants to 

colonize mined areas; occasional as an ornamental. Leaves used occasionally in garlands. 

3(58600), 4(136N), 5(44), 6, 7.

Nephrolepis exaltata (L.) Schott 

syn. Polypodium aaltatum L. 

"Boston fern" 

Recent introduction. Pantropical. Occasional. Fern with graceful spreading fronds. 

Ornamental pot plant. 3, 5(86), 6(181). 

Nephrolepis hirsutula (F0rst.f.) Presl "sword fern", "fishtail fern" 

dakeang, dageang (N); te keang (K); sulufe (T) 

syns. Polypodium hirsutulum Forst. f. ; Nephrodium gibbosum (Willd .) Gaud. ; 

Aspidium gibbosum Willd. 

Indigenous. Indopacific. Occasional. Terrestrial fern with a creeping rhizome; 

stipes, clustered, scaly; fronds, up to 50 cm or more long, pinnate; pinnae, up to 10 cm 

or more long and 1 cm wide, sessile, oblong-lanceolate, serrullate, obtuse or acutish, 

pubescent; sori, large, round, submarginal. "Abundant amongst moist rocks." 8 (9586). 

OPHIOGLOSSACEAE (Adder's Tongue Fern Family) 

Ophioglossum petiolatum Hook. "adder's tongue fern" 

Indigenous. Pantropical. Occasional. Diminutive erect terrestrial fern, about 6 cm 

high, with creeping rhizomes; fronds, ovate to rhombic, 2.5 to 6 cm long. Found as 

scattered individuals in sandy open and partly shaded areas, primarily in older strip- 

mined areas on floors of pits between pinnacles. No reported use. 5(151), 6. 

POLYPODIACEAE 

Polypodium scolopendria Burm. f. "lawai fern" (Hawaii) 

dakeang, dageang (N); te keang (K); maile (T) 

syns. Phymatodes scolopendria (Burm.) Ching; Polypodium phymatodes L. ; 

Phymatodes phymatodes (L.) Maxon; Tectaria phymatodes (L.) Cav.; 

Polypodium grossum Langsd. & Fisch. ; P. hemionitis Cav. ; Microsorum 

scolopendria (Burm. f.) Copel. 

~- - ~ ~~ ---- ~ ~..~ ~-- ~~ -~ ~ ~ ~ ~- 

Indigenous. Paleotropical. Very abundant. Terrestrial and epiphytic fern with a 

stout creeping rhizome; stipes, up to 30 cm or longer; fronds, up to 40 cm or more long, 

broadly triangular-ovate in outline, simple but deeply and broadly divided into lanceolate 

acute lobes; sori, large, commonly in two rows on lower surface of lobes. Found in

colonies and dense populations in unmined areas, in pits between pinnacles in mined 

areas, and on escarpment and cliffs below the plateau. Fragrant fronds used for making 

garlands, leis, and other ornamentation and boiled in coconut oil to scent it. 3(58594), 

4(121N), 5(43), 6, 7(278l I), 8(9578A). 

Pyrrosia lanceolata (L.) Farw. 

syns. Arostichum lanceolatum L.; Pyrrosia adnascens (Sw.) Ching; Cyclophonts 

lanceolatus (L.) Alst. ; C. adnascens (Sw .) Desv. ; Polypodium adnascens 

S w. ; Niphobolus varius Kaulf. ; Cyclophorus varius (Kaulf.) Gaud. ; 

Pyrrosia varia (Kaulf.) Fanv. 

Indigenous. Trop. Asia to Polynesia. Rare. Small inconspicuous epiphytic 

dimorphic fern with a long creeping slender rhizome; fronds at intervals along slender 

rhizomes; sterile fronds, 4 to 10 cm long and 1 to 1.5 cm wide, simple, oblong-elliptic 

or oblanceolate; fertile fronds, up to 15 cm or longer and about 7 mm to 1 cm wide; 

sori, small, densely packed together on lower surface. Growing on tree. 6(173). 

Psilotum nudum (L.) Beauv. 

ibiribir (N); te kimarawa (K) 

PSILOTACEAE 

"psilotum", "reed fern" 

Indigenous. Tropics and subtropics. Occasional. Small erect terrestrial perennial 

herb, up to about 30 cm or higher, arising from a stout rhizome, with many successively 

two-forked green 3-angled, longitudinally-ribbed branches, about 2 mm in diameter; 

leaves, minute, scale-like; sporangia, about 1 mm in diameter. axillary, subglobose, 

three-lobed. Found as scattered individuals and small clusters in shady areas under 

unmined vegetation on the central plateau and uncommon under trees and shrubs on 

escarpment. No reported use. 2(53.5), 3(58764, 58596), 5(102), 6, 7(22314). 

PTERIDACEAE 

Adiantum sp. " maiden-hair fern" 

-- - - 

Recent introduction. Occasional. Fern with finely-dissected fronds and wiry black 

stalks. Small ornamental fern grown as a pot plant. 5, 6.

Pteris ensifomis Burm. f. "sword brake" 

Recent introduction. Tropical and subtropical Asia to Polynesia. Small dimorphic 

fern, 15 to 50 cm high, with a brown scaly rhizome; stipes, up to 30 cm or longer straw- 

colored; sterile fronds, 6 to 10 cm long, blades lanceolate, smooth, bipinnate, pinnules 

variable in size and shape, mostly oblong to linear-lanceolate, sharply serrate; fertile 

fronds, 15 to 25 cm long, pinnate or bipinnate, pinnules, up to 15 cm long and 7 to 10 

mm wide, widely-spaced, linear; sori, marginal, near serrate. Rare. Ornamental pot 

plant. 6(172). 

Pteris tripartita Sw. 

dakeang, dageang (N) 

syn . P. rnarginata Bory 

"sword brake" 

Indigenous. Paleotropical. Occasional. Large terrestrial fern with a short rhizome; 

stipes, up to 60 cm or longer, smooth, brown; fronds, up to 1 m or longer, tripartite, 

deltoid, each part divided into lanceolate pinnae; sori forming a continuous row along 

margins of pinnae. Found as individuals or isolated clusters at base of limestone cliffs of 

escarpment and in waste places near cliff base; occasionally a planted ornamental. 

4(135N), 5(55), 6, 7(27815). 

Araucaria heterophylla (Salisb.) Franco 

syn. A. excelsa (Lamb.) R. Br. 

GYMNOSPERMAE (Gymnosperms) 

ARAUCARIACEAE (Araucaria Family) 

"Norfolk Island pine" 

Recent introduction. Norfolk Island. Infrequent. Stately symmetrical tree with 

about 5 horizontal or drooping branches, each with many branchlets, radiating from each 

tier; leaves, up to about 1.2 cm or longer, evergreen, stiff awl- or scale-shaped, 

narrowly-triangular, overlapping, borne on branchlets; cones, 7.5 to 10 cm in diameter, 

ovoid, woody; pollen borne in catkins, about 5 cm long, which develop singly at the ends 

of branchlets. Planted immature ornamental trees in home gardens near airport. 5, 6, 7.

CYCADACEAE (Cycad Family) 

Cycas circinalis L. "cycad", "sago palm" 

te bam (K); laupama, laukimoa (T) 

syn. C. rurnphii Miq.; C. seernannii (A. Br.) Schuster; C. undulata Desf. 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia, Australia, and the Pacific islands. Occasional. 

Small dioecious palm-like rarely-branching plant, up to 2 m or taller, with a sturdy 

brown-ringed trunk; leaves, up to 1 m or longer and 30 cm or more wide, clustered in a 

rosette at the crown, frondlike, smooth, pinnate; pinnae, up to 30 cm long and 1 to 2 cm 

wide, narrowly lanceolate, with prominant midribs; male inflorescence, up to about 50 

cm by 10 cm or more, borne in center of leaves, brown, cone-shaped, consisting of 

pollen-bearing scales; female inflorescence and fruit borne on edges of modified brown, 

woolly leaves, up to 30 cm long; fruit, up to 5 cm long, ovoid, somewhat compressed, 

with a thin fleshy orange-brown covering and nutlike seeds, with poisonous kernels. 

Planted ornamental. No reported use in Nauru; seed kernels processed into flour as a 

famine or ceremonial food in areas of Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia. 3, 5(46), 6, 

7. 

ANGIOSPERMAE (Angiosperms or Flowering Plants) 

MONOCOTYLEDONA. 

ARACEAE (Arum or Taro Family) 

Aglaonema comrnutatum Schott "aglaonema" 

Recent introduction. Indonesia to Pacific Is. Rare. Perennial herb, up to 1.5 m; 

leaf blades, 8 to 20 cm long and 3 to 10 cm wide, elliptic- to oblong-lanceolate, dark 

green with silver markings and 4 to 5 pairs of primary side veins; petioles, 5 to 15 cm 

long. Ornamental pot plant. 5, 6(274), 7. 

Aglaonema costatum N. E. Br . "aglaonema" 

- - .-- - ---- - 

Recent introduction. S. E. Asia. Rare. Perennial herb, up to 1 m; leaf blade, 

about 12.5 by 7.5 cm, stiff, ovate to heart-shaped, dark green with white markings and 5 

to 10 pairs of primary side veins. Ornamental pot plant. 6(273), 7.

Aglaonema marantifolium B1. " aglaonema" 

Recent introduction. S. E. Asia. Occasional. Perennial herb, up to 1 m; leaf 

blade, 15 to 35 cm long and 7.5 to 12.5 cm wide, oblong, pointed, dark green with light 

green markings along main and side veins. Ornamental pot plant. 5, 6(271), 7. 

Aglaonema cv. "Pseudobracteata" "Chinese evergreen", "aglaonema" 

Recent introduction. S. E. Asia? Occasional. Perennial herb, up to 80 cm; leaf 

blades, 15 to 35 cm long and 7.5 to 12.5 cm wide, dark green with large white and light 

and dark green markings; petioles white. Ornamental pot plant cultivar. 5, 6(272). 

Alocasia cucullata (Lour.) G. Don 

syn. Arum cucullatum Lour. 

"Chinese taro" 

Recent introduction. India. Occasional. Perennial herb, up to 1.5 m; leaves, up to 

30 cm or more in diameter, dark green, long-stalked, rounded heart-shaped; petiole, 

long. Ornamental pot plant. 5, 6. 

Alocasia lowii Hook. f. 

Recent introduction. Malaysia. Rare. Perennial herb, up to 2 m; leaves, 30 cm or 

longer, metallic green, heart- or arrow-shaped, with silver-white veins and edges, edges 

entire or somewhat wavy; petioles rose colored, up to 30 cm or longer. Ornamental pot 

plant. 6. 

Alocasia macrorrhiza (L.) Schott "giant taro", "elephant ears" 

te kabe (K); taamu (Tuvalu) 

syns. Arum macrorrhizon L.; Alocasia indica (Roxb.) Spach; Colocasia gigantea 

H0ok.f.; Colocasia macrorrhiza (L.) Schott 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional. Tall thick-stemmed (up to 15 cm in 

diameter) herbaceous plant, up to 2 m tall; leaves, up to 1 m long and 60 cm wide, 

broadly arrow-shaped, leathery, entire or wavy margins; petiole, up to 1 m long. 

Possibly an aboriginal introduction into Nauru, which was either never adopted as a food 

*t or was not used at 

Planted ornamental and rare 

Topside Workshops, where a 

pandanus-leaf basket set in the ground. Important staple food plant in Samoa and Tonga 

and an important supplementary staple food plant in Fiji, eastern ~oi'ynesia and on some

atolls in Tuvalu and the Tuamotu and Caroline Islands. Swollen tuberous stem cooked as 

a staple vegetable. Wild or naturalized, ornamental (often variegated), and edible 

varieties or cultivars exist in many countries, some of which are used only as a famine or 

emergency food. 5, 6, 7. 

Alocasia sanderiana Bull. "alocasia" , "kris plant" 

Recent introduction. Philippines. Occasional. Perennial herb, up to 1.5 m; leaves, 

30 cm or longer, heart- or arrow-shaped, dark green with silver-white veins and edges, 

reddish below, deeply-lobed edges; petioles up, to 25 to 30 cm long. Ornamental pot 

plant. 5, 6, 7. 

Alocasia cv. " Amazonica" 

Recent introduction. Rare. Potplant. Hybrid cross with A. sanderiana. 6(185). 

Anthurium andraeanum Lind. "anthurium" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect perennial, up to 1 m tall; leaves, 

15 to 20 cm long and 7.5 to 12 cm wide, oblong, heart-shaped; petiole, longer than 

blade; flowers subtended by a plastic-like, bright red or orange-pink, heart-shaped spathe, 

10 to 12 cm long, flowers borne on a yellow or white spadix, up to 15 cm long. 

Ornamental pot plant. 6. 

Caladium bicolor (Ait.) Vent 

syn. Arum bicolor Ait. 

"artist's pallet", "caladium" 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Occasional. Perennial herb, up to 35 cm tall; leaf 

blade, 10 to 30 cm long, attractive, heart-shaped, variegated, patterned with green pink, 

red or white spots; leaf stalks, 3 to 6 times longer than blade. Ornamental pot plant. 

3(58717, 58793), 5, 6, 7. 

Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott "taro", "dasheen" 

detaro (N); te taroro (K); talo (T) 

syns. C. antiquorum Schott; Caladium esculentum Vent. 

- -- 

PTe-World WG I -introdSionf poTsibly originiily an u~uccesSfu1~~ 

a6ofiginal 

introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional. Large perennial herb rising on petioles, up to 1 m, 

from an underground tuber; leaves, 25 to 50 cm long and 15 to 30 cm wide, clustered, 

green, heart-shaped or ovate-cordate, peltate, tips pointing down; petioles, up to 1 m;

inflorescence shorter than leaves, spathe yellow, spadix shorter, cylindrical; tuber or 

corm, up to 30 cm long and 15 cm in diameter, often with up to 2 to 15 side tubers or 

cormels. Possibly an aboriginal introduction into Nauru, which was either never adopted 

as a food plant or was not used at the time of European contact. Food plant in Tuvaluan, 

I-Kiribati, and Chinese gardens at Location and Topside workshops; occasionally planted 

and mulched in plaited pandanus-leaf baskets. Very important, often dominant staple in 

other Pacific countries, although recently becoming less important in western Melanesia 

because of widespread infestations of taro leaf blight (Phytophthora colocasiae) and 

Alomae and Bobone viruses. Corms cooked as a staple food and the tender green leaves, 

and sometime the petioles, as a spinach or green vegetable. 5, 6, 7(27825). 

Cyrtosperma chamissonis (Schott) Merr. "giant swamp taro" 

dababai (N); te babai (K); pulaka (T) 

syns. Arisacontis cha.missonis Schott; C)lrtospenna edule Schott; C. merkusii 

(Hassk.) Schott; Ca.ladium cordifolium Hartzer 

Pre-World War I introduction from other areas of Micronesia; possibly originally 

an unsuccessful aboriginal introduction. New Guinea and western Pacific Is. Uncommon. 

Large massive perennial tuber-forming herb, up to 3 m high, rising from a large corm; 

leaf blades, up to 2 m long, but usually less, dark olive-green, erect, ovate-sagittate 

(arrow-shaped), only very slightly peltate, tip pointing upward, basal lobes rather 

pointed, sinus deep; petiole, up to 2.5 m or more, but usually less, erect, spiny on the 

lower part. Immature food plant at Location; small patch in poorly-drained area surroun- 

ding Buada Lagoon and six plants cultivated in moist area in mulched plaited pandanus- 

leaf baskets in Topside Workshop food gardens in 1987. Very important staple root crop 

and ceremonial food in Tuvalu and Kiribati and other low-lying atoll countries of 

Micronesia, but evidently not traditionally important in Nauru. Corms cooked as a staple 

vegetable. 5, 6, 7(27826). 

Dieffenbachia leonii Hort. "dumb cane" 

Recent introduction. Colombia. Rare. Perennial herb, up to about 70 cm high; 

leaves, variable in shape, green with more or less regular white areas; probably a 

horticultural hybrid between D. maculata and D. seguine. Ornamental pot plant. 6. 

Dieffenbachia maculata (Lodd .) Bunt. 

syn. D. picta Schott 

- - - - - -- - - -- - 

"dumb cane" 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Common. Thick-stemmed erect perennial herb, less 

than 1 m tall, with a ringed, cane-like stem; leaves, up to 30 cm long and 15 cm wide, 

narrowly ovate-oblong but variable, green with many irregular ivory-white flecked

markings, midrib strong with 15 to 20 pairs of curved-ascending lateral veins; petiole, 

about 12 cm long, broadly grooved. Ornamental pot plant; occasionally planted in 

gardens. Sap causes dermatitis when applied externally and causes mouth paralysis and 

severe pain when taken in mouth. 3(58677, 58774), 5, 6, 7. 

Dieffenbachia seguine (Jacq.) Schott "dumb cane" 

Recent introduction. N. S. America and Caribbean. Occasional. Thick-stemmed 

erect perennial herb, up to 1 m, with a ringed, cane-like stem; leaves variable, narrowly 

oblong or ovate-oblong but variable, dark-green with irregular white spots and 9 to 15 

side veins; petiole, not, or only narrowly grooved. Ornamental pot plant. Exhibits same 

properties as described for D. maculata. 3(58677), 6, 7. 

Epipremnum aureum (Lind. ex Andre) Bunt. "taro vine", "pothos aureus" 

syns. Rhaphidophora aurea (Lind. ex Andre) Birds.; Scindapsus aureus (Lind. 

ex Andre) Engl.; Pothos aureus Lind. ex Andre; Epipremnum pinnatum 

cv. "Aurewn" . 

Recent introduction. Solomon Is. Occasional. Branched high climbing vine with 

thick rope-like stems with adventitious rootlets; leaf blades, up to 50 cm long and 35 cm 

wide, ovate-subcordate, deeply-lobed, petiolate, variegated green and cream or pale- 

yellow with irregularly-spaced bands on each side of the midrib, lateral veins slightly 

ascending. Planted ornamental. 3(58724), 5, 6, 7. 

Monstera deliciosa Liebm . "monstera" , "fruit salad plant", "taro vine", "ceriman" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. C. America and Mexico. Rare. Perennial 

epiphytic stout-stemmed herbaceous vine, nodes often with long hanging aerial roots; leaf 

blades, up to 80 m long, thick, dark-green, heart-shaped, pinnately-lobed or parted, 

grooved, often conspicuously perforated; petioles, up to 90 cm long; inflorescence with 

stalk, up to 15 cm long, spathe rather thick, up to 24 cm long, pale-yellowish, spadix up 

to 20 cm long and 5 cm wide, cone-shaped; fruit, edible berries, up to 1 cm long, 

numerous, yellowish-green to purplish, edible, borne on spadix. Pot plant and planted 

ornamental. 3(58727), 5, 6, 7. 

Philodendron hastatum C. Koch & Sellow "philodendron" 

- --- -- - - - - -- -- - -- 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Perennial herbaceous- climbing vine; leaf 

blades, up to 25 cm long, oblong heart-shaped to sagittate or hastate, medium-green, 

shiny; petiole, 15 cm or longer. Ornamental pot plant. 6, 7.

Philodendron scandens C. Koch & Sellow ssp. oxicardium (Schott) Bunt."philodendron" 

syn. P. oxycardium Schott 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Perennial herbaceous climbing, 

twining vine; leaf blades, up to 30 long and 20 cm wide, shiny green, heart-shaped, 

tapering to a fine point; petioles 10 to 20 cm long. Ornamental pot plant. 6(238), 7. 

Philodendron sp. "philodendron" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Ornamental pot plant. 5 (238), 7. 

Scindapsus pictus Hassk. var. argyraeus (Engl.) Engl. "silver vine" 

Recent introduction. Indomalaya. Rare. Tall fleshy perennial herbaceous vine; 

leaves, up to 30 cm or longer, thick, leathery, oval to heart-shaped, pointed tips curved 

to one side, dark green with silver dots or marbling. Ornamental pot plant. 6(225). 

Spathiphyllum cv. " Clevelandii" "spathiphyllum" , "white sails" 

Recent introduction. Rare. Hybrid perennial herb, up to 80 cm; leaf blade, up to 

25 cm by 10 cm, dark green, narrow ovate or oblong; flowers, arising on long slender 

flower stems from the base to above the leaf tops, bearing attractive white flower bracts 

or spathes and white spikes or spadices, 5 to 10 cm long. Ornamental pot plant. 6, 7. 

Syngonium angustatum Schott 

syn. S. podophyllum sensu Souder non Schott 

" syngonium" 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Occasional to common. Climbing or creeping 

perennial herb; leaf blades, up to 20 cm long, shining green, palmate, deeply three- to 

nine-parted, held erect on rigid stems. Pot plant and planted ornamental. 3(58722), 5, 6, 

7. 

Xanthosoma lindenii (Andre) Engl. 

Recent introduction. Colombia. Rare. Perennial erect herb; leaf blades, up to 30 

cmfong-and-775- cm wide;-spear=shaped~-green, principal-midrib and side- veins white; 

under surface green; petioles green, up to 30 cm long. Ornamental pot plant. 6.

Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott "tannia" , " yautia" , "cocoyam" , "American taro" 

detaro (N); te taororo (K); talo Palagi (T) 

syn. Arum sagittifolium L. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. W. Indies. Occasional. Large taro-like tuberous 

perennial herb, up to 2 m or higher; leaf blades, up to 50 cm or longer and 40 cm wide, 

thick, sagittate (arrow-shaped), glaucous, green to purple-green; petioles, up to 1 m long, 

arising from a central tuber or corm with up to 10 or more lateral tubers or cormels, 

each 15 to 25 cm long. Food plant in home gardens at Location and near Nauruan home 

at Buada; occasionally planted and mulched in pandanus-leaf baskets at Topside work- 

shops; found primarily in Tuvaluan gardens. Important staple food crop throughout 

Melanesia and Polynesia. Possibly introduced into Nauru in the late 19th or early 20th 

century, but never becoming as important as in other areas of the Pacific. Side cormels 

cooked as a staple and tender young leaves cooked as a green vegetable or spinach. 5, 6, 

7. 

ARECACEAEIPALMAE (Palm Family) 

Caryota urens L. "fishtail palm", "wine palm", "toddy palm" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Rare. Erect single-stemmed palm, up to 10 m; 

fronds, up to 5 to 6 m long, drooping, bipinnate, with wedge-shaped fishtail-like leaflets, 

irregularly and jaggedly toothed; flowers, numerous, grouped in threes, one female 

between two male flowers, hanging in clustered panicles, each produced successively 

lower on the trunk from the leaf (frond) nodes, until the lowest node flowers and 

produces seed, after which the plant dies; fruit, ovoid, red, juicy, surrounding a kidney 

shaped seed. Planted ornamental. 6. 

Chrysalidocarpus lutescens H. Wendl. "golden cane palm", "golden-fruited palm" 

Recent introduction. Madagascar. Rare. Small erect many-trunked clump-forming 

palm, up to 5 m or more high, with smooth bamboo-like ringed trunks; fronds, arching, 

light green, turning yellow-orange with age, deeply divided into long narrow forked 

segments, each about 2.5 cm wide; flowers, borne in clusters among the leaves, male and 

female flowers separate in the same cluster; fruit, yellow, date-like. Planted ornamental. 

5, 6.

Cocos nucifera L. 

ini (N); te ni (K); niu (T) 

"coconut palm" 

Aboriginal introduction. S. Asia and Indian Ocean Islands. Abundant. Tall erect 

single-stemmed palm with a slender, more or less curved or inclined, trunk, up to 30 m 

tall; leaves, up to 4 m or longer, clustered at top of trunk, frond-like, pinnate, with 

numerous narrow oblong-lanceolate leaflets (pinnae), 25 to 90 cm long; flowers, in 

clusters on a simple-branched spadix, up to 1.2 m or longer, which originates in the mils 

between the leaves, with female flowers at the base of the branchlets and small male 

flowers near the tips and over the remainder of the branchlets; each spadix subtended by 

a stout woody, boat-shaped, beaked bract or spathe; fruit, 15 to 30 cm long, subglobose 

to ovoid or ellipsoid, one-seeded, with a thick fibrous husk surrounding a hard nut filled 

with hard white oily edible pulp and, when young, with sweet water. Planted extensively 

on coastal strip, around Buada Lagoon, near roads in strip-mined areas; occasional on 

plateau and escarpment; common along strand; common in Nauruan home gardens and 

occasionally planted around contract workers quarters at Location and Topside workshops. 

Cultivars include inur, ito, ita, inamaro and ini. Formerly important for copra 

production for export; trunks used in house construction and for animal pens; midrib of 

frond used for flooring and walls of houses; young fronds used for weaving baskets, food 

containers and parcels, mats, housing thatch, fans, hats, dividers for communal fish 

farming in Buada Lagoon, and other plaited ware and for making skirts (ridi); old and 

young fronds used for roofing; coir and dry leaves important as tinder in making fire by 

friction and carrying fire; midrib of leaflets or pinnules used in brooms and in weaving; 

soft endosperm (meat) and water (milk) of young, green nuts (ini) consumed; meat of 

I mature nuts (eanikiwi) grated and eaten in a variety of ways and squeezed and boiled, 

usually with flowers or leaves, to make perfumed coconut oil; coconut endosperm 

("meat") has been an important staple throughout the small-island Pacific and in coastal 

areas of larger islands, with some people receiving up to 70% of their dietary calories 

from this source; it was also undoubtedly the main staple plant food of Nauruans in the 

past and a major food for chickens and pigs; coir or husk of both green and mature nuts 

used to make strong fibre and cordage (sennit) for strainers, affixing tool handles, boat 

and house lashings, fishnets and lines, belts, canoe caulking, corks or stoppers, slings; 

dried fronds, husks, and shells used as fuel for cooking; shells used for making charcoal, 

one of the main uses being to fuel hand irons in the past; shells used to make drinking 

cups in the past; sap from flower spathe tapped to make toddy (karawai) and then often 

boiled down to make a molasses-like syrup (kamaimai); toddy often allowed to ferment to 

become alcoholic "sour" toddy; loose burlap-like tissue (inini) at the base of the fronds 

used to strain coconut milk; dust or pollen collected on lower ends of fronds used as a 

blood coagulant and disinfectant; coconut oil use to treat tinea; inside of very small 

immature nuts used in post-natal medicine; very young leaves, without the midrib, 

chewed and used as a medicine for fever and infantile beriberi. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7. 

- -~ -- - - ~~ 

~ ~ -- ~ 

- ~- ~-~~~~~ ~ - - ~ 

---- ~ 

~~ ~ ~

Livistonia chinensis (Jacq.) R. Br. 

syn . Latania chinensis Jacq. 

"~hinese fan palm", "fountain palm" 

Recent introduction. China, Ryukyu and Bonin Islands. Rare. Attractive single- 

stemmed erect palm, up to 10 m tall, but normally less than 5 m, with a ringed gray 

trunk; fronds, rounded or palmate, fan-like, about 1.5 m or more in diameter, pleated in 

middle and divided radially into 70 to 90 leaflets, about 4 cm wide, each with yellow- 

green midribs and split (bifid) drooping tips; petioles, up to 2 m long and 15 cm wide, 

with stout tooth-like spines, up to about 1.5 cm long, on the lower part; flowers, borne 

in large numbers in clusters on branchlets of long branched inflorescences; fruit, up to 2 

cm long, dull bluish-green, olive-like. Ornamental pot plant and planted ornamental. 6, 

7. 

Phoenix sp. "date palm" 

Recent introduction. Rare. Erect single-stemmed palm with feather-like pinnate 

fronds. Planted ornamental on Command Ridge. 5, 6(61). 

Pritchardia pacifica Seem. & Wendl. "Pacific fan palm", "Fiji fan palm" 

dabam (N); te bam (K) 

syn. Eupritchmdia pacijica (Seem. & Wendl.) 0. Ktze. 

Recent introduction. Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa. Rare to occasional. Erect single- 

stemmed spineless palm up to 10 m tall; fronds, 1 m long and 1.2 m wide, spreading 

from the crown, wedge- or fan-shaped, pleated or folded in middle, when young, and 

divided radially into numerous leaflets with forked, scarcely drooping tips; petioles, about 

1.5 m long, stout; flowers, numerous brownish, borne in clusters on branched axillary 

panicles; fruit, about 1.2 cm in diameter, ovoid, green to blackish, 1 seeded. Planted 

ornamental at the Meneng Hotel. Small edible fruit consumed in Fiji, Tonga and 

elsewhere in the Pacific but reportedly not eaten in Nauru. 3, 5, 6, 7. 

Roystonea elata (Bartr.) Harper "royal palm" 

dabam (N) 

syns. Palma data Bartr. ; Roystonea regia (HBK.) 0. F. Cook; Oreodoxa regia 

HBK. 

Recent introduction. Cuba and Florida. Rare. Erect single-stemmed symmetrical 

palm, up to 15 m or taller, with a smooth greenish-grey to whitish trunk; fronds, up to 3 

m long: pinnate, arching-T%% crownandradiatingfrom aXg gri5icylindeF-dfleaf 

sheaths which looks like an extension of the trunk; leaflets, nearly 1 m long, diverging at 

various angles; inflorescence, up to 1 m long, borne below the leaves, many-branched, 

with a long, slender boat-shaped spathe; flowers, usually in groups of 3, of which 2 are

staminate and 1 pistillate, cream-colored with violet stamens; fruit, less than 2 cm long, 

ovoid, purplish, one-seeded. Planted ornamental. 5(137), 6, 7. 

BROMELIACEAE (Pineapple Family) 

Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill "pineapple" 

te bainaboro (K); fara, painapolo (T) 

syns. Bromelia comosa L.; B. ananas L.; Ananas sativus Schu1t.f.; A. ananas 

(L.) Karst. 

Pre-World War I post-European contact introduction. Brazil. Rare. Green to 

bluish-grey short-stemmed perennial herb, up to 1 m high; leaves, sword-shaped, 

succulent, pointed and sometimes armed (spiny), arranged in a bushy rosette; inflores- 

cence, terminal, many-flowered head with small blue flowers; fruit, a pinecone-shaped or 

globose syncarp, 15 to 30 cm long, yellow-brown to green, surmounted by a crown of 

small leaves, which is composed of many 6-sided berries arranged spirally and embedded 

in yellow pulp. Food plant in home gardens at Location and Topside Workshops and 

occasionally in expatriate home gardens. Fruit edible. 3, 5, 6. 

Nidularium innocenti Lem. 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Perennial rosette-forming herb, up to 50 cm of 

higher; leaves, strap-shaped, finely-toothed, radiating from a rosette, overlapping bases 

forming water-holding reservoirs; flowers, central, small, white with showy red-orange 

bracts. Ornamental pot plant. 6. 

Tillandsia usneoides L. "Spanish moss", "Florida moss", "long moss" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Pendulous, rootless epiphyte with 

slender, wiry stems, up to 4 m or longer; leaves, 2.5 to 7.5 cm long, grey, narrow, 

curved, threadlike, scattered at regular intervals along stem; flowers, nearly 12 mm long, 

axillary, inconspicuous, single, yellowish. Planted ornamental. 6. 

Vriesia sp. "vriesia" 

- - --- - - - - - - -- - - A- - 

-- - 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Perennial herb with stiff smooth-edged 

variegated leaves arranged in a rosette. Ornamental pot plant. 6.

CANNACEAE (Canna Family) 

Canna indica L. "Indian shot", "canna" 

Recent introduction. W. Indies. Rare. Perennial herb, to over 1 m high; leaves, 

15 to 50 cm long and 10 to 25 cm wide, oval to narrow, rather fleshy, borne on long 

slender erect green stems, up to 1 to 1.5 m long; flowers, orchid-like, red, yellow or 

speckled (variegated), in loose erect clusters; fruit, warty, black, capsular, nearly 

globose, containing a variable number of round black seeds. Planted ornamental. Most 

ornamental specimens are showy hybrids or selections. 6(189), 7. 

COMMELINACEAE (Dayflower Family) 

Dichorisandra thyrisiflora Mikan "blue ginger" 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Perennial herb up to 1 m tall; leaves, shiny- 

green, spirally arranged; flowers, terminal, blue to violet-blue and white, borne on a 

stalk in a cone-shaped flower panicle. Planted ornamental. 6. 

Rhoeo spathacea (Sw.) Stearn " tradescantia" , "oyster plant", "Moses in a boat" 

syns. Tradescantia spathacea Sw . ; T. discolor L. 'Her. ; R. discolor (L'Her.) 

Hance 

Recent introduction. Mexico and W. Indies. Occasional. Perennial short-stemmed 

herb, up to 40 cm high; leaves, up to 20 to 30 cm long and 4 to 6 cm wide, lance- or 

sword-shaped, stiff, succulent, shining green above, purplish beneath, borne in crowded 

rosettes; flowers, small, white, in axillary clusters within boat-shaped purple bracts; fruit, 

capsular, 3-valved. Pot plant and planted ornamental; planted along borders in ornamen- 

tal gardens. 3(58703), 5, 6, 7. 

Setcreasia purpurea B. K. Boom "purple tradescantia" , "purple heart" 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Perennial smooth-stemmed trailing herb, up to 

30 cm high; leaves, up to 1-5 cm long and 3.5 cm widel ovate-acuminate, black-purple 

- ----- 

above and purple beneath, with woolly hairs along margins; long purple flowering stems, 

up to 30 cm, bearing purple bracts and rose-pink flowers in dense clusters. Ornamental 

pot plant. 3(56779), 6, 7.

Tradescantia fluminensis Vell. "wandering Jew" 

Recent introduction. S. America. Rare. A trailing perennial herb with green or 

purplish wiry stems; leaves, 2.5 to 7.5 cm long, oblong, bright green or white-striped, 

sometimes purplish beneath; flowers, small rose-purple to whitish, each with two leafy 

bracts. Ornamental pot plant. 6. 

Zebrina pendula Schnizl. "purple wandering Jew" 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Occasional. A fleshy trailing perennial herb; leaves, 

up to 6 cm long, ovate, reddish-purple beneath and silver-green with purple bands down 

the middle and around the edges above; flowers, 3-petaled, pink to rose-purple, borne in 

bract-like leaves near stem tips. Ornamental pot plant. 3(56780), 5, 6, 7. 

CYPERACEAE (Sedge Family) 

Cyperus alternifolius L. "umbrella plant", "umbrella sedge" 

Recent introduction. Madagascar. Rare. Tufted sedge with many stout dark green 

flowering stems, up to 120 cm or higher; basal leaves reduced to lanceolate, acurninate 

sheaths, 10 to 20 cm long; flower heads, terminal, umbel-like, composed of arching leaf- 

like bracts, up to 25 cm long and 1 cm wide, borne at the end of stems, and umbel-like 

inflorescences, 7 cm across, on rays, up to 10 cm long, with numerous spikelets, up to 3 

cm long, crowded at the tips; fruit, 3-angled achene, less than 1 mm long. Planted 

ornamental. 6, 7. 

Cyperus compressus L. 'I sedge" 

Recent introduction? Pan tropical. Occasional. Tufted sedge with erect to 

spreading thin triangular stems, up to 40 cm long; leaves, 1.5 to 3 mm wide, threadlike, 

shorter than sheathing stems, which are up to 3 cm long, and often reddish; spikelets, 1 

to 2.5 cm long and 3 to 5 mm wide, green, 12 or more borne in umbellate clusters 

subtended by 3 or more leaf-like bracts, each about 3 mm long; fruit, a 3-angled, 

obovoid achene, sides slightly concave, brown to almost black. Weed growing in rather 

dense populations in low ground near Buada Lagoon and swampy area near bottom of 

escarpment. 3(58644), 6. 

--

Cyperus iria L. I' sedge" 

Recent introduction. Sedge up to 40. cm high; leaves, few, shorter than culms; 

inflorescence, branched spikes, about 2.5 cm long, 12- to 20-flowered, spikelets about 6 

mm long, bracts longer than inflorescences; fruit, a 3-angled, narrowly ovoid, yellow- 

brown achene. Rare weed. 5(90a). 

Cyperus javanicus Houtt "sedge", "marsh cypress" 

reyenbangabanga (N); te ritanin (K); mouku (T) 

syns. C. canescens Vahl; C. pennatus Lam.; C. stuppeus F0rst.f.; Mariscus 

javanicus (Houtt.) Merr. ; M. albescens Gaud. ; M. pennatus (Lam .) 

Domin; M. stuppeus (F0rst.f.) Merr. 

Indigenous? Paleotropical. Abundant. Large perennial tufted sedge, up to 1 m 

high, with triangular stems; leaves, 7 mm or more wide, are often longer than flowering 

stems, firm, rough, serrulate; inflorescence, compound umbrella-like flower clusters, to 

about 15 cm across, with branched rays, up to 10 cm long, bearing spikes, to nearly 2.5 

cm to 3.5 cm long, and crowded green to brownish spikelets, about 4 to 8 mm long; 

fruit, 1.5 mm long, 3-angled, ellipsoid, dark-brown or black achene. Found growing wild 

in isolated clusters and tufts and in colonies or dense populations in moist habitats on the 

coastal strip, surrounding Buada Lagoon, on the inner border of the coastal strand, and 

occasionally in mined areas. Stems used as stringers for garlands and for stringing fish; 

swollen bottoms eaten occasionally in the past. The name "reyenbangabanga" means 

literally the "surrounding border", referring to the way in which C. javanicus surrounds 

parts of Buada Lagoon. 3(53634), 4(160N), 5(90), 6(218), 7(27824), 8(9576). 

Cyperus papyrus L. "papyrus", "Egyptian paper" 

Recent introduction. Africa and Mediterranean. Rare. Tall perennial clump- 

forming green-stemmed sedge, 1 to 4 m high; leaves, basal ones reduced to bladeless 

sheaths, the involucral leaves much shorter than inflorescence; inflorescence, umbel-like 

flower cluster of tufted yellow-green flower heads on drooping threadlike rays, 10 to 40 

cm long, with linear spikelets, 6 to 10 mm long and 1 mm across, bearing 6 to 20 scales; 

fruit, an oblong, 3-angled achene. Planted ornamental. 5, 6. 

Cyperus rotundus L. "nut sedge", "nut grass" 

ibugibugi (N); te mutemute (K); mouku (T) 

sz. C. _h~exexastachyos - - Rottb. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction? Cosmopolitan. Common. Perennial tufted erect 

sedge, 10 to 50 cm high, with hard, scaly brown-black tubers borne on underground 

runners or rhizomes; leaves, 5 to 15 cm long and 2 to 5 mm wide, grass-like, folded

along the midrib; inflorescence, reddish-brown flower spikelets, 1 to 2 cm long, and 2 to 

4 leaf-like bracts, 1 to 12 cm long, borne on unequal rays, to 6 cm long, in loose 

terminal umbels borne at the top of three-angled flowering stems (culms), 10 to 40 cm 

tall; fruit, about 1.5 mm long, brown, oblong, 3-sided achene. Weed in gardens; growing 

in extensive stands as lawns; in swamps in Meneng. 3(58686), 4(149N), 5(89), 6, 7, 8. 

Eleocharis ochrostachys Steud. 

syn. E. lmifora (Thw.) H. Pfeiff. 

'I sedge " 

Recent introduction. Asia. Rare. Erect perennial sedge, 35 to 70 cm tall, with 

pithy stems; leaves, reduced to basal sheaths; inflorescence, a cylindrical spikelet, 10 to 

20 cm long and 3 to 4 mm across, with numerous green to yellowish-brown scales, 4 to 

5 mm long, and 5 to 7 bristles; fruit, 1.5 to 2 mm long, 2-sided, obovate, shiny brown to 

gray achene. Planted ornamental. 6(210). 

Fibrystylis cymosa R. Br. "sedge", "beach sedge" 

ibugibugi, ibiugbiugi; te uteute ni mane (K); mouku (T) 

syns. F. spathacea Roth; F. pyncnocephala Hillebr. ; F. glomerata (Retz.) Nees 

ex K. Schum. non (Schrad.) Nees; F. atollensis St. John; F. wightiana 

Nees 

Indigenous. Pantropical. Abundant. Perennial tufted sedge, 10 to 50 cm high, with 

erect 3-angled stems; leaves, 5 to 30 cm long and 1.5 to 4 mm wide, numerous, stiff, 

linear, densely-clumped; inflorescence, a head or simple umbel with 3 to 8 primary rays, 

1 to 4 cm long, and single or clustered brown spikelets, 1 to 4 mm long, in globose 

heads, 5 to 10 mm in diameter, borne on 3-angled flowering stems (culms), 10 to 60 cm 

high; fruit, less than 1 mm long, 2- to 3-sided, obovate, brown-black achene. Found 

growing in clusters or tufts in open and semi-open places on the coastal strip and in 

mined areas on the plateau. No reported use on Nauru. 2, 3(58613, 58670), 5, 6(210), 7. 

Dioscorea alata L. 

te iam (K); 'ufi (T) 

DIOSCOREACEAE (Yam Family) 

"yam", "greater yam", "winged yam" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. E. Asia. Rare. Herbaceous or shrubby, 

twining, K@i-CIimb-ing-tuberous vine witli sqm, Kie lEKwiTggSl ,-uKarmd; -mi- 

angled stems; leaves, up to 12 to 25 cm or longer and 8 to 15 cm wide, opposite, ovate 

or heart-shaped (cordate), palmately 5- to 11-nerved; petiole, nearly -half, to nearly as 

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, 

globose, cylindrical or lobed, black- to brown-skinned, with white to purplish flesh. Food 

plant in home gardens at Location and Denigomodu. Important staple food crop in many 

parts of Melanesia, Polynesia and Pohnpei (Ponape), Yap and other high islands in 

Micronesia, where numerous named cultivars are recognized, but insignificant in Nauru. 

Tuber cooked as a staple vegetable. 5, 6. 

Dioscorea esculenta (Lour.) Burkill "lesser yam", "sweet yam", "Goa yam" 

syns. Oncus esculentus Lour.; Dioscorea fasciculata Roxb. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. E. Asia. Rare. Herbaceous or woody, twining, 

high-climbing tuberous vine with cylindrical thorny or armed stems; leaves, 10 to 15 cm 

long and wide, alternate, heart-shaped or orbicular, woolly-pubescent; petioles as long as 

the blades; flowers, 4 to 5 mm wide, rarely-seen, small, green, borne in slender axillary 

panicles, up to 40 cm long; tubers, 15 to 20 cm long, clustered, ovoid, potato-like, with 

thin brownish skin and white, slightly sweet flesh. Food plant in home gardens at 

Location and Meneng. Important staple in parts of Papua New Guinea and Solomon 

Islands and a supplementary staple crop in many areas of Melanesia, Polynesia and 

Micronesia. Tuber cooked as a staple vegetable. 5, 6. 

IRlDACEAE (Iris Family) 

Gladiolus sp. "gladiolus" 

Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Erect herbaceous bulbed annual, up to 1 m 

or higher, of which many hybrid cultivars exist; leaves, up to over 60 cm long and 2 to 3 

cm wide, erect, strap- or sword-shaped; flowers, 5 cm or more in diameter, few to 

many, showy, white, yellow, red or purplish, often variegated, with curved funnel- 

shaped tubes and oblong segments, born in 1-sided spikes on flowering stems which are 

longer than the leaves. Planted ornamental. 5, 6, 7. 

Iris sp. %is" 

Recent introduction. Origin? Rare. Erect herbaceous rhizomatous perennial, up to 

60 cm or higher, of which many hybrid cultivars exist; leaves, several, flat, narrow, 

forming - a fan-shaped cluster at ~ the base of ~ ~ ~ an ---- erect flower stem; flowers, blue to 

- ---- --purplish-blue. 

Planted ornamental. 5, 6(lOO).

Tigrida pavonina (L. f.) Ker-Gawl. "tiger flower" 

Recent introduction. Mexico and Guatemala. Rare. Erect herbaceous bulbed 

perennial, up to 75 cm tall; leaves, about 30 cm long, stiff, narrow, almost pleated; 

inflorescence, a branched or unbranched flower stem, up to 60 cm or more, bearing 

three-lobed, red, orange, yellow or white, often spotted, flowers, 7 to 15 cm in diameter, 

which appear one after another from bracts, 7 to 12 cm long. Planted ornamental. 6. 

LILIACEAE (Including Agavaceae and Amaryllidaceae)(Lily Family) 

Agapanthus africanus (L.) Hoffmannsegg "African lily", "lily of the Nile" 

Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Erect perennial herb, up to 60 cm tall; 

leaves, strap-shaped, evergreen; inflorescence, tall flowering stems bearing showy flower 

heads with many blue, violet-blue or white funnel-shaped flowers, each about 5 cm long. 

Planted ornamental. 6. 

Agave americana L. "century plant", " malina" 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Large stemless erect perennial succulent herb, 

up to 2 m or higher; leaves, 80 to 160 cm long and 15 to 20 cm wide, thick, fleshy, 

pointed and spined, variegated with yellow to white margins, borne in a massive rosette 

of 30 to 60 leaves; flowers, 7.5 cm long, yellow-green, borne in clusters on a tall pole- 

like branching stem, up to 6 to 10 m high, arising from the center of the rosette. Planted 

ornamental. 5(68), 6. 

Agave rigida Mill. 

te robu (K) 

syn. A. sisa.1a.n.a. Perr. 

"sisal", "sisal hemp", "malina", "agave" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction? Mexico. Occasional. Large stemless perennial 

succulent herb, up to 2 m or higher; leaves, up to 150 cm long and 10 to 15 cm wide, 

thick, stiff, fleshy, spine-tipped, bluish, arranged in a large rosette; flowers, up to 5 cm 

long, shortly-tubular, yellow-green, borne in panicles on a tall branching stem, up to 8 m 

high, arising from the center of the rosette. Established locally, especially along edges of 

old strip-mined area. - Grown for export in some tropical areas for the fibre from its 

-- 

leaves which is made into rope and other products. 3(58739), 5, 6(215), 7: - -

Allium ascalonicum L. 

te anian (K); ts'ung (C) 

"shallot" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Palestine. Occasional. Small erect green herb, up 

to 35 cm; leaves, 20 to 35 cm long and 5 to 15 mm wide, narrow, strap-shaped, growing 

from many clustered individual white to reddish bulbs, surrounding a single planted bulb, 

which separate into segments or "cloves". Cultivated in Chinese food gardens in beds and 

containers at Location and Topside workshops. Pungent bulbs and tender leaves eaten 

raw or cooked as a spice or vegetable. 5, 6, 7. 

Allium cepa L. 

te anian (K) 

"bulb onion " , "common onion" 

Recent introduction. Persia. Rare. Herb with hollow flattened tubular leaves and a 

well-developed white or light-green, generally single, bulb with white to yellow-brown 

skin. Single immature plant in Chinese food garden at Location. 6. 

Allium fistulosum L. "green onion", "spring onion", "Welsh onion", 

"Japanese bunching onion" te anian (K); ts'ung (C) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. E. Asia. Occasional. Erect green herb, up to 50 

cm tall; leaves, 25 to 50 cm long and 1 to 2 cm wide, green, round, tubular, clustered, 

with white, slightly swollen stems which produce no bulbs. Cultivated food plant in 

Chinese gardens at Location. Pungent tender leaves and stems eaten raw or cooked as a 

spice or vegetable. 5, 6. 

Allium porrum L. I1leek" 

Recent introduction. Eurasia. Rare. Herb with long flattened and folded leaves, up 

to 70 cm long, a long white neck below the leaves, and a small white bulb. Single plant 

growing in food garden at Location. 6. 

Allium sativum L. 

suen, suen t'au (C) 

"garlic " 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. Asia. Occasional. Erect green herb, up to 30 

crn high; -. ~~ leaves, ~- 10 ~ to 30 cm long and ~ 1 to 2 cm A wide, flat, ~ strapIshaped, ~- with-a well- ~~developed 

segmented bulb with a strong persistent odor, which separates into several 

segments or "cloves". Plant in Chinese gardens at Location. Grown from bulbs, mainly 

for its pungent edible green leaves which are used as a spice or green vegetable in 

Chinese cooking. 5, 6.

Allium schoenoprasum L. "chives" 

Recent introduction. N. hemisphere. Rare. Erect herb, up to 25 cm high, forming 

grass-like clumps; leaves, 10 to 25 cm long and 1.5 to 3 mm wide, fine, tubular, with a 

poorly developed bulb. Pot herb cultivated in container at Cliff Lodge. Tender green 

leaves used as a spice by European residents. 5, 6. 

Allium tuberosum Rottler ex Sprengle 

sai ts'ung (C) 

"Chinese chives" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. E. Asia. Common. Erect herb, up to 30 cm high; 

leaves, 20 to 30 cm long and 3 to 4 mm wide, flat, ribbon-like, with a poorly developed 

bulb. Cultivated in Chinese food gardens at Location and Topside workshops for its 

edible green leaves. 5, 6, 7. 

Asparagus aethiopicus L. "asparagus fern", "Sprenger asparagus" 

syns. A. densiflorus (Kunth) Jessup; A. sprengeri Reg. 

Recent introduction. S. Africa. Occasional. A much-branched arching wiry- 

stemmed perennial, up to 1 m, bearing open whorled fern-like leaf clusters; "leaves", up 

to 2 to 2.5 cm long, shiny, flat, narrow, pale-green, lanceolate; flowers, small, fragrant, 

pinkish; fruit, small, red, 1- to 3-seeded berries, about 8 mm in diameter. Ornamental 

pot plant. 3(58711), 5, 6(167, 180). 

Asparagus setaceus (Kunth) Jessup "asparagus fern" 

syns. Asparagopsis setacea Kunth; Asparagus plumosus Baker 

Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Slightly woody and spiny climbing, many- 

branched perennial, up to 1 m, forming flat horizontal fern-like sprays; "leaves", up to 8 

mm long, fine, fern-like or needle-like; flowers, minute, white; fruit, small, blackish, 1- 

to 3-seeded berries. Ornamental pot plant. 6(169), 7. 

Chlorophytum capense (L.) Voss "spider plant", "ribbon plant", "bracket plant" 

syns. C. comosum (Thunb.) Jacq. ; C. elatum R. Br. 

- - - - -- - --- - - - 

Recent introduction. Africa. Rare. Evergreen perennial herb, up to 30 cm or 

higher, with tuberous rhizomes; leaves, 15 to 30 cm long and 1.5 to 2.5 cm wide, 

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 

flower stems, up to 1.5 m long, and tipped with leafy offshoots or plantlets; fruit, a 

leathery 3-angled capsule with flat seeds. ornamental pot plant. 3(58690), 6. 

Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A. Chev. "cordyline" , " ti-plant" (Hawaii) 

te rauti (K) ; ti (T) 

syns. Convallaria. fruticosa L.; Cordyline terminalis (L.) Kunth; Taetsia fruticosa 

(L.) Merr.; T. terminalis (L.) W. F. Wight 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia or Australasia? Occasional. Woody erect shrub 

or tree-like branched or unbranched perennial, up to 2 m or taller; leaves, up to 60 cm 

long and 15 cm wide, lanceolate or oblong, smooth, tough, shiny dark-green to rust or 

red, borne in rosettes clustered in spirals near the tips of the branches; petioles, 5 to 15 

cm long; flowers, numerous, white to lilac-tinted, borne on large branching terminal 

panicles, about 30 cm long; fruit, globose, about 5 mm in diameter, thinly fleshy, red, 

purplish, or yellowish; seeds,, obovoid, black, glossy; some cultivars with a large edible 

tuberous root. Planted ornamental and pot plant. Very important ceremonial and magico- 

religious plant, a traditionally important supplementary food plant and famine food, and 

important decorative plant, with numerous other cultural uses in Melanesia and Polyn- 

esia, where numerous named cultivars and hybrids exist. The large sweet white tubers of 

some cultivars are baked for days in earthen ovens to be consumed as food, sweets or 

confectionery, or, in Hawaii, made into an alcoholic beverage known as okolehao; leaves 

important for parcelling food and dancing skirts and body ornamentation. Apparently a 

recent introduction into Nauru with no reported non-ornamental local uses. 3(58676), 5, 

6(186), 7. 

Crinum asiaticum L. "spider lily", "crinum lily", "grand crinum" 

dagiebu, dagibu (N); te kiebu (K); tapua, talotalo (T) 

syns. C. peduncula.tum R. Br. ; C. procerum Bak. 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional. Perennial erect bulbous herb, up to 

1.5 m or taller; leaves, up to 1.5 m long and 20 cm wide, many, arching, fleshy, strap- 

shaped, green to yellow, rising from a whitish stalk; inflorescence, an umbel-like 

flowerhead bearing 10 or more spider-like, 6-parted, fragrant, white flowers, with 

flowering tubes, up to 10 cm long, white filaments and purplish styles, borne on a 

flattened fleshy flowering stem (scape); fruit, subglobose, beaked, 1- to 2-seeded; seeds, 

large, fleshy. Planted ornamental. Flowers used in garlands; roots crushed for the 

treatment of filariasis. 3, 5(122), 6(216), 7.

Crinum augusturn Roxb. "crinum lily", "Queen Emma lily" 

dagiebu, dagibu (N); te kiebu (K) 

Pre-world War I1 Introduction? Mauritius and Seychelles. Large perennial erect 

bulbous herb, up to over 1 m tall; leaves, up to 1.5 m long and 12 cm wide, stemless, 

strap-shaped, tapering; flowers, white with dark reddish-purple markings, segments, 15 

to 16 cm long by 2 to 2.5 cm wide, filaments and style purple, borne on a flower stalk 

which divides into numerous short cluster-bearing stalks. Occasional. Planted ornamental; 

flowers used in garlands. 5, 6, 7(22319). 

Crinum macrantherum Engl. 

dagiebu, dagibu (N)? 

syn. C rumphii Merr. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Listed as C. macrantherum on Burgesses'(l935) 

list. Rare? Planted ornamental. 2. 

Crinum moorei Hook. f. "veld lily" 

Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Perennial bulbous herb, up to 1 m high; 

leaves, 60 to 90 cm long and 7.5 to 10 cm wide, lanceolate, smooth; flowers, fragrant, 

rose, pink or white, funnel-shaped with curved tubes, up to 10 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, 

and segments, up to 10 cm long. Planted ornamental. 5(63). 

Dracaena deremensis Engler 

syn . Pleomele deremensis (Engler) N. E. Br. 

" dracaena" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Rare. Woody palm-like erect shrub, up to 1.5 

m or taller; leaves, up to 45 cm by 5 cm, sword-shaped, longitudinally green and white- 

striped, apetiolate. Ornamental pot plant. 6, 7. 

Dracaena fragrans (L.) Ker-Gawl. "dracaena" , "dragon flower", "pleomele" 

syns. Alectris fragrans L.; Pleomele fragrans (L.) Salisb. 

Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Rare. Woody palm-like erect shrub, up to 3 m 

or higher; leaves, up to 90 cm long by 10 cm wide, arching, green or longitudinally 

- - 

green and . yellow-~triped, 

~ -~ apetiolate; flowers, fragrant, 

~ ~- ~ greenish-yellow, 

~~ - borne --- in 

panicles; fruit, orange-colored, unpleasant-smelling berry. Ornamental pot plant. 5, 6,

Dracaena sanderiana Sander "dracaena" , "ribbon plant" 

syn. Pleomele sanderiana (Sander) N.E. Br. 

Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Rare. Erect woody shrub, up 1 m or taller; 

leaves, to about 17 cm long and 3 cm wide, petiolate, arching, dark green, with white 

edges, set at intervals along the stem; petioles, 7.5 to 10 cm long. Ornamental pot plant. 

7. 

Furcraea foetida (L.) Haw. 

syns. F. gigantea Vent.; Agave foetida L. 

"Mauritius hemp" 

Recent introduction. Trop. S. America. Rare. Stemless perennial herb, up to 1.5 

m or higher; leaves, 1 to 1.8 m long and 10 to 15 cm wide, stiff, fleshy, sword-shaped, 

spine-tipped, arranged in a rosette; flowers, strong-scented, greenish-white, borne in 

terminal panicles on a tall branching stem, up to 7 m high. Found in ruderal sites. May 

have been confused with Agave rigida by Swarbrick. 8. 

Gloriosa superba L. "climbing lily", "gloriosa" , "glory lily" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Occasional. Climbing perennial lily, reaching 

up to 1.5 m in length; leaves, glossy, twisted, narrow, tapering into tendrils; flowers, up 

to 7.5 cm long, striking, 6-parted, bright red and yellow, with curled petals which turn 

inside out and point upwards when fully open. Planted ornamental and pot plant. 5, 

6(l77). 

Hippaestrum puniceum (Lam.) Urban "Barbados lily", "amaryllis" 

syns. Amaryllyis punicea Lam. ; Hippaestrum equestre (Ait .) Herb. ; Amaryllis 

equestris Ait. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Bulbous herb, up to 60 cm or higher; leaves, 

30 to 48 cm by 4 cm, 6 to 8 in number, strap-shaped, dark green, developing after the 

flowers have died; flowers, 10 to 12 cm across, funnel-shaped, red or salmon-colored 

with green centers, borne in groups of 2 to 4 on a stout flowering stem, 30 to 60 cm 

high. Planted ornamental. 3(58718), 6, 7. 

Hosta plantaginea (Lam .) Asch. "plantain lily", " funkia" 

Recent introduction. China and Japan. Rare. Clump-forming herb, up to 50 cm 

high; leaves, ovate with many oblique grooves or ribs spreading from the midrib; 

flowers, funnel- or bell-shaped, small, white or blue-lilac, borne in narrow spikes on a 

flower stalk. Planted ornamental. 5(62), 6.

Hymenocallis littoralis (Jacq.) Salisb. 

lili (N); te ruru ni mane (K); lili (T) 

syn. Paneratiurn littorale Jacq. 

59 

"spider lily" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Erect bulbous perennial herb, up 

to 75 cm or higher; leaves, 45 to 75 cm long and 2 to 7 cm wide, strap-shaped, fleshy; 

inflorescence, an umbel of 3 to 8 striking, white, funnel-shaped, spider-like, fragrant 

flowers with narrow tubes, 10 to 17 cm long, and long slender spreading petals, 

connected at the base by a thin web, borne at the top of a thick, flattened flowering stem, 

30 to 75 cm long; fruit, green, smooth, 3-celled. Planted ornamental. 3(58782), 5(129), 

6, 7. 

Littonia modesta Hook "climbing lily" 

Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Unusual climbing herb, reaching 60 to 90 

cm in length; leaves, narrow, shining, green, spaced along an unbranched stem, each 

ending in a small tendril; flowers, rich-orange, wide, spreading, bell-shaped, borne 

singly in the axils of the leaves. Planted ornamental. 6. 

Narcissus sp. "daffodil", "narcissus" 

Recent introduction. Europe. Rare. Bulbous herb, up to about 25 cm; leaves, flat; 

flowers, fragrant, white to yellow, on individual stalks borne at the top of a flattened 

stem. Ornamental pot plant. 6. 

Sandersonia aurantiaca Hook. f. "golden lily of the valley", "Chinese lanterns" 

Recent introduction. Natal. Rare. Tuberous perennial herb, up to 45 cm; leaves, 

stalkless, spear-shaped, tapering to a fine point, borne up the slender stem in decreasing 

size; flowers, showy, orange, lantern-shaped, borne on long pendant stalks from the axils 

of the leaves on the upper half of the main stem. Ornamental pot plant. 6. 

Sansevieria trifasciata Prain "bowstring hemp", "mother-in-law's tongue" 

to - 1 

Recent introduction. Trop. W. Africa. Occasional. Erect evergreen perennial, up 

m high, with orange turmeric-like rhizomes; leaves, 30 to 90 cm long and 2.5 to 7.5 

-- 

cm wide, fleshy, erect, sword-shapeartapering- to aTharpSubulate point, dEEativeTnd 

cross-banded on both sides with shades of dark green to yellowish to greyish-green, some 

varieties with creamy-yellow vertical margins; flowers, whitish to yellowish or greenish, 

tubular, borne in clusters on a flowering stem (scape) which is slightly shorter or as long

as the leaves; fruit, globose, orange with fleshy seeds. Planted ornamental and pot plant. 

3(58637), 5, 6, 7. 

Sprekelia formosissima (L.) Herb. " Jacobean lily", "Aztec lily" 

Recent introduction. C. America. Rare. Bulbous plant, about 30 cm high; leaves, 

strap-shaped, developing after the flowers; flowers, 7.5 to 10' cm across, striking 

crimson-red, single, irregularly funnel-shaped, 6-segmented, 3 together forming a lip, 2 

curled back at the sides and the sixth held upright at the top of the bloom, borne on a 

long hollow stem. Ornamental pot plant. 6. 

Yucca gloriosa L. "yucca", "Spanish bayonet" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America and S.E. United States. Rare. Tree-like 

perennial shrub, up to 2 m or taller; leaves, about 60 cm long and 5 cm wide, sharp- 

pointed, green to grey-blue, borne in rosettes on a branched or unbranched stem; 

flowers, up to 7.5 cm across, many, white to creamy, short-stalked, cup- or bell-shaped, 

borne in clusters on a much-branched flower stem extending above the leaf rosette. 

Planted ornamental. 3(58683), 5, 6, 7. 

Zephyranthes candida (Lindl.) Herb. "zephyr flower", "white star of Bethlehem", 

"westwind flower", "storm lily" 

Recent introduction. Argentina and Uruguay. Rare. Bulbous herb, up to 25 cm 

high; leaves, seldom over 25 cm, green, fleshy; flowers, 3.5 to 5 cm long, solitaq, 6- 

segmented, white inside, rose-tinged or not outside, borne on erect or bent flowering 

stems, 10 to 20 cm long; fruit, a 3-valved capsule with flat black seeds. Planted 

ornamental. 6. 

Zephyranthes rosea Lindl. "pink lady", "pink star of Bethlehem", "pink zephyr flower" 

susana (T) 

syn. Atamosco rosea (Lindl.) Green 

Recent introduction. Guatemala and W. Indies. Rare. Bulbous herb, rarely up to 

10 cm; leaves, up to 25 cm long, narrow, strap-shaped, downward-curved; flowers, 

about 2.5 to 3 cm long, solitary, pink to rosy-red, borne on erect or bent flower stems, 

up to 15 cm long. Planted ornamental. 3(58692), 5, 6, 7. 

- -- - - -p -- --- - - --

Calathea ornata (Lem.) Koern. 

syn . Maranta ornata Lem . 

MARANTACEAE (Arrowroot Family) 

"calathea" 

Recent introduction. Northern S. America. Occasional. Perennial herb, up to 45 

cm or higher; leaves, up to 65 cm long and 22 cm wide, 1 to 7 in number, narrowly 

oval, green with varied striped markings above, which range from rose to white when 

young, but to entirely green above and purplish-red below when mature. Ornamental pot 

plant. 3(58688), 5, 6, 7. 

Calathea wiotiana Makoy "calathea" , "rattlesnake plant" 

syns. C. insignis Bull; C. lanceolata Boom 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Perennial, low, bushy herb, up to 30 cm or 

taller; leaves, about 30 cm long, wavy-edged, parallel-sided, velvety green, marked with 

oblique, dark olive-green blotches above and reddish-purple below. Ornamental pot plant. 

6. 

Calathea zebrina (Sims) Lindl. 

syn. Maranta zebrina Sims 

"calathea" 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Perennial unbranched short-stemmed herb, up 

to more than 45 cm high; leaves, 30 to 60 cm long and 15 cm wide, oblong, with 

somewhat wavy edges, as many as 20 in number, spirally-arranged, tufted, velvety, dark- 

green and light- or yellow-green bands above and purple beneath. Ornamental pot plant. 

6. 

Ctenanthe lubbersiana (Morr.) Eichl. "ctenanthe" , "bamburanta" 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Tufted perennial, up to 50 cm high, with 

slender forking stems; leaves, 15 to 20 cm long, narrowly oblong, long-stalked, varie- 

gated, deep green above, lined and mottled with yellow, and paler beneath. Ornamental 

pot plant. 6. 

Ctenanthe oppenheimiana (Morr.) K. Schum. "ctenanthe" , "never-never plant" 

- -- - - - -- - --- - - -- - - - - - - - - -- -- - -- 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Clump-forming perennial, up to 75 cm high; 

leaves, up to 25 cm or longer, lance-shaped, green with silver-grey bands on the upper 

surface and purple-red beneath. Ornamental pot plant. 6.

Maranta leuconeura Morr. " maranta", "prayer plant", "rabbit tracks" 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Perennial herb, up to 30 cm high; leaves, up to 

15 cm long, oblong, stalked, light emerald green with brown-purple patches both sides of 

the mid-vein, lying almost horizontal by day becoming more vertical at night like hands 

in prayer; flowers, about 2.7 cm long, white to violet, accompanied by two narrow 

bracts. Ornamental pot plant. 6, 7. 

MUSACEAE (Banana Family)* 

*The nomenclature for the genus Musa is confused, with most of the common 

seedless cultivars or clones being triploid crosses of the fertile species Musa acuminata 

Colla and M. balbisiana Colla. The Latin binomials M. nana Loureiro, M. sapientum L., 

and M. paradisiaca L. are commonly used as follows: M. nana for the "dwarf Caven- 

dish", and M. sapientum for the taller bananas, which are generally eaten ripe, but which 

are also cooked throughout the Pacific as starchy staples, and M. paradisiaca for the 

starchier bananas or plantains, which are usually eaten cooked as a staple starch, but 

occasionally eaten ripe as fruit. The nomenclature most widely used by agronomists is 

that developed by Simmonds, which classifies all cultivars or clones on the basis of their 

assumed genetic background, eg. Musa ABB Group would be a triploid cross of one M. 

acuminata group and two M. balbisiana groups. Both nomenclature systems are presented 

here to more precisely identify the clones that are currently present in Nauru. 

Musa (AAA Group) Simmonds "banana", "Robusta" , "poyo" , "Mons Marie" 

dabanana (N); te banana (K); fuainaoluga (T) 

syns. M. sapientum L.; M. paradisiaca L. var. sapientum (L.) Kuntze; M. 

paradisiaca L. ssp. sapientum (L.) Kuntze; M. acuminata Colla cvs 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. E. Asia. Occasional. Clump- or stand-forming 

giant perennial herb, up to 6 m tall, with green pseudostems (trunks) composed of leaf 

sheaths; leaves, up to 2.5 m long and 75 cm wide, broad-bladed, broadly feather-shaped, 

bright green, smooth, at first entire, but soon splitting like a feather along parallel side 

veins, spirally arranged in a terminal crown through which the inflorescence emerges, 

leaf stems and midribs thick; inflorescence, thick, stalk-like, terminal, and bearing male 

flowers, in a large budlike tip with dark purplish-red scales, and female flowers along the 

- - 

stalk --- which - turn- -- into --A- large hanging fruit bunches; fruit, seedless, --- blunt-tipped, - - -- medium- - 

thick-skinned, greenish-yellow, turning bright yellow on ripening; new pseudostems 

sprout from base of old pseudostems which die or are cut after bearing fruit. Food plant 

in Tuvaluan and I-Kiribati food gardens at Location and Topside workshops; occasional 

in Nauruan and expatriate home gardens. Important food and export crop in many areas

of the Pacific, especially in Tonga and Western Samoa, where bananas are a major 

export crop, and in Tuvalu, where bananas are a major staple food. Not a traditional food 

plant, and of only limited importance on Nauru. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7. 

Musa (AAB Group) Simmonds "lady's finger banana", "pisang rajah" (Indonesia) 

dabanana (N); te banana, te oraora (K); tamatamailima, inisi (T) 

syns. Musa x paradisiaca L. var. hort. "Pisang raja" (M. acuminata Colla x 

M. balbisiana Colla) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. India. Occasional. Clump- or stand-forming 

giant perennial herb, up to 7 m tall, with bronze-green pseudostems (trunks) composed of 

leaf sheaths; leaves, up to 3 m long and 80 cm wide, broad-bladed, broadly feather- 

shaped, bright green, smooth, at first entire, but soon splitting like a feather along 

parallel side veins, spirally arranged in a terminal crown through which the inflorescence 

emerges, leaf stems and midribs thick; inflorescence, thick, stalk-like, terminal, and 

bearing male flowers, in a large budlike tip with dark purplish-red scales, and female 

flowers along the stalk which turn into large hanging fruit bunches; fruit, tightly-packed, 

light-yellow, short, slightly rounded, plump, very thin-skinned, seedless; new pseudos- 

tems sprout from base of old pseudostems which die or are cut after bearing fruit. Food 

plant in Tuvaluan and I-Kiribati gardens at Location and Topside workshops. Eaten ripe 

as a fruit throughout much of the Pacific and a very important staple in Samoa, where it 

is cooked green. Not usually found in Nauruan gardens. 3, 5, 6, 7. 

Musa (ABB Group) Simmonds "cooking banana", "plantain", " bluggoe" 

dabanana (N); te banana, te umuumu (K); pata (T) 

syns. Musa x paradisiaca L. var. hort. "Bluggoe" (M. acuminata Colla x M. 

balbisiana Colla ) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction? S. E. Asia and Pacific. Common. Clump- or 

stand-forming giant perennial herb, up to 6 m tall, with pale green pseudostem (trunks) 

composed of leaf sheaths; leaves, up to 2.5 m long and 75 cm wide, broad-bladed, 

broadly feather-shaped, bright green, smooth, at first entire, but soon splitting like a 

feather along parallel side veins, spirally arranged in a terminal crown through which the 

inflorescence emerges, leaf stems and midribs thick; inflorescence, thick, stalk-like, 

terminal, and bearing male flowers, in a large budlike tip with dark purplish-red scales, 

and female flowers along the stalk which turn into large hanging fruit bunches; fruit, 

light-green, waxy, thick-skinned, angular, with a tapering blunt-tip; new pseudostems 

sprout from base of old pseudostems which die or are cut after bearing fruit. Food plant 

in well --- mulched areas and planting boxes at Location and near Topside workshops in 

Tuvaluan and FKiribati gardens. ImpOitafi tradTtiOn5l si@flemenws€%ple in many areas 

of the Pacific, where it seems to be an aboriginally introduced cultivar and known as bata 

or pata in Fiji and Polynesia respectively. The most common banana cultivar in Kiribati, 

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 

earthen oven; green fruit cooked as a staple food and ripe fruit eaten raw. Evidently not a 

successful aboriginal introduction to Nauru, where Musa cultivars do not seem to have 

been a traditional food crop. 5, 6, 7. 

ORCHIDACEAE (Orchid Family) 

Cattleya sp. "cattleya orchid" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Bulbous or slender-stemmed orchid 

with thick, slightly-folded leaves and large showy flowers. Ornamental pot plant. 6. 

Dendrobium undulatum R. Br. "dendrobium orchid" 

Recent introduction. Australia. Rare. Orchid with short thick leaves and many 

showy flowers borne along a flowering stem. Ornamental pot plant. 6. 

Dendrobium sp. "dendrobium orchid" 

Recent introduction. Rare. Orchid with short thick leaves and many showy 

flowers borne along a flowering stem. Planted ornamental at H.M. De Robert's home. 6. 

Spathoglottis plicata B1. "Malayan ground orchid" 

Recent introduction. Indomalaysia. Rare. Terrestrial erect perennial herb, up to 60 

cm or taller; leaves, 50 cm to 120 cm long and 5 to 20 cm wide, oblong-lanceolate or 

elliptic-lanceolate, plicate, with numerous parallel veins; flowers, 2 to 3 cm wide, pink to 

rose-lavender, with some magenta and bright yellow in the center, borne in clusters on a 

long flowers stalk (scape), up to 150 cm or higher; fruit, a narrow oblong seed-bearing 

capsule, about 3.7 cm long. Planted ornamental. 5, 6. 

Vanda teres Lindl. "vanda orchid" 

Recent introduction. Burma. Rare. Evergreen orchid with tall climbing stems, up 

to 2 m ;leaves,-about15 cm l~ng,-darkgreen,-cylidiical; flowers, 2 to 5 flOWeTS, each 

10 cm across, with rounded creamy white to rose-tinted sepals, rounded rose-colored 

petals, orange or yellow throats with red markings, and the middle lobe purple or rose, 

borne in clusters on the climbing steins. Planted ornamental. 6.

Vanda sp. " vanda orchid " 

Recent introduction. S. E. Asia. Rare. Evergreen orchid with showy flowers. 

Planted ornamental. 6. 

PANDANACEAE (Pandanus Family) * 

*The nomenclature for the genus Pandanus is, like Musa, confused, with some 

taxonomists classifying many of the common cultivars and wild clones or species, both 

edible and non-edible, as forms or varieties of P. tectorius. Other taxonomists consider 

them distinct species, often listing numerous species or varieties for a given area. For 

example, P. odoratissirnus L.f. has long been thought to be synonymous with P. 

tectorius, but is not considered, by many authorities, to occur east of Malaysia. Similar- 

ly, P. odoratissirnus L.f. var. pyrifonnis Mart. has been used as a synonym for a wild 

and doubtful variety of P. tectorius, whereas Stone (1970) considers P. fragrans Gaud. to 

be the common wild species on Guam, and does not consider P. tectorius to be present. 

Thus, because the fruit of many of the named cultivars or varieties found on Nauru were 

not collected and identified, the identifications here must be considered provisional, with 

most named cultivars being grouped under P. tectorius. Other widespread forms, such as 

P. dubius Spreng., a widespread edible species; and P. spurius Miq. cv. "PUTAT" 

(syns. P. tectorius Warb. var. laevis Warb. ; P. odoratissirnus L. f. var. laevis (Warb .) 

Mart., which are widely cultivated for their leaves for use in plated ware, are also 

possibly present, but not listed here. P. dubius, if present, however, is a very different 

plant, not likely to be confused with P. tectorius. It has no edible fleshy tissue, but a 

large globose fruit, 30 to 40 cm in diameter, composed of many drupes, 8 to 18 cm long, 

each containing a single seed with edible white endosperm. 

Pandanus tectorius Warb. var. pulposus Warb. 

epo, epuh (N); te kaina (K); fala (T) 

syn. P. pyrifomis Gaud. 

"pandanus" , "screw pine" 

Indigenous and probably an aboriginal introduction in the case of some cultivars. 

Pacific Is. Common. Stout, branching tree, up to 5 m or more tall, with numerous aerial 

roots and thick forking stems; leaves, seldom over 10 cm wide and 1 to 3 m long, 

spirally-arranged, pointed, with armed or spiny margins and midribs; male inflorescence, 

fragrant, pendant, with cream-yellow bracts and white spikes; female inflorescence, 

si=-bu t stnaIkel;n separate trees; f fii7 pEii%ppmilCe, mid; 2OPt0 30cm-long and 

10 to 20 cm wide, with 50 or more wedge-shaped, yellow to red-orange, 1 to 12-celled 

woody drupes, each about 4 to 8 cm long. Commonly planted on the coastal strip in 

home gardens and in open areas and in stands on the unmined portions of the plateau

(Topside); women were formerly responsible for the care and cultivation of pandanus, 

although men helped in the initial clearing of land. An important staple to the Nauruans 

and to the I-Kiribati and Tuvaluans on their home islands. Very important fresh fruit and 

staple in Nauru and other atoll and Micronesian countries. Named cultivars which still 

exist on Nauru include enaben (enabun), erabaite (erabwaite), eragadibyaw, eragomogom 

(eragumugum), inaparabei (inaporabei), inimenoiya, irireiab, and iriribe; other named 

cultivars, which are reportedly now extinct due to mining, bombing during World War 

11, and failure to replant, include eraburabur (eraburbur), eramwimwi, erarapaiwa 

(erarapeiwa, erarapwiewa), erkibwir, erokwoi, eronubwe, erwuro, inibiterin, and itoidi 

(etoidi). Some of these cultivars may be P. dubius (see above). Ripe fruit of all cultivars 

eaten in Nauru as a vitamin-A-rich snack food and also cooked or fermented and put on 

pandanus mats or leaves in the sun to dry to make a "rich man's" food known as edongo, 

which is also a traditional food for the sick; leaves, which are commonly soaked in fresh 

water or boiled, are plaited into mats (itubare), baskets, and other plaited ware, and 

make the best traditional thatching and roofing; main trunk and stilt roots used in house 

construction; wood and dried fruit sometimes burned as fuel; thin outside bark of the stilt 

roots scraped and mixed with coconut juice to cure constipation and poor appetite; I- 

Kiribati use leaves as cigarette wrappers. According to Wedgewood (1936), during the 

yearly pandanus harvest (ineded), which usually occurred around August or September, 

people used to ieave their homes on the coast to stay in temporary bush huts on the 

pandanus lands in the interior. 2, 3(58760), 5(64), 6, 7(27814?). 

Pandanus sanderi Hort. ex Masters "variegated pandanus" 

Recent introduction. Indomalaysia to the Pacific Is. Rare. Perennial shrub with 

long pointed variegated green leaves with yellow-white margins. Planted ornamental. 6. 

Andropogon sp. 

POACEAE OR GRAMINAE (Grass Family) 

Recent Introduction. Rare. Small perennial grass. Local on strip-mined land. 

3(58736). 

Arundo donax L. "giant reed" 

Recent intr~diiCtion.~OTd 

World. OccTsionnX Lai-ge perenniiil grass or reed with 

strong, bamboo-like, erect hollow stems, 2 to 4 cm in diameter, rising in clumps, up to 

4 m high; leaves, 50 to 70 cm long and 2 to 6 cm wide, flat, pale bluish-green, smooth; 

inflorescence, a large feathery flowering panicle, up to 70 cm long, with whitish to

purplish spikelets, 8 to 12 mm long. Planted ornamental and spontaneous in some areas. 

3(58742), 3(171N), 5(95), 6, 7(22318). 

Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. ex Wendl. "common bamboo", "feathery bamboo" 

ebarabaratu, embarabaraba (B)(N) ; te kaibaba (K) 

syns. Arundo bambos L.; Bambos arundinacea Retz.; Bambusa arundinaria 

Willd. ex Merr. (Sphalm.); B. arundinacea (Retz.) Willd. 

Pre-World War I1 post-European contact introduction. Trop. Asia. Rare. Giant 

perennial clump-forming woody grass with segmented green to yellowish stems (culms), 

up to 15 m tall and 8 cm wide; leaves, 9 to 30 cm long and 1 to 4 cm wide, feathery, 

lanceolate, rough below and on the margins; flowers, spikelets, 2 to 3.5 cm long, borne 

in large leafy clusters at the nodes. Planted on coastal strip. Woody stems used in the 

construction of perches for pet frigate birds, for fishing rods, net handles for noddy-bird 

nets and reef and flying-fish nets; splinters used in the past to mend fishing nets; parts 

used medicinally. 2, 5, 6(217), 7. 

Cenchrus brownii R. & S. 

eakung, iyakong (N) 

syn. C. viridis Spreng. 

"Brown's burgrass", "Brown's sandbur" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Annual grass, up to 50 cm or 

higher; leaves, 5 to 12 cm long, narrow, slightly hairy; inflorescence, a cylindrical 

flowering spike bearing many crowded somewhat delicate globose spiny burrs. Weed in 

open places and ruderal habitats on the coastal strip. 5(35), 6, 7. 

Cenchrus echinatus L. "burgrass", "sand bur" 

eakung, iyakong (N); te kateketeke (K); mouku talatala (T) 

Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Common. Annual grass, 10 to 60 

cm tall, lower parts often prostrate, rooting at the nodes; leaves, 3 to 10 cm long and 3 

to 10 mm wide, narrow, slightly hairy on the upper surface near base, smooth on lower 

surface; inflorescence, a dense cylindrical spike-like raceme, 3 to 8 cm long, bearing 5 to 

15 well-spaced (not crowded) spiny burs, usually bearing 2 to 4 spikelets, 5 to 7 mm 

long; fruit, a globose bur, 3 to 6 mm in diameter, purplish or straw-colored with age, 

with numerous irregularly arranged spines, up to 5 mm long. Weed occurring in clusters 

or tufts in open and ruderal habitats on the coastal strip. 2, 3(58607), 4(146N), 5(34), 6, 

7, 8. - -

Chloris inflata Link 

syn. C. barbata sensu auct. non (L.) Sw. 

"finger grass" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Tufted perennial grass, up to 90 

cm tall, erect or somewhat bent at the base, rooting at the lower nodes, which are often 

purplish; leaves, up to 3 to 20 cm long and 2 to 6 mm wide, flat, usually bluish-green, 

rough on the edges, often hairy near the base on the upper side; inflorescence, flower 

heads of 2 to 11 conspicuous, purplish, finger-like, feathery terminal flower spikes, 2.5 

to 7.5 cm long, with spikelets, about 3 mm long, with 3 slender bristles, borne at the tips 

of flowering stems (culms), up to 60 to 90 cm high. Weed occurring locally in isolated 

clusters or tufts in open and ruderal places on the coastal strip. 3(58519), 4(151N), 

5(40), 6, 7, 8(9549). 

Chrysopogon aciculatus (Retz.) Trin. "needle grass", "seed grass", "golden beard grass" 

syns. Andropogon acicu.latus Retz.; Rhaphis aciculatus (Retz.) Desv. 

Recent introduction. S. E. Asia and Pacific Is. Occasional. Perennial grass, up to 

60 cm high, usually with prostrate or creeping stems; leaves, 2 to 5 cm long and 3 to 6 

mm wide, flat or folded, linear-lanceolate, rough on the edges; inflorescence, a finely- 

branched flower stem, up to 25 cm long, bent at the base, bearing slender erect clustered 

purplish panicles, 2.5 to 6 cm long, with awned or barbed, spikelets, 3 to 6 mm long. 

Weed occurring locally on bare soil, roadsides, waste places, and occasionally in lawns. 

3(58625, 58709), 5(82), 6, 7. 

Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. "Bermuda grass" 

ibugibugi (N); te uteute (K); mouku (T) 

syns. Panicum dactylon L. ; Capriola dactylon (L.) 0. Ktze. 

Recent introduction. Old World. Common. Small, low creeping perennial sod- 

forming grass, rooting at the lower nodes; leaves, 2.5 to 10 cm long and 3 to 6 mm 

wide, rough on the edges; inflorescence, a somewhat ascending or erect flowering stem 

(culm), up to 10 to 15 cm, bearing 2 to 6, often 4 to 5, slender, radiating purplish finger- 

like terminal flower spikes, 2.5 to 7 cm long, and spikelets, up to 3 mm long. Common 

in open places forming mat or sod and in lawns. 3(58625), 5, 6(270), 7. 

Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Beauv. " four-finger grass", "beach wire grass", 

"crowfoot grass" - 

syns. Qnosurus aegyprius L. ; Dactyloctenium aegyptiacum - (L.) Willd. (orth . 

mut.); Elcusine aegyptiaca (L.) Desf 

grass, 

Recent introduction. Paleotropics. Occasional. More or less prostrate annual 

15 to 60 cm high, rooting from the lower nodes; leaves, up to 15 cm to 30 cm

long, but mostly shorter, and up to 6.2 mm wide, flat, the edges lined with hairs; 

inflorescence, an erect flowering stem (culm), up to 50 cm tall, bearing 2 to 6 radiating 

thick, somewhat purplish, dark-colored terminal flower spikes, each up to nearly 3 to 6 

cm long, the rachis pointed and extending beyond the spikelets, the spikelets awned, up 

to 3 mm long. Weed in clusters or tufts in open and ruderal habitats on the coastal strip. 

3(58603, 58606), 4, 5, 6(209), 7, 8(9550). 

Dactyloctenium cteniodes (Steud.) Besser? 

Recent introduction. Africa. Annual grass. Occasional locally in disturbed places. 

4(153N). 

Dichanthium sp. "blue grass" 

Recent introduction. Occasional. Perennial grass with bluish stems (stolons). 

Occurs locally in open weedy places. 3(585 l8), 5(85). 

Digitaria bicornis (Lam.) R. & S. 

syns . Panicum bicorne Lam. 

"crab grass", "large crab grass" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional? Perennial creeping grass. Weed in 

open and ruderal sites on the coastal strip. 4(152N). 

Digitaria ciliaris (Retz.) Koel. "crab grass", "large crab grass" 

syns. Pmicum ciliare Retz.; Digitaria adscendens (HBK) Henr.; Syntherisma 

ciliaris (Retz.) Schrader 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional? Perennial creeping and ascending 

grass, rooting by runners at the lower nodes and forming dense mats, with smooth, 

usually flattened, ascending stems; leaves, 2 to 13 cm long and 3 to 6 mm wide, flat, 

green to blue-green, sometimes purplish, slightly hairy on upper surface; inflorescence, a 

branched raceme, 4 to 9 in number, up to about 17 cm long, with 2 to 4 slender finger- 

like branches, 2.5 to 8 cm long, remaining close together, forming compact delicate 

heads; rachis, winged; spikelets, about 3 mm long, narrow, ellipsoid. Weed in garden. 

3(59604). 

~i~itaria radicosa (Presl) ~ i ~ . - I#- crab - grass" 

syns. Panicum radicosa Presl . ; Digitaria borbonica Desv . ; D. timorensis 

(Kunth) Balansa

Recent introduction. Old World tropics. Occasional? Annual erect or ascending 

grass, up to 60 cm high; leaves, 2 to 10 cm long and 3 to 7 mm wide, sheaths puberu- 

lent; inflorescence, a branched raceme, 4 to 10 cm long, usually 2 to 3, rarely 6 to 8, in 

number, smooth, but puberulent at the axils, with fingerlike, very narrow spikelets, 3 by 

0.6 to 0.75 mm, linear-lanceolate, on pedicels, 2.5 to 3.5 mm long. Roadside weed. 

3(58608) 

Digitaria setigera Roth "crab grass", "slender crab grass" 

ibugibugi, ibiugibiugi (N); te uteute (K) 

syns. Panicurn pruriens Fisch. ex Trin.; Digitaria pruriens (Fisher ex Trin.) 

Buse (in Burgess' list 1935); D. rnicrobachne (J. S. Presl) Henr. 

Indigenous. S.E. Asia to Polynesia. Occasional. Densely-tufted creeping or 

ascending grass, up to 60 cm high, with smooth slender stems; leaves, 6 to 20 cm long 

and 3 to 8 mm wide, smooth hairy, with leaf sheaths at the base; inflorescence, an erect 

slender raceme, 5 to 15 cm long, 3 or 4, rarely more, somewhat pubescent, with 

numerous spikelets, about 2.5 to 3 mm long. Weed occurring in clusters or tufts in open 

and ruderal habitats on the coastal strip. 2, 3, 5(83), 6(156), 7, 8(9551?). 

Digitaria violascens Link. "smooth crab grass", "violet crab grass" 

syns. D. argyrostachya (S teud.) Fern. 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Rare. Erect to spreading annual, sometimes 

perennial, smooth-stemmed grass, up to 60 cm tall, forming dense clumps; leaves, 2 to 9 

cm long and 3 to 6 mm wide, flat, slightly reddish, usually smooth, but often slightly 

rough on the edges and sometimes with a few hairs near the base on the upper side; 

inflorescence, composed of 2 to 9 slender finger-like branches, 2.5 to 10 cm long, at the 

tip or along the upper 2.5 to 5 cm of the flowering stem, and very small dark-brown 

spikelets, up to 2 mm. Weed occurring locally near Buada Lagoon. 3(58786). 

Echinochloa colona (L.) Link. "jungle rice" 

syns. Panicurn colonurn L.; Oplisrnenus colonus (L.) HBK. 

Recent introduction. India. Occasional. Tufted erect to ascendant annual grass, 20 

to 80 cm high, often decumbent at the base and rooting at the lower nodes, with flattened 

often reddish-purple stems; leaves, 2.5 to 15 cm long and 3 to 10 mm wide, flat, 

tapering, margins smooth or sometimes scabrous; inflorescence, a flowering - - stem (culm), 

20 to 60 cm-high, bearing a panicle, 4 to 12 cm long, with very short green or purpletinged 

alternating racemes, 1 to 3 cm long, with ovate spikelets, 1 to 3 mm long, 

crowded in 4 rows on short pedicels. Weed in gardens around buildings. 4(150N), 5 

(155).

Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn . 

ibugibugi (N); te uteute (K); mouku (T) 

syn. Cynosurus indicus L. 

7 1 

"wiregrass", "goosegrass" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. India; long naturalized in Old and New Worlds. 

Abundant. Ascending tufted annual or perennial grass, usually growing in tufts, with 

flattened pale green stems, with hairy nodes; leaves, 6 to 30 cm long and 3 to 8 mm 

wide, mostly glabrous, scabrous on the midvein and upper margins; inflorescence, 2 to 7, 

flattened, fingerlike terminal branches or spikes, 4 to 12 cm long and 3 to 7 mm wide, 

radiating from the tip of a flowering stem (culm), up to 30 cm tall, with one or two 

spikes slightly below the tip; spikelets 3 to 6 mm long; seeds, about 1.5 mm long, dark 

green to dark-reddish-brown, ridged, crowded in two rows on one side of the spike. 

Growing in rather dense concentrations or colonies in gardens and waste places. 2, 

3(58660), 4(147N, 154N), 5(65), 6, 7, 8(9544). 

Eragrostis amabilis (L.) Wight & Arn. ex Hook. & AiHove grass", "Japanese lovegrass" 

ibugibugi, ibiugibiug, bahibahi (N); te uteute n' aine (K); mouku (T) 

syn. Poa amabilis L.; Eragrostis tenella (L.) Beauv. ex R. & S. 

Recent introduction? Old World. Common. Small, rather delicate, annual grass, 

usually branched or spreading at the base but sometimes erect, up to 30 cm tall, with 

delicate wiry stems, 15 to 45 cm long; leaves, 3.5 to 10 cm long and 1.5 to 4 mm wide, 

slightly rough on the upper surface, smooth on the lower, with tufts of long hairs at the 

summits of the sheaths; inflorescence, a flowering stem (culm), 5 to 15 cm long, bearing 

short, rather delicate, branches and numerous, often reddish-purple, 4- to 6-flowered 

spikelets, about 1 to 1.5 mm long, in open panicles. Weed occurring in scattered clusters 

around buildings, paths, and other ruderal places. 2(28.5), 3(58626), 4(148N), 5(66), 6, 

7, 8(9539). 

Lepturus repens (Forst. f.) R. Br. var. subulatus Fosb'l bunchgrass", "beach bunchgrass" 

ibugibugi, ibiugibiugi (N); te uteute (K); mouku (T) 

syns. Rottboellia repens F0rst.f. ; Monoerma repens (Forst. f.) Beauv. 

Indigenous. Pacific Is. Occasional. Freely-branching, creeping grass with stems, 

up to 40 cm long, rooting at the nodes; leaves, 7 to 20 cm long and 3 to 7 mm wide, 

narrowly lanceolate to linear, often with inrolled margins; inflorescence, protruding, 

solitary, long-awned spikelets embedded in a narrow, jointed, cylindrical flowering spike, 

6 to 15 cm long and 1 to 2 ~nln in diameter, which disarticulates at maturity. Occurring 

-- 

in clu~G~am6~ &and vetation. 3(58605,587%), 5(8q, 5, 7.

Oplismenus hirtellus (L.) Beauv. var. "basket grass" 

syns. Panicum hirtellum L.; Orthopogon imbecillus R. Br.; Oplismenus imbecil- 

lus (R. Br.) R & S.; 0. undulatifolius (Ard.) Beauv. 

Recent introduction. Pantropical. Rare. Slender, much-branched creeping or 

ascending perennial grass, up to 30 cm or higher; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long and 8 to 12 

mm wide, lanceolate, with an acute tip and an asymmetrical base, pubescent, especially 

below, blade wavy; inflorescence, small flower clusters, with purplish bristles, borne on 

the upper 7 to 15 cm of a erect unbranching flower stem. In open wea in Topside forest. 

7(22322). 

Panicum subquadriparum Trin . 

syn . Brachiaria subquadripara (Trin .) Hitch. 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Rare. Perennial creeping grass with stems 

(culms) 20 to 60 cm long, rooting at the lower nodes; leaves, 2.5 to 12 cm long and up 

to 4 to 10 mm wide, acuminate, nerves pubescent, with a hairy leaf sheath; inflores- 

cence, an open, slender, elongated panicle, 5 to 15 cm long, with 2 to 10 spike-like, 

solitary, horizon,tally spreading racemes, 2 to 10 cm long, bearing lanceolate, sharp- 

tipped spikelets, 2 to 5 mm long, in 2 rows on one side. Rare around Buada Lagoon. 

5(83), 6(155). 

Saccharum officinarum L. "sugar cane" 

tugage (N)("sugarcaneM); te kai tioka, te kai soka ("the sugar treeW)(K); kaleve 

gau, tolo (T) 

syn. S. chineme Roxb. ex Nees in H & A. 

Pre-World War I introduction? New Guinea and Trop. Asia. Occasional. Large 

clump-forming erect perennial grass with strong thick unbranched stems, 2 to 4 m tall 

and 2.5 cm or more in diameter, with short conspicuous internodes filled with solid juicy 

pulp; leaves, 45 cm or more long and 3 cm or more wide, smooth, overlapping, finelysaw-toothed, 

loosely clustered near the top of stems, with hairy overlapping leaf sheaths; 

inflorescence, straight wandlike terminal stalk, panicle about 20 to 50 cm or more long, 

borne at the top of each stem, with numerous densely-branched, feathery, pinkish to 

silvery-white, many-jointed racemes or flower tassels, with spikelets, 4 to 5 mm long, 

although most chewing cultivars rarely flower. Food plant in I-Kiribati and Tuvaluan 

gardens at Location and Topside workshops. An important supplementary food plant 

throughout most of the Pacific, with the sweet juicy pulp a source of sugar and an 

important --- snack -- food > --- the leaves widely used for high quality-house thatching, gd the 

chewing of the fibrous stems rFortedly a main factor in good dental hygiene, which is 

ironic, given the role of processed sugar in tooth decay. Interspecific hybrids of S. 

oficinarum and more fibrous wild canes, such as S. spontaneum and S. robustum, form

the basis for the export sugar industries of Fiji and Hawaii. Apparently not traditionally 

important on Nauru. 5, 6, 7. 

Sporobolus diander (Retz.) Beauv. 

syn. Agrostis diander Retz. 

"Indian dropseed" 

Recent introduction. Southern Asia. Rare. Tufted, smooth, slender, erect 

perennial grass, 30 to 70 cm high, arising from an abruptly bent base; leaves, 7.5 to 30 

cm long and 2 to 6 mm wide; inflorescence, a smooth and sometimes drooping, spike- 

like, flowering stem or panicle, 10 to 30 cm long and 5 cm wide, bearing numerous open 

feathery branches, 1.5 to 4 cm long, with dull grey spikelets, 1 to 2 mm long, and brown 

seeds, less tha 1 mm long. Weed in waste place on coastal strip. 6(154). 

Stenotaphrum micranthum (Desv.) Hubb. 

syns. Ophiurinella micrantha Desv.; Stenotaphrum subulatum Trin. 

Indigenous. Mascarene Is. in the Indian Ocean through Malesia to eastern 

Polynesia and the Marshall Islands in Micronesia. Erect to ascending, tufted, freely 

branching grass, up to 45 cm high, with prominent nodes and slightly compressed 

sheaths, rooting at the lower nodes; leaves, 2.5 to 12 cm long and 5 to 12 cm wide, 

lanceolate, finely pointed, glabrous; inflorescence, 3 to 15 cm long, a slender to rather 

stout, corky cylindrical raceme; spikelets, 2 to 4 on short branchlets, 1.5 to 3 mm long, 

oblong to oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, embedded in the rachis. Rare grass, cited by 

Fosberg et al. 1987, but not seen or collected in 1979 or 1980. 

Tricholaena rosea Nees "Natal grass", "Natal red top" 

syns. Rhynchelytrum roseum (Nees) Stapf. & Hubb.; Rhynchelytrum repens 

sensu auct. non (Willd.) Hubb. ; Tricholaena repens (Willd.) Hitchc. 

Recent introduction. S. Africa. Common. Erect perennial grass, 40 to 90 cm high, 

rooting at the lower nodes, usually much-branched at the base, with green to bluish-green 

stems, often purplish at the joints; leaves, 5 to 15 cm long and 2 to 6 mm wide, flat 

bluish-green; inflorescence, a feathery panicle, 8 to 15 cm-long, bearing dark red or 

purplish flowers, which fade to silver-pink when old, borne on fine ascending branchlets; 

spikelets, about 5 mm long, clothed with fine silky hairs, about 3 to 5 mm long. Found 

in clusters in waste places on coastal strip and plateau and occasionally in mined areas. 

3(58655), 4(170N), 5(49), 6, 7, 8(9567).

PONTEDERIACEAE (Pickerel Weed Family) 

Eichhornia crassipes (Mart. & Zucc.) Solms-Laub. "water hyacinth" 

syns. Pontederia. crassipes Mart. & Zucc. ; Eichhornia speciosa Kunth 

Recent introduction. Trop. and Subtrop. America. Rare. Usually floating, 

perennial herb, up to 60 cm tall, with masses of fleshy, more or less horizontal, black 

roots, rooted only at flowering time by long slender roots; leaves, up to 7 to 10 cm wide, 

rounded or oblong, on bulbous air-filled petioles which act as floats; inflorescence, a 

flower spike, about 40 cm long, bearing showy 6-petaled pale violet flowers, about 5 cm 

in diameter, with a blue patch with a spot of bright yellow on the larger upper lobe, 

about eight to a stem, rising above the leaves; some forms have pink and yellow flowers. 

Water weed in Buada Lagoon and planted in tubs at Location. Commonly planted as an 

ornamental; has escaped to become a serious pest in many areas of the world where it 

clogs rivers and causes flooding and obstructs navigation. All parts are reportedly edible 

6(255). 

STRELITZIACEAE (Bird of Paradise Family) 

Heliconia collinsiana R.F. Griggs "hanging heliconia" , " fish-pole heliconia" 

syn. H. pendula Wawra 

Recent introduction. Guatemala. Rare. Erect herb, up to 2 m tall; inflorescence, 

up to 30 cm or more long, hanging, almost plastic-looking, parrot-beak-, or claw-like, 

with bright red flower bracts, each 5 cm or longer, with yellow and green lower 

margins, and white waxy powder. Planted ornamental. 5, 6. 

Heliconia humilis (Aubl.) Jacq. 

syn. Musa humilis Aubl. 

" heliconia" , "lobster claw" 

Recent introduction. Trop. S. America. Rare. Erect herb, less than 2 m tall; 

leaves, broad, paddle-shaped, 3 to 6 in number; inflorescence, an erect flowering stalk, 

up to 120 cm tall, among the leaves, bearing pointed lobster-claw-shaped bright red 

flower bracts with dark green upper margins, each up to 12 cm long. Planted ornamental. 

5, 6(236).

Heliconia psittacorum L. 

75 

" heliconia" 

Recent introduction. Trop. S. America. Occasional. Erect herb, less than 1.5 m 

tall; leaves, few, 3 to 5 in number; inflorescence, an erect flowering stalk bearing small 

bright orange flowers with green tips. Planted ornamental. 5, 6, 7. 

Heliconia sp. " heliconia" 

(1 74). 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect herb. Planted ornamental. 5 

TACCACEAE (Polynesian Arrowroot Family) 

Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) 0. Kuntze "Polynesian arrowroot" 

damagmag, damogmog (N); te makemake (K); masoa, vatia (T) 

syns. Leontice leontopetaloides L. ; Tacca pinnatifida Forst. 

Aboriginal introduction. Paleotropics. Occasional. Large stemless herb, up to 1 m 

high; leaves, large, palmately 3-parted, deeply-lobed, on long petioles, 60 cm or more in 

length, emerging directly from starchy underground tubers resembling potatoes, 20 to 25 

cm in diameter; inflorescence, a hollow flower stalk (scape), up to over 1 m high, 

bearing a terminal umbel or cluster of 10 to 40 hanging green flowers, about 15 mm 

long, surrounded by 6 leafy bracts, 4 to 5 cm long and 2 cm wide, and numerous 

hanging green and purplish filaments, up to 25 cm long; fruit, 2 to 2.5 cm in diameter, 

fleshy, ribbed, globose, which turns yellow when mature, and is crowned with floral 

parts. Occurring spontaneously in old gardens and in escarpment forest. Tubers grated 

and washed to eliminate poisonous substances, and made into edible starch in the past, 

but apparently not used by Nauruans to the extent that it was used in other parts of 

Micronesia and Polynesia. Paste from tuber used as an adhesive for barkcloth and other 

handicrafts in Polynesia and Melanesia and the fibers from the flower stem for weaving 

in parts of Polynesia. 5, 6(ll9). 

ZINGIBERACEAE (Ginger Family) 

Alpinia purpurata (Vieill.) K. Schum. 

- 

"red ginger" 

syns. Guillainia purpurara Vieill. ; Languas purpurata (Vieill .) Kaneh.

Recent introduction. Indonesia to Pacific Is. Occasional. Erect herb, 1.2 to 4 m 

tall, with leafy stems; leaves, up to 30 cm long, lance-like; inflorescence, a flower spike, 

about 25 to 30 cm long, erect or drooping, with large, open, dark red bracts, each 

accompanied by a small inconspicuous white ephemeral flower, about 2.5 cm long, with 

new plantlets, which sprout among the bracts, taking root as the dying flower spike 

collapses to the ground. Planted ornamental. 3(597 lo), 5, 6, 7. 

Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) Burtt & R.M. Smith "shell ginger" 

syns. Costus zerurnbet Pers. ; Alpinia nutans (Andr.) Roscoe; A. speciosa 

(Wendl.) K. Schum. ; Catimbium speciosum (Wendl.) Holttum. 

Recent introduction. S.E. and E. Asia. Rare. Erect herb, up to 2.5 m tall; leaves, 

50 to 70 cm long and 7 to 15 cm wide, oblong-lanceolate; inflorescence, an arching 

flower stem, 1.5 to 3 m long, bearing a somewhat lax or pendant open flower cluster. 

about 25 cm long, bearing irregularly bell-shaped flowers with waxy white bracts and 

red-tipped corollas, up to 5 cm long, with yellow lips with reddish lines or veins; fruit, 

about 2 cm in diameter, globose, ridged, red. Planted ornamental. 6. 

Hedychium coronariuni Koen . "white ginger" 

Recent introduction. India. Rare. Erect herb with stems, up to 1 m tall; leaves, 

about 50 to 60 cm long and 10 cin wide, narrowly oblong or lance-shaped, with short 

petioles; inflorescence, about 20 cm long, dense, spike-like, terminal, with overlapping 

bracts, each bearing 2 to 3 fragrant white flowers, 6 to 8 cm long, with slender tubes and 

a pale green spot on the lip, which turn yellow with age. Planted ornamental and pot 

plant. 3(59671), 5, 6, 7. 

Nicolaia elatior (Jack) Horan . "torch ginger" 

syns. Alpinia elatior Jack; Phaeomeria speciosa (Bl.) Koord; P. magnzfica 

(Roscoe) K. Schum 

Recent introduction. Mauritius. Rare. Large clump-forming perennial herb, up to 

2 to 5 m high, with arching leaf stems; leaves, 25 to 60 cm long and 10 to 15 cm wide, 

pointed, numerous, alternating in two rows up the stem; inflorescence, highly ornamen- 

tal, consisting of numerous red, white-margined bracts, the basal bracts being large, 

waxy, flowerless and forming a nest for a cone-like flowerhead, about 12 cm long, 

composed of numerous overlapping bracts, which are spirally arranged and accompanied 

by small - - -- flowers. - - - Planted 

ornamental. - -- 6.

Zingiber officinale Roscoe 

keung (C) 

syn. 2. zingiber Karst. 

"ginger" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. India and China. Rare. Erect smooth herb, up to 

90 cm high, arising from edible, thick, hard, often palmately-branched, pale-yellow 

(within) rootstalks or rhizomes, about 1.5 to 2.5 cm in diameter; leaves, 5 to 30 cm long 

and 2 to 3 cm wide, annual, lance-shaped, sheathed at the bases; inflorescence, a 

flowering stem, about 6 to 12 cm high, bearing flower spikes, 4 to 7 cm long and 1.5 to 

2.5 cm wide, with bracts, 2 to 3 cm long, and greenish-yellow three-lobed flowers, about 

1.5 to 2.5 cm long. Planted in Chinese food garden at Location. Rhizome used as a 

spice. An increasingly important commercial crop for export and local processing in Fiji. 

5, 6. 

Zingiber zerumbet (L.) Sm. 

syn. Amomum zerumber L. 

"wild ginger" 

Recent introduction; reintroduced recently by Fijian expatriate community Trop. 

Asia. Rare. Erect perennial herb, up to 1.5 m tall, with leafy stems rising from tuberous 

aromatic rootstalks or rhizomes; leaves, mostly 15 to 30 cm long, usually shorter, oblong 

lance-shaped, sheathing at the bases; inflorescence, a spike-like flower stalk (scape), up 

to 30 cm long, arising from the rhizomes, bearing ovoid to cylindrical reddish or green 

flower heads, 5 to 20 cm long, with many bracts, 2 to 3 cm long, and inconspicuous 

three-lobed white to cream flowers, about 5 cm long. Planted ornamental or medicinal 

plant. An important aboriginal introduction throughout much of Melanesia and Polynesia, 

where it is an important medicinal plant. 3, 6.

DICOTYLEDONAE 

ACANTHACEAE (Acanthus Family) 

Asystasia gangetica (L.) Anders. "asystasia" , "Chinese violet" 

syns. Justicia gangetica L. ; Asystasia coromandeliana Nees 

Recent introduction . Paleotropics. Occasional. Perennial trailing herb, or sub- 

shrubby plant, with ascending stems, up to 30 to 50 cm or longer, especially if climbing 

among taller vegetation; leaves, opposite, ovate to heart-shaped, up to 4 to 6 cm long; 

flowers, 6 to 10, tubular or bell-shaped, somewhat narrower or curving upwards at the 

base, and borne in racemose clusters, up to 15 cm or more long, with a 5-parted calyx, 

and a light-violet and white, or yellow, in some varieties, corolla, about 2 to 3 cm long, 

with five broad' spreading lobes; fruiting capsule club-shaped, four-seeded. Planted 

ornamental and naturalized in some ruderal places. 3, 4(127N), 5, 6(23 I), 7. 

Asystasia sp . 

Recent introduction. Pot plant. 3(58702). 

Barleria cristata L. "Philippine violet", "bluebell barleria" 

Recent introduction. India. Rare. Small erect shrub, 60 cm to 1.2 m or higher, 

with downy branches; leaves, 2.5 to 10 cm long rough, hairy, short-stemmed, oval and 

pointed at both ends; flowers, 1 to 3, attractive stemless and funnel-shaped, with a four- 

parted calyx, about 2 cm long, and a five-lobed violet or white and violet corolla, about 

5 to 7 cm long, developing at the leaf axils, each accompanied by 2 spiny-edged green to 

white narrow lanceolate bracts, about 2 cm long. Planted ornamental. 3(58797), 6. 

Barleria prionitis L. "porcupine flower" 

Recent introduction. Paleotropics. Occasional. Erect shrub, up to 1 m high; 

leaves, 5 to 6 cm - ---- long - by about 2 cm wide, elliptic - -- to ovate or obovate, obtuse, acute or 

even somewhat ~etiolate, narrowed to base; flowers, up to-3.5 cm long, with yellow 

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. 

3(58772), 6, 7. 

Blechum brownei Juss. 

syns. Barleria pyramidatum Lam. ; Blechum pyramidatum (Lam .) Urb. 

Recent introduction. Peru. Rare. Erect, prostrate or ascending branched shrub, 10 

to 50 cm tall, with pubescent stems; leaves, 2 to 7 cm long, simple, ovate to lanceolate, 

pubescent, pointed at both ends, and on short petioles; flowers borne on terminal spikes, 

2 to 5 cm long, with greenish or whitish overlapping ovate bracts, 1 to 1.5 cm long, 

concealing a white or pale violet funnel-shaped, five-lobed corolla, scarcely longer than 

the bracts; seed capsule oblong, 5 to 6 mm long. Weed in lawns. 5(60), 6. 

Crossandra infundibuliformis (L.) Nees "crossandra" 

syns. Justicia in.findibuli$om.is L. ; Crossandra undulaefolia Salisb . 

Recent introduction. India. Rare. Shrub, 30 to 90 cm high; leaves, 7.5 to 12.5 cm 

long, shiny green, narrow, ovate, wavy-margined, and pointed at both ends; flowers 

borne on long narrow downy spikes, about 10 cm long, with overlapping bracts bearing 

showy tubular salmon-orange flowers with a five-lobed calyx and a corolla with a narrow 

tube, about 2 cm long, and one lip which is 2.5 to 5 cm across and has 3 to 5 shallow 

lobes; fruiting capsule, oblong, containing 4 scaly seeds. Planted ornamental. 6. 

Eranthemum pulchellum Andr. "blue eranthemum" 

syns. Justicia ncwosa Vahl; Eranthemum newosum (Vahl) R. Br. 

Recent introduction. India. Rare. A smooth shrub, 60 cm to 1.5 m high; leaves, 

10 to 20 cm long, oval, pointed at both ends, with prominent veins and shallow-toothed 

margins; flowers borne on narrow spikes, 2.5 to 7.5 cm or longer, with overlapping 

whitish, green-veined oval bracts bearing a five-lobed calyx and a narrow-tubular bright- 

blue corolla, up to 2.5 cm long, the five lobes overlapping spirally in bud, but spreading 

to a diameter of under 2 cm; fruiting capsule ovoid or oblong, 4-seeded. Planted 


Fittonia argyroneura Coem. "snail plant" , "nerve plant", " silver-net leaf" 

syn . F. versch@icltii var. argyron.eura Nichols. 

Recent introduction. Peru. Rare. Perennial creeping herb, up to 30 cm high, 

rooting at the joints; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long and 2.5 to 6 cm wide, broad, ovate, 

ornamental, with a network of fine white veins; petioles 0.5 to 3 cm long; inconspicuous 

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. 


Fittonia verschaffeltii (Hort. ex Lemaire) Coem. "snail plant", "nerve plant", 

"painted net-leaf" 

Recent introduction. Peru. Rare. Perennial creeping herb, up to 30 cm high, 

rooting at the joints; leaves, 6 to 12 cm long and 3 to 8 cm wide, broad, smooth, ovate, 

ornamental, with a network of fine pink to bright carmine veins; petioles 0.5 to 3 cm 

long; inconspicuous flowers borne on erect narrow spikes, up to 6 cm long, with 

overlapping obovate greenish bracts, less than 1 cm long, a calyx about 0.5 cm long, and 

a tubular yellow two-lipped corolla, 1.5 to 2 cm long. Ornamental pot plant. 6. 

Graptophyllum pictum (L.) Griff. "caricature plant", " morado" 

syns. Justicia picta L. ; Graptophyllum hortense Nees 

Recent introduction. New Guinea. Rare. Erect shrub, up to 2 m high; leaves, 8 to 

20 cm long and 3 to 13 cm wide, smooth, leathery, variegated, elliptic-oblong, opposite, 

with slightly wavy margins, and pointed at both ends, some green, with irregular 

yellowish blotches. or markings in the center and other varieties with red-purple leaves 

with pinkish to cream-colored blotches along the center; petioles 1 cm long or less; 

flower spikes with small bracts bearing clusters of flowers with a short 5-small-lobed 

calyx and a 2-lipped, funnel-shaped crimson-purple corolla, about 4 cm long, the upper 

lip with 2 short lobes, the lower with 3 long narrow lobes; fruiting capsule 2-seeded. 

Planted ornamental. 6, 7. 

Hemigraphis alternata (Burin. f.) T. Anders. "cemetery plant" 

syns. Ruellia alternata Burm. f. ; Hemigraphis colorata (Bl.) Hal1.f. ; Ruellia 

colorata B1. 

Recent introduction. Java. Rare. Creeping perennial herb, rooting at the joints; 

leaves, 2 to 8 cm long, ovate to heart-shaped, metallic- to greenish-purple above and 

reddish-purple beneath, and with sunken veins and scalloped margins; petioles nearly as 

long as blades; erect flowering spikes, 2 to 3 cm long, with crowded overlapping narrow 

purple bracts, about 1 cm long, bearing a calyx with 5 narrow lobes, each less than 1 cm 

long, and a white, purple-lined corolla, about 2 cm long; fruiting capsule slender, 4- to 

20-seeded. Planted ornamental ground cover. 6. 

Justicia fulvicoma Schlecht. & Chamisso "shrimp plant", "red shrimp plant" 

syns. Beloperone guttata Brand. non Wallich; Justicia brandegeana Wassh. & L. 

B. Smith; Drejerella guttata (Brandeg.) Bremek.

Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. A weak-stemmed much-branched shrub, 60 

cm to 2 m or higher; leaves, 2.5 to 6 cm long, opposite, entire, pointed, ovate to heart- 

shaped, somewhat shiny-green and hairy; petioles, 1 to 2 cm long; flower spikes, up to 

10 cm long, consisting of conspicuous brick-red, heart-shaped overlapping downy bracts, 

1 to 1.5 cm long, those near the tip yellow-green with red veins, from which protrude 

small white flowers with a calyx with five narrow lobes, and a white corolla, 2.5 to 4 cm 

long, two-lipped to near the middle, with two rows of maroon spots on the lower, shortly 

three-lobed lip; fruiting capsule, club-shaped and four-seeded. Planted ornamental and pot 

plant. 3(58720), 5, 6. 

Nicoteba betonica (L.) Lindau 

syn. Justicia betonica L. 

"white shrimp plant", "squirrel's tail" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Africa to Malaya. Rare. Weak-stemmed shrub, up to 

1.5 m or higher; leaves, 7.5 by 3.5 cm or much larger, ovate or narrower, acuminate, 

smooth, dark green; flower spikes, about 10 cm long, borne at branch tips in erect 

spikes, with white and lilac flowers, each accompanied by three conspicuous overlapping 

heart-shaped and ovate pointed bracts which are white with green veins. Planted 

ornamental. 6, 7. 

Odontonema stricturn (Nees) 0. Ktze. "odonotema" , "red justicia" 

syns. 0. tubiforme (Bertol.) 0. Ktze.; Justicia tubaeformis Bertol.; Thrysacan- 

thus strictus Nees; 0. nitidum (Jacq.) 0. Ktze.; Justicia coccinea Aubl.(?) 

Recent introduction. C. America. Occasional. Erect shrub, up to 1.5 m tall; 

leaves, mostly 5 to 20 cm long and 4 to 9 cm wide, ovate-oblong or lanceolate-oblong, 

wavy margins, and smooth above and slightly hairy beneath; petioles, 0.5 to 2 cm long; 

branching terminal flower spike, with very small bracts and straight slender bright-red 

corolla tubes, 2.5 cm long and only about 5 mm across, with 5 lobes, each about 3 mm 

long, crowded at branch tips. Planted ornamental. 5, 6, 7. 

Pachystachys lutea Nees "yellow shrimp plant" 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Erect branched shrub, up to 45 cm tall; leaves 

rich, dark-green, elliptical, and pointed; stems, erect, each terminating in a striking 2.5 

to 10 cm-long cone-like spike of conspicuous rich yellow overlapping bracts, from which 

protrude white tubular flowers, about 4 cm long. Pot plant. 3(58720).

Pseuderanthemum bicolor (Schrank) Radlk. 

syn. Eranthemum bicolor Schrank 

Recent introduction. E. Malaysia. Rare. Erect shrub, up to 1 m tall; leaves, 

mostly 5 to 15 cm long and up to 6 cm wide, purple or purple-brown, ovate-oblong or 

lanceolate-oblong, acuminate, glabrous or finely puberulent; flowers borne in axillary 

cymes, the uppermost sometimes in racemes, with puberulent calyxes, up to 1 cm long, 

and puberulent 5-lobed white tubular corollas, 3.5 to 4 cm long with red throats, one 

lobe with a red blotch, and other lobes white; fruiting capsule 2.5 to 3 cm long. Planted 

ornamental. 6, 7(27810). 

Pseuderanthemum carruthersii (Seem.) Guill. var. carruthersii "false eranthemum" 

te iaro (K) 

syns. Eranthernum eldorado Hort.; Pseudemnthemum eldorado (Williams) 

Radlk. 

Recent introduction. Melanesia? Occasional. Erect shrub, up to 1 m or higher; 

leaves, 5 to 15 cm long, smooth, elliptic-ovate leaves, mottled yellow-green, with 

conspicuous netlike veins; petioles 1 to 3 cm long; erect spike-like racemes bearing 

flowers with inconspicuous bracts, green or reddish 5-lobed calyxes, up to 8 mm long, 

and white and purple or rosy-purple tubular corollas, the tube, about 1.3 cm long, and 

the 5 lobes spreading to about 2.5 cm or more in diameter; fruiting capsule, four-seeded, 

club-shaped. Planted ornamental shrub. 3, 5, 6(201), 7. 

Pseuderanthemum carruthersii ( Seem .) Guill. var. atropurpureum (Bull) Fosb. 

"purple false eranthemum" , "false face" te iaro (K) ; lakauuli (T) 

syns. P. atropurpureum (Bull) Radlk. ; Eranthemum atropurpurewn Bull. ; P. 

versicolor (Hort.) Radlk. ; Eranthernum versicolor Hort. 

Recent introduction. Melanesia? Occasional. Erect shrub, up to 1.5 m or more 

high; leaves, 5 to 15 cm long, dark purplish-red, elliptic-ovate; petioles, 1 to 3 cm long; 

erect spike-like racemes bearing flowers with inconspicuous bracts, green or reddish 5- 

lobed calyxes, up to 8 mm long, and 4-lobed white and purple or rosy-purple tubular 

corollas, the tube and lobes about 1.3 cm long; fruiting capsule, four-seeded, club- 

shaped. Planted ornamental shrub. 3(58777, 58792), 5, 6, 7. 

Sanchezia speciosa Leonard 

syn. S. nobilis sensu auct. non H0ok.f. 

" sanchezia" 

Recent introduction. Ecuador. Rare. Erect shrub, up to 1 m or higher, with 

smooth four-angled branches; leaves, 6 to 45 cm long, oval, pointed at both ends, and 

green, with yellow mid- and side veins; narrow flowering spikes bearing wide red bracts,

about 2.5 cm long, each pair with clusters of 8 to 10 narrow bright-yellow tubular 

flowers with corollas about 5 cm long and 5-lobed calyxes; fruiting capsule, narrow, 

cylindrical, 6- to 8-seeded. Planted ornamental shrub 6(16l). 

Thunbergia alata Bojer ex Sims "black-eyed Susan" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Rare. Herbaceous or slightly woody pubescent 

climbing or trailing vine with angular stems, up to 2 m or longer; leaves, 4 to 8 cm long, 

mid-green, opposite, deltoid ovate or ovate-lanceolate, pointed, palmately-veined, 

irregularly toothed; winged petioles, about as long as the blade; flowers solitary on 

axillary stems (pedicels), up to 5 cm long, 2 large bracts, about 2 cm long, calyx ring- 

like, corolla, yellow-orange to cream, 3 to 4 cm across, with a purple tube, 2 cm long; 

fruiting capsule depressed-globose, beaked, about 1 cm long; seeds warty and ribbed. 

Planted ornamental vine. 5. 

Thunbergia erecta (Benth .) T. Anders. 

syn . Meyenia. erecta. Ben th . 

"bush thunbergia" 

Recent introduction. Trop. W. Africa. Occasional. Erect, somewhat sprawling 

shrub, up to 2 m tall, with 4-angled stems; leaves, 3 to 8 cm or longer, opposite, oval- 

ovate, palmately 5- to 7-nerved; petioles, slender, up to 4 cm or longer, winged nearly to 

base; flowers solitary on axillary stems (pedicels), 1 to 2 cm long, with 2 large bracts, up 

to 2 cm long, calyx, 3 to 6 mm long, corolla curved, funnel-form, 3.5 to 6 cm in 

diameter and tube 2 or 3 cm long, irregularly 5-lobed, deep blue-violet or white with a 

yellow throat; fruiting capsule 2 to 2.5 cm long. Planted ornamental erect shrub. 

3(58700), 5(110), 6, 7. 

Thunbergia grandiflora (Roxb. ex Rottler) Roxb."Bengal clock vine", "Bengal trumpet", 

"large-flowered thunbergia" 

syn. Flemingia grandzj7ora Roxb. ex Rottler 

Recent introduction. India. Rare. Climbing vine; leaves, 7.5 to 20 cm long, dark 

green, nearly as broad, cordate, palmately lobed, 5 to 7- nerved, pubescent; petioles, 4 to 

12 cm long; flowers in pendent racemes, calyx pubescent and reduced to a narrow ring, 

corolla violet or whitish, 6 to 8 cm in diameter, the tube pale yellow, 3 to 3.5 cm long; 

capsule up to 1.5 cm, the beak to 3 cm long. Planted ornamental. 6(187).

Achyranthes canescens R. Br. 

syn. A. velutina H. & A. 

AMARANTHACEAE (Amaranth Family) 

Indigenous? Extinct? Somewhat shrubby herb, up to 1 rn tall; leaves, up to 12 cm 

or longer, opposite, ovate or elliptic, acuminate, slightly blunt; erect unbranched flower 

spikes bearing spiny bracts, often pinkish or purplish, and greenish calyx and corolla 

green, about 6 mm long; fruit, 5-seeded, adherent to fur or clothing. Reported by 

Schumann (1888) as collected by Finsch; reported present by Burges, 1933; not seen 

since. Extinct? 2. 

Alternanthera ficoidea L. var. bettzickiana (Reg.) Backer "joyweed", "alternanthera", 

" telanthera" , "calico plant" 

syns. Telanthera bettzickiana. Reg. ; A. versicolor Reg. ; Alternanthera bettzick- 

iana (Reg.) Nichols. 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Small erect variable herb with red branching 

stems, 15 to 30 cm high; nodes usually with tufts of white hair; leaves, about 2.5 cm 

long, opposite, lanceolate-ovate or ovate, variegated green, pink, red, yellow, and 

sometimes cream; petiole equal to or longer than the blade; flowers, small white in 

sessile heads in axils of the upper leaves. Planted ornamental border. 6. 

Alternanthera sessilis (L.) R. Br. ex R. & S. "joyweed" 

syns. Gomphrena sessilis L.; Alterna.nthera denticulata R. Br.; A. nodljlora R. 

Br.; A. am.0en.a (Lem.) Voss 

Recent introduction. Pantropical. Rare. Spreading or semi-prostrate branching 

herb, up to about 50 cm long, rooting at the lower nodes; internodes with 2 pubescent 

lines; leaves, 1 to 6 cm long and 0.4 to 1 cm wide, opposite, green, narrowly elliptic- 

obovate or oblanceolate, obtuse or acutish, minutely toothed; petiole up to about 1 cm 

long; flowers, white, small, stemless (sessile) in compact headlike clusters in the leaf 

axils; fruit enclosed in a small bladder which does not split open. Garden weed. 6(188). 

Amaranthus dubius Mart. ex Thell. "spleen amaranth" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. erect herb, up to about 70 

cm high; stem, smooth, except upper portions which are slightly hairy; leaves, 3.5 to 8 

cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide, ovate, smooth on both surfaces, margin smooth; petiole, 2 

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 

and at Location. 3, 6, 7(22309, 22312). 

Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. "prince's feather" 

syn. A. hybridus L. var. hypochondriacus (L.) Robins. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Smooth erect herb, up to 1 m or 

higher; leaves, bright red-purple to purple-green; flowers, bright red-purple in thick 

showy feathery panicles. 6. 

Amaranthus spinosus L. 

ma si han (C) 

"spiny amaranth " , "thorny amaranth" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction? Pantropical. Occasional. Smooth erect, branched 

herb, 25 to 70 cm high, armed with a pair of sharp needle-like spines, about 1 to 2 cm 

long, at the base of each petiole; leaf blades, 2.5 to 10 cm long and 1.5 to 4.5 cm wide, 

green, alternate, broadly lanceolate, pointed at the tip; petioles, about as long as leaf 

blades, clasping the stem; female flowers, pale green, clustered at leaf axils; male 

flowers, pale green, borne in terminal panicles; fruit a circumscissile utricle; seeds, very 

small, lens-shaped, shiny dark-brown. Weed in waste places and in gardens; occasionally 

cultivated in Chinese contract workers' gardens at Location. Used as a medicinal plant 

and leaves reportedly occasionally cooked for spinach by Chinese. 5, 6(140). 

Amaranthus tricolor L. "Joseph's coat", "Chinese spinach". "amaranth", "pigweed" 

te mota, te moota (K); in ts'oi (C) 

syns. A. gangeticus L; A. melancholicus L. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction? Trop. Asia. Occasional. Erect unarmed, 

branching herb, up to 1.5 m tall; leaves, 3 to 7 cm long, oval, pointed to blunt, long- 

petiolate, green or blotched with red or purple; flowers in rounded stemless clusters in 

leaf axils and in terminal panicles, about 5 cm long; fruit, a 1-seed utricle; seed, small, 

disc-shaped, dark brown, shiny. Food plant in Chinese gardens at Location and Topside 

workshops. 5(27), 6. 

Amaranthus viridis L. "slender amaranth", "green amaranth", "pigweed" 

syn. A. gmcilis Desf. 

--- 

Recent introduction. Pantropical. Occasional. Erect or decumbent, unarmed h&b, 

up to 20 to 60 cm high; stems, reddish, longitudinally-grooved; leaf blades, 3 to 7.5 cm 

long and 2.5 to 5 cm wide, alternate, green above, lighter below, broadly lanceolate or 

ovate, obtuse or slightly notched 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; 

fruit, a 1-seeded utricle; seed, small, disc-shaped, dark brown. Weed in waste places, 

primarily at Location. 4(143N), 5(26), 6. 

Celosia argentea L. var. cristata (L.) Ktze. 

syn. C. cristata L. 

"cock's comb" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Americas. Erect annual herb, 30 cm to 75 cm high, 

stems usually ribbed; leaves, 2 to 16 cm long and up to 5 cm wide, although usually 

smaller, alternate, narrow lanceolate to ovate, often reddish-green; inflorescence, a 

dense, flatly-crested, elongated, fan-shaped flower head, 6 to 15 cm across, bearing 

numerous tiny flowers, pinkish or yellow, but usually magenta or bright red; each fruit 

with two small, glossy, black seeds. Rare. Planted ornamental. 7. 

Gomphrena globosa L. "globe amaranth", "pearly everlasting" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect branched annual herb, up to 45 

cm high; leaves, 10 by 5 cm or smaller, opposite, obovate-oblong, pale-green, hairy, 

petioles clasping; flowers, numerous, crowded, in globose heads, about 1.5 to 2.5 cm in 

diameter, white, yellow, pink, red, purple or variegated, borne at the ends of branches, 

each head having two leafy bracts. Planted ornamental. Flowers used by Nauruans in 

head garlands and other ornamentation. 5(93) 

Iresine herbstii Hook. f. "iresine", "bloodleaf", "achyranthes" 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Fast-growing, erect shrubby perennial herb, up 

to 30 to 70 cm high, with bright red stems and branches; leaves, up to 6 cm long, 

opposite, fleshy, round to heart-shaped, the tip blunt or notched, brilliant red-purple to 

bronze-red, with wide, arching prominent veins, the blade continuing down the petiole; 

flowers, which may not develop, greenish-yellow, minute, numerous, in fine, much- 

branched panicles, up to 50 cm long. Planted ornamental. 6. 

ANACARDIACEAE (Cashew or Rhus Family) 

Mangifera indica L. - 

damanko (N); te mangko (K); mago (T) 

" mango" 

Pre-World War I introduction. Indo-Burma. Common. Large dense, broad- 

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- 

lanceolate, acute to acuminate, leathery (coriaceous) and somewhat shiny, pinnately- 

nerved, midrib prominent, young leaves often reddish; petioles up to 5 cm or more long, 

somewhat flattened on the upper surface; flowers, small, about 4 to 8 mm in diameter, 

numerous, yellowish-white to pinkish-white, 4- to 5-parted corolla, densely covered with 

short yellowish hairs, in large branched terminal panicles, 10 to 50 cm long; fruit, 8 to 

20 cm long, fleshy, fibrous, ovoid, pointed or rounded edible drupe, with thick, smooth, 

green to yellow-orange or reddish skin, sweet, juicy, yellow-orange to dark orange pulp, 

and a large, flattened, fibrous, ribbed seed case containing one seed. Large fruit and 

shade tree planted in home gardens and found growing in mature spontaneous stands near 

Buada Lagoon. Fruit eaten ripe and green, with ripe fruit occasionally made into jam on 

Nauru; used for firewood. The leaves, and sap from leaves and fruit, can cause an 

allergic rash. Common introduckd fruit tree, found in houseyard gardens, agricultural 

areas and naturalized throughout Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia, possibly an 

aboriginal introduction in some areas, but not on Nauru; an important cash crop for local 

sale and export in Polynesia, Melanesia and the larger islands of Melanesia. 2, 3(58643), 

5(147), 6, 7. 

Spondias dulcis Park. "Polynesian vi apple", Polynesian plum", "Otaheiti apple" 

dagimadere, "Egigu's tree" (N) 

syn. S. cytherea: Sonn. 

Aboriginal introduction? Pacific Islands. Rare. Medium to large stiff-branched, 

smooth, grey-barked, deciduous tree, up to 15 m or taller; leaves, 20 to 40 cm long, 

alternate, odd-pinnate, clustered at branch ends; leaflets, up to 8 cm or longer and 2.5 

cm wide, commonly 4- to 12-paired, with a single unpaired terminal leaflet (8 to 25 in 

total), shiny, bright green, oval-lanceolate or oblong, acuminate, base acute, entire to 

finely toothed (crenulate); flowers, tiny, 5-parted, male, female and perfect, develop in 

large, lax crowded panicles; fruit, up to 8 cm or longer, oval-obovate edible drupe with 

green to yellow-orange skin and light green to dark yellow pulp, surrounding a single, 5- 

ridged, fibrous seed case with 1 to 5 seeds. Reported present by Burgess in 1935. The 

tree, which formerly stood near Buada Lagoon, was reportedly damaged during World 

War 11, and although the Nauruans tried to save it by shoring it up with cement, it died 

shortly thereafter. Four seeds sent by R. Thaman to J. Audoa in 1981 in an attempt to 

reintroduce S. dulcis, but the result of plantings is unknown. One tree, 3 m tall, seen re- 

established in fenced food garden surrounding Buada Lagoon in July 1987. Ripe fruit 

eaten. Tree features in the well-known Nauruan legend concerning a young woman, 

Egigu, who became the Nauruans' "woman in the moon", after climbing the tree 

(dagimadere), restoring the sight of a blind women Enibarara who lived at the top, and 

marrying her third son,Maramen (the moon). 2, 7.

Spondias mombin L. 

syn. S. lutea L. 

"hog plum" 

Extinct? Trop. Asia. Reported present by Burges. Possibly a doubtful iden- 

tification. 2. 

Annona muricata L. 

dawatsip (N) 

ANNONNACEAE (Custard Apple Family) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Common. Small tree, rarely over 

8 m tall; leaves, about 10 to 16 cm long and 4 to 7 cm wide, bright green, alternate, 

entire, oblong or oblong-elliptic, acute or acuminate, glabrous, somewhat glossy above, 

pungent; petioles short; flowers, 2 to 3 cm or more long, yellowish-green, solitary or in 

pairs, with 3 thick, broadly deltoid or heart-shaped light yellow sepals and 6 cordate 

outer petals, borne on the branches and trunk (cauliflorous); fruit, up to 25 cm or longer 

and weighing 0.5 to 2 kg, fleshy, oblong or ovoid, irregularly heart- or kidney-shaped, 

with green to yellowish-green skin, covered regularly spaces, short, slightly curved fleshy 

spines, and white, juicy, somewhat acid, aromatic, cotton-like, edible pulp; seeds, about 

2 cm long, numerous, black, embedded in pulp. Planted in home gardens by Nauruans 

and others and spontaneous on coastal strip, in some areas of escarpment forest, and in 

the Buada Lagoon area. Ripe fruit eaten raw, often with ice cream. Common recently 

introduced fruit tree throughout the Pacific. 2, 3(58586), 5, 6, 7. 

Annona reticulata L. "custard apple", "bullock's heart" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Small to medium tree, 

rarely over 9 m tall; leaves, up to 20 cm long and 6 cm wide or more, light green, 

smooth, alternate, elliptic- or oblong-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, pinnately nerved, 

brittle; petioles about 12 mm long; flowers, about 2.5 cm long, greenish, axillary, in 

groups of 2 or 3 on lateral peduncles; fruit, 7 to 13 cm in diameter, yellowish- to 

greenish-red, ovoid or heart-shaped, with whitish pulp, surface divided by impressed 

lines into rhomboidal or hexagonal sections; seeds, numerous, glossy brown, embedded 

in pulp. Planted fruit tree; found growing, possibly spontaneously, behind settlement on 

Military Ridge. 2, 5(146), 6, 7.

Annona squamosa L. 

dawatsip (N); nameana (T) 

"sweetsop", "sugar apple" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Small tree, rarely 

over 8 m tall; leaves, 7 to 14 cm long and 4 to 5 cm wide, pale bluish-green (glaucous), 

two-ranked, thin, oblong or elliptic-lanceolate, acute, sparsely puberulent on both 

surfaces when young; petioles, about 1 cm long; flowers, about 2.5 cm long, greenish- 

yellow, axillary, solitary, pendent, petals narrowly lanceolate, obtusish, concave at base; 

fruit, about, 8 cm in diameter, light grey-blue-green, subglobose, somewhat heart-shaped, 

surface divided into prominent protruding knobs or tubercles, which separate, sweet, 

edible cream-colored soft pulp; seeds, numerous, blackish, embedded in pulp. Fruit tree 

planted in home gardens and growing spontaneously in inland coastal and lower es- 

carpment forest. Ripe fruit eaten raw. 3(58589), 5(37), 6, 7. 

Cananga odorata (Lam.) H0ok.f. & Thoms. " ylang-ylang" , "perfume tree" 

derangerang, derangirang (N) 

syns. Canangium odorutum. (Lam. ) Baill. ex King; Uvaria odorata Lam. 

Recent introduction. Indomalaysia. Uncommon. Tree, up to 15 m or taller, with a 

crooked trunk, smooth grey bark and drooping, brittle branches; leaves, 7 to 20 cm long 

and 4 to 9 cm wide, dark green, alternate, simple, entire, elliptic-oblong, acute, base 

rounded, obtuse, slightly pubescent, pinnately nerved, midrib prominent; petiole, mostly 

less than 2 cm; flowers, yellowish-green turning yellow, drooping, very fragrant, sepals 

3, petals 6, up to 6 or 8 cm long, wavy, linear-lanceolate, on long puberulent pedicels, in 

axillary hanging (pedunculate) umbellate clusters of 4 to 12 flowers; fruit, 1.5 to 2.5 cm 

long, greenish-black, oblong, olive-like, fleshy, borne in bunches from a stalk which 

lengthens as the fruit develops; seeds, 6 to 12. Planted ornamental tree in home gardens 

in Buada Lagoon area. Flowers used in garlands and for scenting coconut oil. An 

important aboriginal introduction of considerable cultural importance throughout 

Melanesia and Polynesia, where the flowers are used in garlands and to scent coconut oil. 

Used in the commercial production of essential oil in the Philippines and Indonesia. 

5(17), 6, 7. 

APIACEAE OR UMBELLIFERAE (Parsley Family) 

Apium petroselinum L. "parsley" 

syns. Pgrosel@um pegylinum (L.) -- Karst.; - P. crispum - - (Mill.) -- - Mansf. - 

Recent introduction. S. Europe and W. temperate Asia. Rare. Erect biennial or 

short-lived perennial herb, up to 25 to 40 cm tall, with a stout tap root; leaves, aromatic, 

shiny, dark green, in dense, tufted rosettes, 2 to 3-pinnate, with leaflets, 1 to 2 cm long,

deltoid-ovate, but deeply toothed or lobed, often much crisped; flowers, 2 mm in 

diameter, greenish-yellow, umbellets, 10 to 20 flowered, borne in flat-topped compound 

umbels, 2 to 5 cm in diameter; fruit (carpel), 2 to 3 mm long, grey-brown, ovoid, 

laterally compressed, with 5 slender ridges. Pot herb in European home gardens; planted 

in a halved 50-gallon drum on Command Ridge. Leaves and stems used by European 

inhabitants as a spice in cooking. 5. 

Coriandrum sativum L. "coriander", "cilan trow, "Chinese parsley" 

dhania (Hindi), uen sai (C) 

Recent introduction. S. Europe and the Mediterranean region. Occasional. Erect 

annual herb, 15 to 30 cm high; lower leaves, bright green, broad with crenately-lobed 

margins, upper leaves finely cut with narrow linear lobes; flowers, white to pinkish, in 

terminal umbels; fruit, about 3 mm in diameter, globose, yellow-brown, ribbed, 2- 

seeded, with an unpleasant smell when unripe, but later becoming pleasantly aromatic. 

Pot herb grown in Chinese home food gardens at Location and at Topside workshops. 

Aromatic leaves used as a spice by Chinese and Indians. Dried, imported seeds an 

important spice in curries. 5, 6, 7. 

Adenium coetanum Stapf 

syn. A. obesum Balf. 

APOCYNACEAE (Dog-bane Family) 

"desert rose", " mock azalea" 

Recent introduction. E. Africa. Rare. A smooth succulent shrub, 40 to 150 cm 

high, with a thick trunk, short branches and milky sap which is said to be poisonous; 

leaves, 2.5 to 10 cm long, dark green, shiny, ovate, arranged spirally in tufts at branch 

tips; flowers, about 5 cm long and 3.8 cm across, red-pink, short-stemmed, funnel- 

shaped, developing in clusters, 2 to 10 together. Pot plant in home gardens. 3(58716), 5, 

6(176), 7. 

Allamanda hendersonii Bull "allamanda", "cup of gold" 

syn. A. cathartics L. var. hendersonii (Bull) Bailey & Raff. 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Robust woody vinelike climbing shrub, with 

milky poisonous sap+ave% 8 to 1-54m longand--mostly 4 to-5 cm wide, brightgreen, 

shiny, opposite in pairs or in whorls of 3 or 4, elliptical to sub-obovate, but broadest 

above the middle, abruptly acuminate, entire, thick and somewhat leathery (coriaceous), 

midrib prominent; petiole very short; flowers, corolla tube 4 to 5 cm long, showy bright 

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 of about 10 

flowers; fruit, a prickly capsule. Planted ornamental. 3(58697), 5, 6. 

Allamanda violacea Gardn. & Field "purple allamanda" 

Recent introduction, Brazil. Rare. Woody vinelike climbing shrub; leaves, similar 

to A. hendersonii, but bearing short, stiff hairs; flowers, similar to A. cathartics, but red- 

purple and 5 to 6.5 cm in diameter. Planted ornamental. 3, 5, 6. 

Catharanthus roseus ( L.) G. Don "periwinkle", "Madagascar periwinkle" 

denea (N); te buraroti (K); losa (T) 

syns. Vincu. rosea. L.; Lochnera rosea (L.) Reichenb. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Madagascar. Common. An everblooming erect 

perennial herb, up to 50 cm or taller, with white milky sap; leaves, 2.5 to 8 cm long and 

2 to 3 cm wide, opposite, oblong or oblong-obovate, apex rounded, tipped with a sharp 

point, base acute, finely puberulent on both surfaces; midrib pale; flowers, showy white 

or pink, with or without a red throat, 5-parted, corolla tube, 2.5 to 3 cm long, lobes, 1.5 

to 2 cm long, calyx, about 6 mm long, with awl-shaped lobes; fruit, up to 3 cm long, 

with paired, 2.5 cm long puberulent podlike cylinders containing several cylindrical 

seeds. Planted ornamental. Flowers used in garlands and reportedly boiled by some 

people and drunk as a cure for diabetes. 3(58758), 5(127), 6, 7. 

Cerbera manghas L. "cerbera" , "sea mango" 

dereiongo, dereiyongo (N) ; te reiango (K?) 

syns. C. oclollam sensu auct. non Gaertn.; C. lactaria. (G. Don) Ham.; Tan- 

ghinia. lacraria G. Don 

Indigenous. Trop. Asia to the Pacific Is. Rare. Medium-sized tree, up to 7 m or 

taller, with white sap; leaves, 15 to 30 cm long and 5 to 8 cm wide, dark green, shiny, 

simple, entire, lanceolate or obovate-lanceolate, acuminate, base acute-decurrent, spirally 

and closely arranged; petiole 2 to 3 cm long, narrowly winged by decurrent blade 

margins; flower, 2.5 to 6 cm wide, tube about 2.5 cm long, 5-petaled, white with red 

throat, fragrant, calyx with 5 narrow lobes, 1.3 cm long, borne in branching terminal 

clusters about as long as the leaves; fruit, globose or ovoid, 5 to 7 cm long, smooth, 

deep purple to black when ripe, single or paired; seed, a woody stone, poisonous. Found 

n_w homes on the coastal strip and near church at Buada. Seems to be planted, or at 

least protected in built-up areas. No reported use by Nauruans, but its poisonous fruit is 

reportedly used medicinally and to poison fish in Samoa, Tonga and elsewhere in the 

Pacific. 5(16), 6, 7.

Nerium oleander L. var. oleander 

te orian (K) 

"oleander" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. Europe to Iran. Occasional. Large erect shrub, 

up to 4 m or higher, with arching stems rising from the ground, young growth finely 

pubescent, young branches slightly 3-angled and all parts extremely poisonous; leaves, 10 

to 20 cm long and 2 to 3.5 cm wide, dull grey-green, narrowly oblong-lanceolate, acute 

at both ends, entire, flat, leathery (coriaceous), midrib prominent, lateral nerves 

numerous, fine; flowers, 4 to 5 cm wide, showy, white, pink to deep red, slightly 

scented, with five toothed appendages in the corolla throat, borne in terminal cymose 

clusters; fruit, 10 to 20 cm long, seldom seen, sometimes developing from single 

flowers. Planted ornamental. 2, 3(58783), 4, 6, 7. 

Nerium oleander L. var. indicum (Mill.) Deg. & Deg. "oleander", "sweet scented 

oleander" te orian (K) 

syns. N. indicum. Mill.; N. odorum Soland. 

Post World War I1 introduction? Iran to Japan. Occasional. Large erect shrub, up 

to 4 m or higher, with arching stems rising from the ground, young growth finely 

pubescent, young branches slightly 3-angled and all parts extremely poisonous; leaves, 10 

to 20 cm long and 1.5 to 3 cm wide, dull grey-green, narrowly oblong-lanceolate, acute 

at both ends, entire, edges rolled back, leathery (coriaceous), midrib prominent, lateral 

nerves numerous, fine; flowers, 4 to 5 cm wide, corolla usually double, showy, white, 

pink to deep red, fragrant, funnel-shaped, with fringed appendages in the corolla throat, 

borne in terminal cymose clusters; fruit, 10 to 20 cm long, paired, pod-like, seldom seen, 

sometimes developing from single flowers. Planted ornamental shrub. 3, 5, 6, 7. 

Ochrosia elliptica Labill. 

eorara, eoerara (N) 

syn. Bleekeria elliptica (Labill.) Koidz. 

Indigenous. Australia to the Pacific Is. Occasional to common. Small to mediumsized 

tree, up to 8 m or higher, with white milky sap; leaves up to 15 cm long, oval or 

inverted ovate, blunt or short-pointed, leathery (coriaceous), arranged in pairs, threes or 

fours, with blades tapering into petioles about 1.2 cm long; flowers, small, creamcolored, 

fragrant, stemless, developing in short cymose clusters at or near the branch 

tips; fruit, 2.5 to 4.5 cm long, bright red, ovoid drupe, slightly keeled or flattened on the 

margins, pointed, twinned, with mealy violet, scented pulp surrounding one or two seeds. 

Tree in fs~est remnants on rocky-outcrqs-on the-central plateau, in escarpment forests 

on southern half of the island, and occasionally in home gardens on coastal strip. Wood 

used by Nauruans for rafters and small timber; leaves used medicinally, being crushed 

with coconut cream to treat rashes, especially for children; fruit used in children's 

games, and fruit and flowers used in garlands. 2, 3(58802), 4(168N), 5(92), 6, 7(27812).

Plumeria obtusa L. "white frangipani", "plumeria" 

demeria (N); te meria (K); melia, pua Solomona, melia Solomona (T) 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Common. Small to medium-sized, soft- 

wooded, broad-crowned, knobby, branching evergreen tree, up to 5 m or taller, with 

thick fragile branch tips and white milky sap; easily planted from cuttings; leaves, 20 to 

35 cm long and 6 to 10 cm wide, dark green, glossy, alternate, obovate rounded, blunt, 

smooth (glabrous), tapered at the base, pinnately nerved, midrib prominent, lateral nerves 

loop-connected near margin, clustered near the ends of branches; petioles, 4 to 9 cm, 

stout; flowers, 4 to 6 cm in diameter, all white with a central yellow eye, fragrant, but 

less so than P. rubra., 5-parted, narrowly tubular, petal lobes obovate, longer than tube, 

borne in terminal cymose clusters; fruit, 15 to 24 cm long, dark green later black, single 

or twinned, cylindrical, fusiform, with many flat winged overlapping seeds. Flowers used 

in garlands and dried in sun and used to scent coconut oil (eir). 3(58775), 5(111), 6, 7. 

Plumeria rubra L. "frangipani", "plumeria", "temple tree", "graveyard tree" 

demeria, arabaneit (N); te meria (K); melia, pua Fiti, melia Nauru (T) 

syns. P. a.cuminata. Ait.f. and P. a.cutifolia Poir. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Common. Small to medium-sized, 

soft-wooded, broad-crowned branching deciduous tree, up to 5 m or taller, with thick 

fragile branch tips and white milky sap; easily planted from cuttings; leaves, 20 to 35 cm 

long and 6 to 10 cin wide, pale green to grey-green, alternate, elliptic-oblong, acute or 

acuminate, smooth (glabrous), tapered at the base, pinnately nerved, midrib prominent, 

lateral nerves loop-connected near margin, clustered near the ends of branches; petioles, 

4 to 9 cm, stout; flowers, 3 to 5 cin in diameter, waxy-white to yellow, pink, deep red 

or multicolored variations, very fragrant, 5-parted, narrowly tubular, petal lobes obovate, 

longer than tube, borne in terminal cyinose clusters; fruit, 15 to 20 cm long, dark green 

later black, single or twinned, cylindrical, fusiform, with many flat winged overlapping 

seeds. Planted ornamental. The name demeria seems to be applied to all color forms and 

to both species of Plumeria, with the older name arabaneit being reserved for the bright 

yellow to yellow-white cultivars, which are longer established in Nauru. Leaves used 

medicinally and mixed with coconut oil for curing fever; flowers used in garlands and 

dried in the sun and used to scent coconut oil (eir). 2, 3(58654), 5(50), 6, 7. 

Tabernaemontana divaricata (L.) R. Br. "false gardenia", "paper gardenia", 

"crepe jasmine", "scentless gardenia" 

syns. Nqiim- divaricatu_m L. ; N._ coronzrium Jacq. ; Tabernaemontana coronaria 

(Jacq.) Willd.; Ervatamia divaricata (L.) ~urkilc E. coronaria (J&~.) 

Stapf; Tabernaemontana alternvolia L. ; Nyctanthes acuminata Burm. f.

Recent introduction. India. Occasional. Smooth erect shrub, up to 2 or 3 m tall, 

resembling a gardenia, with scanty, white milky sap; leaves, 6 to 15 cm long and 2 to 

4.5 cm wide, dark green, lighter below, glossy, opposite, elliptic oblong, acute or 

obtuse, acute at base, glabrous, thin, with 6 to 10 pairs of curving veins; petiole short, 

mostly about 1 cm long, clasping the stem; flowers, 2.5 to 5 cm in diameter, usually 

several, up to about 8, together or rarely solitary, in flat-topped corymbose clusters near 

branch tips or leaf ads, white, nearly odorless, calyx about 5 mm long, segments rather 

broad, deltoid and obtuse, corolla, 5-parted, tube 1.5 to 2.5 cm long, cylindrical, lobes, 

about 2 cm long, often doubled and ruffled, crinkled or crepe-like; fruit, rarely seen in 

cultivation, 3 to 7 cm long, yellow-orange, paired, oblong, podlike, with 1 to 3 ridges, 

pubescent, red within; seeds, many, embedded in pulp. Planted ornamental. 3(58706), 5, 

6(222), 7. 

Thevetia peruviana (Pers.) K. Schurn. " be-still tree", "yellow oleander" 

syns. Cerbera peruviana Pers.; C. thevetia L.; Thevetia neritfolia Juss. ex 

Steud.; T. thevetia (L.) Millsp. 

Recent introduction. Peru. Occasional. Everblooming shrub or small tree, up to 8 

m or taller, propagated from seeds and cuttings; all parts reportedly poisonous; leaves, 5 

to 15 cm long and 0.5 to less than 1 cm wide, numerous, dark green, somewhat shiny 

above, paler beneath, leathery (coriaceous), alternate, linear-lanceolate, acute or 

subobtuse, acute at base; petiole, very short, about 3 mm long; flowers, about 4 to 7 cm 

long, 5-parted to more than halfway down, showy yellow, mildly fragrant, funnel- or 

trumpet-shaped, borne in terminal cymose clusters; calyx, 1 to 1.3 cm long, 5-lobed, 

acute-acuminate; fruit, 4 to 5.5 cm broad, a juicy red drupe, ripening to black, con- 

taining a thin layer of pulp and 2 oily seeds. Planted ornamental. 3(58704), 5(78), 6, 7. 

AQUIFOLIACEAE (Holly Family) 

Ilex sp. "holly" 

Recent introduction. Eurasia. Rare. Evergreen shrub with short-stemmed leaves 

bearing several strong spines. Planted ornamental. 6(164).

ARALIACEAE (Panax Family) 

Polyscias balfouriana (Andre) Bailey llpanax" 

Recent introduction. Melanesia. Rare. Large erect shrub, up to 3 m or taller, with 

few, rapidly ascending branches; leaves, 20 to 50 cm long, compound, 1-pinnate; 

petioles, 8 to 22 cm long, petiolules, 2 to 4 cm long; leaflets, 5 to 20 cm long and 5 to 

18 cm wide, ovoid to orbicular, cordate, shiny, dark-green, opposite, mostly 3 or 5 in 

number, terminal leaf largest, crenate. Planted ornamental, commonly in hedges. 5, 6, 

7(22324). 

Polyscias cumingiana (Presl) Fern. -Vil . "panax" 

lautagitagi (T) 

syns. Paratropia cumingiana Presl; Nothopanax cumingii Seem.; Aralia Jilicifolia 

C. Moore ex Fourn. ; Polyscias Jilicifolia (Moore) Bailey 

Recent introduction. Malesia, possible to Melanesia. Rare. Large erect shrub, up 

to 3 m or taller, with few, rapidly ascending weak branches; leaves, mostly 15 to 70 cm 

long, alternate, 1-pinnate, uppermost leaves turning a showy light-yellow, giving the 

plant a feathery appearance; petioles, 5 to 20 cm long, petiolules, 1 to 2.5 cm long; 

leaflets, 6 to 15 cm long and about 5 cm wide, opposite, entire to sharp-toothed or 

narrowly lobed, 6 to 7 pairs, plus terminal leaflet (13 to 15 leaflets), anise-scented; 

petioles 1 to 2 cm long. Planted ornamental, commonly in hedges. 6, 7. 

Polyscias fruticosa (L.) Harms 

te mamara (K?); lautagitagi (T) 

syns. Panax fruitcosum L. ; Nothopanax fruticosus (L.) Miq. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. India to W. Polynesia. Occasional. Erect, rather 

few-branched shrub, 1 to 3 in tall; leaves, up to 30 cm or longer, alternate, pinnate, 

usually bi- or tri-pinnate; leaflets, 5 to 10 cm long, terminal leaf usually the largest, 

green or variegated, coininonly edged with white, glabrous, anise-scented, irregularly- 

shaped, more or less lanceolate, usually toothed, lobed laciniate or pinnatifid; flowers, 

small, greenish-white, borne in small umbels, forming large terminal paniculate clusters; 

fruit, flattened, orbicular, ribbed 2-seeded. Planted ornamental, commonly in hedges or 

as a living fence. 2, 3(58698), 5, 6(171), 7(22323). 

- - - -- 

Polyscias guilfoylei (Cogn. & ~arch .) ~aile~ "panax", "hedge panax" 

te toara (K); lautagitagi (T) 

syns. Aralia guilfoylei Cogn. & March.; Nothopanax guilfoylei (Cogn. & 

March.) Merr.

Pre-World war I1 introduction. Melanesia to S . Polynesia. Common. Large shrub, 

2 to 6 m tall, with weak, rapidly ascending vertical branches and light grey bark; leaves, 

mostly 15 to 50 cm long, alternate, variable, but commonly broadly ovate or elliptic and 

coarsely sharply-toothed or laciniate, rarely subentire, commonly variegated with white 

or pale yellow margins, or sometimes all dark green, shiny; petioles, 2 to 3 cm long, 

clasping the stem; flowers, rarely seen, small, 5-parted, petals, 2.5 by 1.2 mm, in 

umbels, borne on a large, much-branched terminal panicle; fruit, usually 3- to 4-celled, 

with 3 to 4 seeds, 4 by 5 mm. Planted ornamental, commonly as a hedge or living fence. 

2, 3(58696), 5(20), 6, 7(27822). 

Polyscias scutellaria (Burm. f.) Fosb. "panax" 

te toara (K); lautagitagi (T) 

syns. Crassula scutellaria Burm. f. ; Polyscias pinnata J.R. & G. Forst. ; Notho- 

panax scutellaria. (Burm . f. ) Merr . 

Recent introduction. S.E. Asia. Occasional. Medium-sized erect shrub, 1 to 3 m 

tall, with weak, ascending branches; leaves, simple (unifoliate) or pinnate, with 3 or 

sometimes 5 leaflets; petioles, at least 12 cm, petiolules, 2 to 5 cm or longer; leaflets, 5 

to 14 cm in diameter, the terminal leaflet of compound leaves largest, orbicular-cordate, 

concave and saucer-like, glossy, base subcordate-cordate, sometimes obliquely so, green 

or with white or yellow variegations, some forms wavy or with blunt or rounded teeth 

(crenate); flowers, borne in umbels on a much-branched panicle, small, about 3 mm 

long, petals, about 2.5 mm long, 6 or 7 in number; fruit, flattened, 2-seeded (rarely 3- 

celled and 3-seeded). Planted ornamental, commonly as a hedge or living fence. 

3(58693), 5, 6, 7. 

Polyscias tricochleata (Miq .) Fosb. "panax" 

syn . P. pinnata. Fosb. cv. tricochleata. Stone; Nothopanax tricochleatus Miq. 

Recent introduction. Pacific Islands. Rare. Erect shrub, 1 to 2 m tall; leaves 

usually trifoliate (rarely 1 or 5 leaflets); leaflets, orbicular, white- or yellow-margined; 

flowers and fruit unknown. Known to be a mutant form of P. pinnata. Planted erect 

ornamental shrub with white-margined leaflets. 3(58674), 7(22325). 

Schefflera actinophylla (Endl.) Harms "Queensland umbrella tree", "octopus tree" 

syn. Brassaia acrinophyllu End1 . 

Recent introduction. N. Australia. Occasional. Small to medium-sized, soft- 

wooded tree, up to 10 m or taller, with thick branches marked by conspicuous leaf-scars, 

sometimes epiphytic; leaves, large, up to 90 cm or wider in diameter, palmately- 

compound, umbrella-shaped, with 7 to 15, usually 7 to 9, leaflets, forming rosettes at the

anch ends; main petioles 15 to 45 cm long, petiolules, 2.5 to 8 cm long; leaflets, 10 to 

30 cm long, elliptic-obovate, oblong, sub-acuminate, the central ones longest, shiny, 

dark-green, leathery (coriaceous); flowers, in small red heads, arranged more or less 

spicate-racemosely along stout wide-spreading axes, up to 60 cm or longer, several of 

which radiate, like the tentacles of an octopus, from a central hub-like axis arising from 

each leaf cluster; fruit, 10- to 12-seeded, nutlets, red-purple. Planted ornamental. 

3(58672), 5, 6, 7. 

ASCLEPIADACEAE (Milkweed Family) 

Asclepias curassavica L. "milkweed", "butterfly weed", "red cotton bush", "bloodflower" 

dupaimdupaim, dupaimdupwaim (N) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction? Trop. America. Rare. Slender erect, branched, 

woody perennial herb, up to 1 m or higher, with milky sap; leaves, 6 to 15 cm long and 

1 to 3 cm wide, opposite, oblong-lanceolate, acute at both ends, pinnately-nerved, 

pubescent on nerves beneath; flowers, many, small, about 60 mm in diameter, borne in 

4- to 15-flowered terminal and axillary umbels on finely pubescent peduncles, 3.5 to 6 

cm long; corolla, 7 to 9 mm long, red to reddish-purple, with 5 deeply-parted lobes, bent 

backward (reflexed), and a protruding orange to yellowish-orange scaly crown, 3.5 to 4 

mm long; fruit, 5 to 7.5 cin long, erect, pointed, ovoid, podlike, smooth or downy, 

containing numerous round, flat seeds, 6 to 7 mm long, each bearing a tuft of long, 

silky, white hairs, 2 to 2.7 mm long. Planted ornamental; flowers used for body 

ornamentation and making garlands; reportedly poisonous to livestock. 5, 6. 

Calotropis gigantea (L.) R. Br. 

te bumorimori (K) 

syn. Asclepias gigantea L. 

"crown flower", "giant milkweed" 

Recent introduction. India to Indonesia. Rare. A large shrub, up to 4 m or higher, 

with thick downy branches and copious milky sap; leaves, 7.5 to 25 cm long, nearly 

stemless (shortly petiolate), broad ovate-oblong, thick, pale green, downy, woolly 

beneath, indented at base; flowers, about 3 to 4 cm in diameter, pale lavender or white, 

sweetish fragrance that deteriorates when crushed, with 5 curled-back petals and a 

prominent symmetrical crown, sometimes only consisting of the flower crowns. Planted 

ornamental at the Meneng Hotel. 3(58771), 5, 6(152), 7.

Hoya carnosa (L.) R. Br. 

syns. Asclepias carnosa L. 

"wax plant", "wax flower" 

Recent introduction. S. China. Rare. Fleshy waxy climbing vine, climbing by 

roots, up to 2 m or longer; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long, opposite, narrow to broad ovate- 

oblong, mid-green, thick, fleshy, shiny, flat; flowers, 1 to 1.3 cm in diameter, 5-parted, 

white with pink centers, convex, wheel- or star-shaped, waxy, fragrant. Planted ornamen- 

tal. Single specimen; could have been the Australian species, H. australis R. Br. (syn. H. 

bicarinata Gray). 6, 7. 

ASTERACEAE OR COMPOSITAE (Aster, Sunflower or Composite Family) 

Ageratum conyzoides L. 

bwiyat tsige, bwiyat ziege (N) 

"goat weed", "ageratum" 

Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Erect to somewhat 

sprawling, branching, weak-stemmed, strong smelling, annual herb, up to 80 cm high; 

leaves, 2 to 10 cm long and 1 to 5 cm wide, opposite, ovate or rhombic-ovate, acutish, 

base rounded and acute at petiole, edges scalloped, pubescent on both surfaces, glandular 

dorsally; petiole up to 5 cm or longer; flowerheads, small, 4 to 6 mm long, bluish, 

corymbose, in loose, terminal and axillary clusters; involucral bracts, 3 mm long, acute- 

acuminate, subglabrous; florets, about 75 per head, about 1 mm long, white or light 

purplish-blue; fruit (achenes), 1.5 to 2 mm long, numerous, angled, nearly glabrous; 

pappus, of 5 awned scales. Found on low ground near Buada Lagoon and occasionally in 

other ruderal habitats. Leaves and flowers used in garlands and body decoration and for 

scenting coconut oil. 3(58652), 5(1 l), 6, 7, 8(9574). 

Bidens alba (L.) DC. "cobbler's peg", "Spanish needle" kauen oe, kawen oe (N) 

syns. Coreopsis albu. L.; C. leucanthema L.; C. leucantha L.; B. pilosa L. var. 

radiata sensu auct. non Sch.-Bip.; B. leucantha (L.) Willd. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect branching annual herb (in big 

plants, the branches sometimes straggling), up to 1.5 m tall; leaf blades, 1 to 12 cm long 

and up to 6 cm wide, lower leaves simple, ovate and serrate, but upper leaves trifoliate 

or imparipinnate, leaflets ovate or ovate-oblong, acute, basally decurrent, petiolulate, 

serrate; petioles, up to 6 cm long; flowerheads, few, in panicles; involucral bracts, about 

7 or 8, linear-spatulate; - -- heads, 6 - to - - 8 - mm -- - long and -- 6 to --- 8 mm - wide; -- ray florets bright 

white, 6 to 8 mm long; disc-florets yellow; fruit (achenes), linear, 7 to 13 mm long, 

black or dark brown, about 1 mm wide, flat, 4-angled, short-strigose or glabrous, with2 

to 4 barbed awns, about 3 mm long, at the tip. Weed on dirt pile near Topside sports 

oval; not seen in 1987. 4(142N), 5(76), 6.

Bidens pilosa L. "cobbler's peg"' Spanish needle" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Common? Slender, erect, branching annual 

herb, 20 to 90 cm tall; stems, 4-angled, glabrous; leaves, mostly 1 to 5 cm long, simple 

to compound or deeply 3 to 5-lobed, opposite; lobes or leaflets ovate to lanceolate, acute, 

decurrent at the base, serrate, mostly glabrous; flowerheads, 5 to 10 mm long, on 

terminal or upper axillary panicles or solitary on long stalks (peduncles), up to 3 cm 

long; involucral bracts, 2 to 3-ranked, lanceolate, the outer ones somewhat leaflike; ray 

florets usually absent; disc-florets, yellow, tubular; fruit, 6 to 12 cm long, a black, 

ribbed, straight or curved, linear achene, tipped with 2 to 4 barbed awns, which adhere 

to clothing. Weed in wasteplaces, ruderal habitats and gardens. 8. 

Conyza bonariensis (L.) Cronq. "hairy horseweed" 

syns. Erigeron bonariensis L.; E. crispus Pourr.; E. albidus (Willd. ex Spr.) A. 

Gray; Conyza albida Willd. ex Spr. 

Recent introduction. Pantropical. Rare. Slender, erect annual herb, 30 cm to 1 m 

or higher, with pubescent stem, the lower portion with leaf scars; leaves, 2.5 to 12 cm 

long, dark greyish-green, narrowly lanceolate, lower ones, oblanceolate, coarsely dentate, 

upper ones, linear, entire, pubescent on both surfaces, attached to stem by a broad base; 

flower heads, 1 to 1.3 cm in diameter, in racemes or racemose panicles; involucral 

bracts, about 5 mm long, grey-pubescent (downy); ray-florets, usually many, in- 

conspicuous, white to cream; fruit, about 1.6 mm long, narrow, oblong, pale achene 

tipped with a pappus of light silky hairs, 3 to 5 mm long. Weed in waste places. 

4(133N), 5. 

Dahlia pinnata Cav. "dahlia" 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Perennial herb, up to 1 m or higher, with 

tuberous roots; leaves, opposite, simple or divided feather-fashion one to three times; 

leaflets, toothed or lobed, arranged in pairs with an extra leaflet at the tip; flowerheads, 

2.5 to 10 cm in diameter, long-stemmed, single or double, flat to globose; ray-florets, 

yellow central florets surrounded by conspicuous flat, tubular or rolled outer ray-florets, 

ranging in color from white and yellow to pink, purple and red, which range from eight 

to many and often conceal the central ray-florets; fruit, tiny, narrow, flattened and tipped 

with 2 teeth or untipped. Planted ornamental. 5(79), 6.

Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC. "purple sow thistle", "floras paintbrush" 

syn. Cacalia sonchifolia L. 

Recent introduction. Pantropical. Occasional. Erect, soft-stemmed, branching 

annual herb, 10 to 40 cm tall, lower stems pubescent, upper ones nearly glabrous; leaves, 

3 to 15 cm long and 5 to 7 cm wide, simple, alternate; lower leaves, deeply irregularly 

lobed or dentate, subdeltoid to spoonshaped, clasping stem at the base; upper leaves, 

smaller, lanceolate, toothed to subentire, sometimes purplish beneath on midrib and 

bluish-green (glaucous) on blade; flower heads, 0.8 to 1 cm long and 2.5 to 6.5 mm 

wide, few, cylindrical, on slender lax peduncles in loose, branching terminal clusters; 

involucral bracts, about 8, cylindrical, fused, which split apart and reflex at maturity, 

almost covering the flowers; ray-florets absent; disc-florets, 30 to 60 in number, 5-lobed, 

white below, lavender to pink at the tips, tubular, just slightly longer than the involucre; 

fruit, about 2.5 to 3 mm long, brown, prism-shaped, 5-ribbed achene, with a pappus of 

numerous, silky white bristles, 6 to 8 mm long. Weed in waste places and as a pioneer in 

recently mined areas. 5(115), 6, 7(22313), 8. 

Gerbera jamesonii Bolus "Transvaal daisy", "gerbera" , "African Daisy" 

Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Hairy perennial herb, 30 to 35 cm high; 

leaves, 15 to 30 cm long (blade about 213 as long as stem)), many, deeply lobed, feather- 

fashion, woolly beneath, arranged in. a basal rosette; flowerheads, 7.5 to 10 cm in 

diameter, attractive, daisy-like, pink, red, orange, yellow or cream-colored, solitary, 

borne on the crest bare flower stalks, about 25 to 40 cm long; central disc-florets, many, 

surrounded by 1 or 2 rows of narrow orange ray-florets; many single and double hybrid 

forms exist. Planted ornamental. 5, 6, 7. 

Gynura aurantiaca (Bl.) DC. "purple passion flower", "velvet plant" 

Recent introduction. Java. Rare. Erect or semi-climbing, up to 75 cm; ovate, 

deeply lobed or toothed, leaves, dark green, covered with thick, bright purple hairs, 

giving the plant a velvety appearance; flowerheads, about 2.5 cm in diameter, like a 

petal-less daisy; disc-florets orange. Ornamental pot plant. 6. 

Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn. 

syn. Verbesina nodzpora L. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Coarse, - -- erect 

" synedrella" , "nodeweed" 

to ascending, 

branched Gnual herb, 10 to 75 cm high, often rooting at lower, decumbent-nodes; 

leaves, 1.5 to 8 cm long and 1.5 to 5 cm wide, larger leaves usually at the top, simple, 

opposite, ovate to elliptic, acute tip and cuneate base, subentire to crenate-serrate, 

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, 

subsessile, solitary or few together on short axillary or terminal peduncles; involucral 

bracts, nearly 1 cm long, only 4 or 5, lanceolate, 2-ranked (2-seriate); ray-florets, about 

3.5 to 4 mm long, yellow, strap-shaped, 3-lobed; disc-florets, yellow, with tubular 

corollas; fruit, 4 to 5 mm long, a black or dark-brown achene, those of ray-florets flat, 

oval and spiny-edged or winged with 2 terminal awns, those of the disc-florets cylin- 

drical, unwinged with 2 erect spiny terminal awns about half as long as the achene. Weed 

in low ground around Buada Lagoon and in other ruderal habitats. 3(58648), 4(134N), 

5(97), 6, 7, 8(9573). 

Tagetes erecta L. "marigold", "Aztec marigold", "African marigold" 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Erect, smooth, few-branching, strongly- 

scented, annual herb, up to 60 cm high; lower leaves opposite, upper leaves alternate, 

pinnately parted or pinnate, up to 12 cm long, the segments more or less oblong, acute, 

distally dentate, up to 9 cm long and 1.5 cm wide; flower heads, 4 to 8 cm in diameter, 

solitary, flat to globose, borne on peduncles which flare distally; involucral bracts, about 

2 cm long, arranged cylindrically; ray-florets yellow to red-orange, many, often 

concealing the central disc-florets; fruit, achene tipped with pappus, about 1 cm long, and 

several short scales, 3 to 4 mm long. Planted ornamental. 5, 6. 

Tridax procumbens L. "wild daisy", "coat buttons" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Common. Pubescent perennial 

herb with prostrate to ascending stems, up to about 80 cm long; leaves, 1 to 6 cm long 

and 1 to 3.5 cm wide, opposite, broadly lanceolate, coarsely toothed, acute or subacute, 

cuneate at base, hispid on both surfaces; petioles, 5 to 15 mm long; flowerheads, about 1 

cm long and 2 cm wide, terminal, borne on erect pilose peduncles, 10 to 30 cm long; 

involucral bracts, 2- or 3-ranked, puberulent; ray-florets, about 4 to 5 mm long, 5 or 6 in 

number, with a narrow corolla tube and broad ligulate limb, about 3 by 5 mm, white to 

light yellow; disc-florets, many, the corolla narrow-campanulate, about 8 mm long, 

bright yellow, 5-lobed and hairy at top; fruit, about 2 mm long, dark grey-brown, 

densely hairy achene, with a spreading pappus, 5 to 6 mm long, of plumose hairs. Weed 

in settled areas and near airport; pioneer in recently mined areas. 2, 3(58657), 4(145N), 

5(25), 6, 7, 8(9548). 

Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less. "iron weed" 

syns. Y. pawiflora Reinw. ex Bl.; V. cinerg var. pawlflora (Reinw. ex Bl.); 

Conyza cinerea L. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. Asia. Common. Erect loosely branching 

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, the 

upper ones narrower, smaller and subsessile, the lower ones with surfaces minutely 

puberulent, base decurrent, irregularly toothed, with winged petioles, 1 to 3 cm long; 

flowerheads, 6 to 7 mm long, in loose terminal paniculate clusters on slender peduncles; 

involucral bracts, 4 to 5 mm long, green with brownish tips, lanceolate, 4-ranked (4- 

seriate), puberulent; ray-florets, absent; disc-florets, about 4 mm long, 20 to 25 in 

number, tubular, violet or pinkish violet, exerted; fruit, 1.5 to 2 mm long, a grey-brown, 

cylindrical, appressed pubescent achene, 1.5 to 2 mm long, bearing a terminal pappus of 

numerous white bristles which spread apart at maturity. Weed in settled areas; pioneer in 

recently mined areas. 2, 3(5861 l), 4(118N), 5(67), 6, 7, 8(9538). 

Wedelia trilobata (L.) Hitchc. 

syn. Silphium trilobatum L. 

" wedelia" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Perennial creeping herb, 

reaching a thickness (height) of about 40 to 70 cm; leaves, 2.5 to 7 cm long, bright 

green, simple, opposite, three-lobed to lanceolate, toothed; petioles, short, extremely- 

winged, or lacking, clasping the stem; flowerheads, about 2 to 2.6 cm in diameter, daisy- 

like, solitary, on slender peduncles, about 5 to 7 cm long; involucral bracts, 6 to 9 mm 

long, green, lanceolate, 2-ranked, 5 short inner and 5 longer outer bracts; ray-florets, 

about 1 cm or longer and 0.5 cm wide, 8 to 10 in number, bright yellow; disc-florets, 

about 8 mm long, light yellow, tubular, 20 to 30 in number, fruit, not seen. Planted 

ornamental groundcover. 3(58609), 5, 6(237), 7. 

Zinnia elegans Jacq. "zinnia" 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Erect annual herb, up to 60 cm tall, stems branched; 

leaves, 2.5 to 14 cm long and 1.5 to 6 cm wide, opposite, ovate to elliptic or oblong, 

obtuse or acute, hispid, sessile; flowerheads, 3 to 8 cm in diameter, solitary, showy, 

developing at stem and branch tips; involucral bracts, about 1 cm long, chaffy, in about 

3-ranks; ray-florets, about 2 cm long and 1 cm wide, 14 to 20 in number, pistillate, 

violet, pink, orange, yellow or white; receptacle, convex, paleaceous, bearing numerous 

5-lobed central disc-florets, about 5 mm long, yellow; fruit, 3-angled, compressed 

achene, with 1 to 3 terminal awns. Planted ornamental. 5(128), 6.

B ALS AMINACEAE (Balsam Family) 

Impatiens balsamina L. "balsam", "garden balsam" 

Recent introduction. India or Africa. Rare. Succulent, watery, erect, branching 

annual herb, up to about 60 cm high; leaves, up to 5 cm long and 4 cm wide, simple, 

alternate, lanceolate, acuminate, toothed (serrate); petiole, usually glandular at the base; 

flowers, up to 2.5 cm or more in diameter, short-stemmed, borne on short axillary 

pedicels on the stem below the leafy tip; sepals, 3 or 5, one usually spurred; petals, 3- 

lobed, lateral ones bifid, commonly double or long-spurred, showy yellow, white, pink, 

purple or red flowers; fruit, a woolly, 5-valved capsule, explosively dehiscent, the valves 

incurling instantly when separated; seeds, subglobose, usually brown, finely pitted. 

Planted ornamental. 5(117), 6. 

Impatiens walleriana Hook. f. "snapweed", "patience plant", "Zanzibar balsam" 

syn. I. sultan.ii H0ok.f. 

Recent introduction. Zanzibar. Rare. Erect, branching, sub-shrubby perennial 

succulent herb, up to 50 cm high; leaves, alternate along the stem and arranged in a 

rosette at branch tips, narrow-ovate, acuminate at tip and base, toothed or scalloped, with 

soft point at each indentation; flowers, 2.5 to 3.5 cm in diameter, petals in one plane, 

borne, singly or 2 to 3 together, on long axillary pedicels; sepals, 3 or 5, 1 usually 

spurred; petals, showy, bright scarlet or red to pink, accompanied by a long spur; fruit. 

which may or may not develop in cultivation, a 5-valved capsule. Planted ornamental. 6. 

BASELLACEAE (Basella Family) 

Basella rubra L. "Indian spinach " , "Ceylon spinach " , " Malabar nightshade" 

sham ts'oi (C) 

syn. B. alba L. 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional. Succulent dark-green to reddish- 

purple-stemmed, glabrous, branching, herbaceous, perennial twining vine, up to 4 m or 

longer; leaves, 5 to 15 cm long and 4 to 14 cm wide, alternate, entire, broad-ovate, 

almost heart-shaped, tender, fleshy; petioles, 1 to 2.5 cm long, green or purplish; 

flowers 4 to 5 mm in diameter sessile closed white to light reddish-purple, clustered 

l - - - - Z ---- , , -p -~p~--- 

on axillary spikes, 2 to 20 cm long; fruit, about 8 mm in diameter, ovoid, black, berry- 

like. Food plant in Chinese gardens and containers at Location. Leaves and tender stems 

cooked as a spinach. 5(138), 6.

BEGONIACEAE (Begonia Family) 

Begonia coccinea Hook. f. "angel-wing begonia" 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Occasional. Smooth shrub-like herb, up to 1 m or 

higher, with bamboo-like stems; leaves, 10 cm or longer, oblong, pointed, glossy green 

above, reddish below, finely edged with red, with a deep indentation at the base and 

wavy edges; flowers, about 2.5 cm in diameter, coral-red, borne in branched red- 

stemmed drooping clusters; male flowers, about 2.5 cm in diameter, 4- petaled, with two 

petals larger than the other two; female flowers, showy, with red, 3-winged ovary, about 

2.5 cm long. Ornamental pot plant. 5, 6. 

Begonia rex Putz x B. spp. "hybrid begonia" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Erect perennial herb, up to 30 

cm or higher, with short, thick, underground stems; leaves, variable, more or less ovate, 

pointing downward, angled or lobed, sometimes waxy, commonly with a silvery, pink, 

red, copper or bronze patterning on a background of all shades of green zone, and 

reddish beneath; flowers, variable small, pale pink, in small clusters rising from the 

leaves. Ornamental pot plant. 7. 

Begonia spp. "begonia" cultivars 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Pot plants and planted ornamen- 

tals. 5(262), 6, 7. 

BIGNONIACEAE (Bignonia Family) 

Jacaranda mimosifolia D. Don "jacaranda" 

syns. J. acutifolia Humb. & Bonpl. ; J. ovalifolia R. Br. 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Tree, up to 15 m or higher; leaves, up to 50 

cm or longer, opposite, compound, fernlike, the primary axis with 20 to 40 branchlets 

(10 to 20 pairs of divisions), each which bears 14 to 24 pairs of oblong, hairy, pointed 

leaflets,Tbout 63Tm Im;-Rowers~teFminaI and SiIlZii~40 to 90 in number, %fie3 

erect or drooping panicles, about 20 to 30 cm long; corolla, about 5 cm long, showy 

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 

mollusc. One immature seedling planted as an ornamental. 6, 7. 

Spathodea campanulata Beauv. "African tulip tree", "flame of the forest", 

"fountain tree" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Occasional. Medium-sized tree, up to 20 m 

tall, with soft, weak wood and a ridged or buttressed trunk; leaves, 30 to 50 cm long, 

dark-green, shiny, opposite, odd-pinnate, divided feather-fashion; leaflets, 4 to 12 cm 

long and 2.5 to 5.5 cm wide, 3- to 9-paired with a terminal leaflet, elliptic or ovate, 

acute-acuminate, entire, deep-veined, pubescent dorsally on nerves; petioles, 1 to 3 mm 

long; flowers, up to about 10 to 13 cm long, in showy terminal racemose clusters, 

opening a few at a time; calyx, hairy, closed in bud, opening along one side, boat- 

shaped, curving upward, nearly as long as corolla, containing water when closed; 

corolla, about 10 cm long and 5 cm wide, with 5 oval lobes, vivid red-orange to 

vermilion, the margins dark yellow, obliquely campanulate, gaping, segments crisped- 

undulate, somewhat tulip-shaped; stamens with yellow filaments; fruit, 15 to 20 cm long 

and 4 to 5 cm wide, black flattened canoe-shaped capsules; seeds, woody, with a wide 

parchment-like circular wing. Planted ornamental tree. Flowers used in garlands and for 

ornamentation. 3(58682), 5(123), 6, 7. 

Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. ex HBK. "yellow elder", "yellow bells", "tecoma" , 

"ginger Thomas" yellow flower (N); nei karairai (Miss or Mrs. Karairai)(K); 

neikarairai (T) 

syns. Bignonia stans L. ; Stenolobium stuns (L.) D. Don 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Common. Erect shrub, up to 4 m tall; 

leaves, 10 to 30 cm long, opposite, pinnate; leaflets, 3 to 10 cm long and 2 to 3 cm 

wide, 5 to 13 in number, lanceolate to elliptic-oblong, serrate, acute-acuminate, base 

cuneate, sessile or short-petiolate, pinnately nerved; flowers, in large terminal racemose 

clusters; pedicels to 1 cm long; calyx, 3 to 5 mm long, tubular, campanulate, 5-toothed; 

corolla, 3 to 5 mm long, bright yellow, slightly fragrant, funnel-form-campanulate or 

bell-shaped, slightly bilabiate, with 5 wavy lobes; fruit, 10 to 20 cm long and 5 to 6 mm 

wide, narrow, flattened, rostrate capsule; seeds, many, winged. Planted ornamental. 

Showy flowers used in garlands and for ornamentation, especially by I-Kiribati. 3- 

(58656), 5(193), 6, 7, 8(9570).

BOMBACACEAE (Bombax Family) 

Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn. "kapok tree", " silk-cotton tree" duwoduwo (N) 

s y n s . Bombax pentandrum L. ; Eriodendron anfractuosum DC . ; Ceiba casearia 

Medic. ; Bombax orientale Spreng . 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. India or Africa. Occasional. Tall deciduous, soft- 

wooded, light-grey-barked tree, up to 25 m or higher, with a buttressed trunk, commonly 

spiny below and cylindrical and smooth above, and horizontal tiers (whorls) of widely- 

spaced spreading branches; leaves, palmately compound, with 5 to 9 leaflets; leaflets, 7 

to 18 cm long and 1 to 3.5 cm wide, elliptic to oblanceolate, acuminate, blue-green 

(glaucous) beneath, en tire or obscurely toothed, distinctly petiolate; petioles, 7 to 20 cm 

long; flowers, which appear just before the leaves, clustered on branches; corolla, 5- 

petaled, cream-white or pale pink, pubescent; petals about 2.5 cm long; fruit, 7 to 15 cm 

long, oblong-ellipsoid, capsular, smooth, pendulous, 5-celled, eventually dehiscent, filled 

with numerous long, soft silky or cotton-like fibers, each 0.8 to 3 cm long; seeds, many, 

brown. Planted; some possibly spontaneous near Buada Lagoon. Fiber used in the past 

for stuffing pillows and mattresses. 3(58642), 5, 6, 7. 

BORAGINACEAE (Heliotrope Family) 

Cordia subcordata Lam. "sea trumpet", "kou" (Hawaii) 

eongo, mongo, eowongo (N); te kanawa (K); kanava (T) 

Indigenous. Indian Ocean to Hawaii. Rare to occasional. Medium-sized tree, up to 

10 m or taller, with spreading branches and pale greyish slightly fissured bark; leaves, 5 

to 20 cm long and 4.5 to 15 cm wide, alternate, pale green, thinly coriaceous, ovate, 

acute, base rounded, obtuse or truncate, lateral nerves 4- to 6-paired, margins entire or 

slightly wavy; petiole, 2 to 8 cm long; flowers, few to several, in short-stalked axillary 

and terminal cymose clusters; calyx, about 15 mm long, 3- to 6-lobed, lobes shortdeltoid, 

pubescent ventrally; corolla, 2.5 to 4 cm long and 3 to 5.5 cm across the mouth 

(limb, which is plicate in bud)), pale to bright orange, crepe-like, trumpet-shaped, 

scentless, 5 to 7-lobed, lobes 15 to 25 mm long, rounded; fruit, 2 to 3 cm long, ellipsoid 

or nearly round, apiculate-acute, enclosed in a fibrous, somewhat corky calyx, green 

when mature but aging to brown or black; seeds, 1 to 2 (rarely 3 or 4), coarsely 

muricate. Found on coastal strip near settlement areas, either planted or protected. Soft, 

durable wood considered by Nauruans to be excellent timber for woodcarving, boatbuil- 

_ - 

ding,-conicfion %id furGTure; leaves crushed and mixed with coconut milk to prevent 

baldness; flowers used in garlands. Trunk highly prized for woodcarving and canoe hulls 

throughout Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia. 3(58756), 5(77), 6, 7.

Heliotropium procumbens Mill. var. depressum (Cham .) Fosb . & Sachet "heliotrope" 

syns. H. gracile var. depressum Cham. ; H. corornandelianurn var. depressurn 

(Cham.) A. DC.; H. ovalijolium Forsk. var. depressum (Cham.) Men. 

Indigenous. Trop. America. Rare. Prostrate branched perennial herb with a stout 

taproot; leaves, up to 3 cm long and mostly 3 to 6 mm wide, greenish-gray, pubescent, 

oblanceolate or linear-oblong, subsessile; flowers, only moderately crowded, rather 

sparsely pubescent, borne on one-sided coiled spikes on slender forked stalks (cincinni), 

5 to 6 cm long; calyx lobes, unequal, longest to nearly 3 mm, lanceolate; corolla, 1.5 to 

2 mm long, 5-lobed, white; fruit, globose, breaking into 2 to 4 1-seeded nutlets, about 1 

mm high. Found on coastal strip near limestone outcrops? 4(l4 1 N), 7(223 16). 

Tournefortia argentea L. f. "beach heliotrope" 

irin (N); te ren (K); tausunu, tauhunu (T) 

syns. Messerschmidiu argentea (L. f.) I. M. Johnst. ; Argusia argentea (L. f.) 

Heine; Tourncfortia sericea Cham. 

Indigenous. Indian Ocean to S.E. Polynesia. Common. Small to medium-sized, 

wide-spreading, short-trunked tree, 2 to 12 m tall, with rather stout twigs and deeply 

grooved bark; leaves, 10 to 30 cm long and 3 to 12 cm wide, alternate, spiralled, 

crowded near branch ends, obovate-oblanceolate, decurrent at base, rounded-obtuse to 

acute at apex, densely appressed, silvery-grey-pubescent on both sides, softly coriaceous, 

somewhat fleshy; petiole, stout, winged; flowers, small, about 6 mm across, tube 2 mm 

long, numerous, white, sessile, borne terminally on crowded, many-branched clusters of 

tightly-coiled, densely-pubescent, scorpion-tail-like spikes or cymes; fruit, 5 to 8 mm in 

diameter, round, greenish-white to brown, 4-parted, minutely apiculate; seeds (nutlets), 2 

to 4, embedded in corky tissue. Found on flats behind beaches. Leaves eaten by pigs; 

tender leaves and ~neristem pounded to prepare medicines for curing children's rashes, 

diarrhea, and fish poisoning; fruit blown through hollow papaya petioles by children. 

3(58669), 5(32), 6, 7. 

BRASSICACEAE OR CRUCIFERAE (Cabbage or Mustard Family) 

Brassica alboglabra Bailey "Chinese kale" 

kai laan ts'oi (C) 

syns. B. olcracea var. albijlora 0. Kunze; B oleracca var. alboglabra (Bailey) 

-- Musil- 

-- - --- - - -- --- - - - - 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Asia. Occasional. Erect, sometimes branching 

perennial herb, up to 30 cm or higher, grown as an annual; leaves, 6 to 20 cm long and 

4 to 15 cin wide, alternate, ovate, pale bluish-green (glaucous), glabrous, dull to shiny,

petiolate or not clasping; petioles, 4 to 10 cm long; flowers, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, 

white, perfect, 4-sepaled, 4-petaled, without bracts, borne on slender pedicels along an 

elongated fleshy terminal flower stem (raceme); fruit, a long, narrow pod, with a conical 

beak; seeds, small, globose. Planted in Chinese food gardens at Location. Leaves, stems 

and flowers cooked as a vegetable. 5, 6, 7. 

Brassica chinensis L. var. chinensis "Chinese cabbage", "Chinese white cabbage" 

te kabiti n Tiaina (K); kapisi Saina (T) 

syn. B. chinensis Juslenius 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Asia. Common. Erect, loose-heading , biennial 

herb, grown as an annual, up to 40 cm or higher, with a tap-root; leaves, 10 to 40 cm 

long and 5 to 20 cm wide, alternate, shiny, dark-green, prominently white-veined, ladle- 

shaped, terminally rounded, upstanding, radical (coming from the roots) leaves not lobed, 

stem leaves usually clasping, not forming a compact head; petiole, 3 to 12 cm long, 

thickened, ivory-white, somewhat fleshy; flowers, about 1 to 1.5 cm in diameter, light to 

bright yellow, perfect, 4-sepaled, 4-petaled, without bracts, held above unopened buds, 

petals orbicular, borne on slender pedicels, 1 to 4 cm long, along an elongated terminal 

flower stem (raceme), up 50 cm long; fruit, 3 to 6 cm long, slender pods, with a conical 

beak, usually 2-grooved, opening lengthwise; seeds, about 1 to 1.5 mm in diameter, 

globose, brown to blackish-grey. Commonly cultivated in Chinese food gardens at 

Location and Topside workshops. Leaves and stems cooked as a green vegetable. 5, 6, 7. 

Brassica chinensis L. var. parachinensis (Bailey) Tsen & Lee 

"flowering white cabbage" paak ts'oi sum (C); te kabiti n Tiaina (K) 

syns. B. parachinensis Bailey; B. chinensis var. oleifera Makino 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Asia. Common. Erect, branched, biennial, non- 

heading herb, grown as an annual, up to 50 cm or higher; leaves, 10 to 50 cm long and 4 

to 10 cm wide, darker-green above, lighter below, stem leaves not clasping, central stem 

leaves, long and narrow, ovate to lanceolate to oblong, upstanding, not heading, radical 

leaves more similar to those of var. chinensis; petiole, 3 to 12 cm long, slender, light 

green; flowers, about 1 cm in diameter, light yellow, perfect, 4-sepaled, 4-petaled, 

without bracts, borne on slender pedicels, 1 to 4 cm long, along an elongated terminal 

and sometimes axillary flower stem (raceme), up 40 cm long; fruit, 3 to 6 cm long, 

slender pod, with a conical beak, opening lengthwise; seeds, about 1 to 1.5 mm in 

diameter, globose, brown to blackish-grey. Commonly cultivated in Chinese food gardens 

at Location. Leaves, stems, and flcrwers cooked as a green vegetable.3,d.

Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. "mustard cabbage", "Indian mustard", "Chinese mustard" 

kai ts'oi (C); te kabiti n Tiaina (K) 

syn. Sinapis juncea L. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Asia. Occasional. Erect, much-branched, non- 

heading, annual herb, up to 80 cm or higher, with a deep tap root; stem leaves, not 

clasping, basal (radical) leaves, up to 20 cm long, stalked, usually lyrate-lobed with very 

large ovate terminal segment; flowers, about 1 cm in diameter, bright yellow, perfect, 4- 

sepaled, 4-petaled, without bracts, not held above the central unopened buds, petals oval 

to obovate with a long claw, borne on slender pedicels along an elongated terminal and 

sometimes axillary flower stem (raceme), up 40 cm long; fruit, about 1.5 to 4 cm long, 

slender pod, rounded in cross section, with a 4-angled short beak, opening lengthwise; 

seeds, about 1 mm in diameter, globose, blackish-grey. Food plant in Chinese food 

gardens at Location. Leaves and stems cooked as a green vegetable. 5, 6, 7. 

Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata L. 

te kabiti ni Imatang (K); kapisi Palagi (T) 

"English cabbage" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Europe. Rare. Biennial herb, usually grown as an 

annual, up to 30 cm or higher, or 30 cm in diameter, with a short stem and an arrested, 

compact, much-swollen terminal bud surmounted by a mass of thick overlapping whitish- 

green to light blue-green leaves forming a loose or compact, round or somewhat pointed 

head; flowers, virtually never seen, not developing during the first year. Planted in 

gardens near Buada Lagoon. Leaves cooked as a vegetable. 3, 6, 7. 

Brassica pekinensis (Lour.) Ruprecht "celery cabbage", "Shantung cabbage", 

"Peking cabbage", "pe-tsai" wong pa'ak, wong bok (C); te kabiti n Tiaina (K) 

syns. B. chinensis var. pekinensis (Rupr. ) Sun; B. petsai Bailey 

Recent introduction. N. China. Rare. Erect, loose- to compact-heading, biennial 

herb, grown as an annual, up to 50 cm or higher, somewhat resembling a large yellow- 

green romaine or cos lettuce; leaves, 15 to 50 cm long and 5 to 25 cm wide, alternate, 

light yellow-green, thin, veiny, crinkled undulate, dentate, without distinct petiole, the 

wide, flat, long whitish base with a dentate wing, radical leaves often forming a compact 

head, with midrib on the lower surface sometimes having sparse bristle-like hairs; 

flowers, not seen; seeds, plump, without grooves. Planted in Chinese food garden at 

Location. Leaves and stems cooked as a vegetable. 6.

Rhaphanus sativus L. var. longipinnatus Bailey "white radish", "daikon" , "Chinese, 

Japanese or Oriental radish" loh paak (C) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. E. Asia. Occasional. Erect annual bristly herb, up 

to 50 cm or higher, with a large white cylindrical tap root, up to 30 cm long and 10 cm 

in diameter, or larger, and normally weighing up to 500 g to 1 kg or more; radical 

leaves, up to 50 cm and 12 cm wide, dark green, bristly (setulose), lyrate-pinnatifid, with 

8 to 11 pairs of pinnaeTflowers, rarely seen, white to lilac, small, 4-petaled; fruit, 3 to 7 

cm long, up to 1.5 cm in diameter, inflated, indehiscent, with 6 to 12 seeds; seeds, about 

2.5 to 3 mm in diameter, dark brown, globose. Cultivated in Chinese food gardens at 

Location. Leaves and fleshy white tap root cooked as vegetables or eaten raw. 5, 6. 

CACTACEAE (Cactus Family) 

Cephalocereus sp. " Cephalocereus" 

Recent introduction. Tropical America. Rare. Jointed cactus with short, funnel- 

shaped, night-blooming flowers. Planted ornamental. 6(204). 

Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britt. & Rose "night-blooming cereus" 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Large fleshy, green, epiphytic, rambling or 

climbing, branching, night-blooming cactus, with 3-angled (3-winged) stems, about 4 to 5 

cm in diameter, with scalloped margins, which become more or less horny and bear 

cushions 2.5 cm or more apart, each with 1 to 3 short spines, and with aerial roots 

growing from the underside of the stems; flowers, about 25 cm long, night-blooming, 

lasting only until about noon of the following day, beautiful and showy, fragrant with a 

mildly spicy odor, waxy, cup- or funnel-shaped, with many narrow, curved, yellowish- 

green outer segments surrounding many white, erect petals, which are longer than the 

mass of long, yellow-tipped stamens and a long style tipped with a radiating stigma 

having about 24 lobes; fruit, rare, oblong, about 10 cm long, red, containing numerous 

black seeds in white pulp, which is refreshing to eat. Immature ornamental pot plant. 6. 

Opuntia sp. "prickly pear cactus" 

- Recent introduction. TropicalL!unerica. Rare. Succulent, -erect, shrub4ke cactus, 

up to 2 m or higher, with flattened light-green, thick (up to 1 cm wide), oboval, paddleblade-like 

joints or cushions, about 12 to 30 cm long and 5 to 10 cm wide, smooth or 

with spines, up to 1 cm long; leaves, small, nearly cylindrical, short-lived; flowers and 

fruit, not seen. Planted ornamental. 5, 6.

Schlumbergia truncata (Haw.) Moran "Christmas cactus", "Easter cactus", "crab cactus" 

syn. Zygocactus trmcatus (Haw .) Schum. 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Small, smooth, day-blooming cactus, up to 30 

cm or higher, with numerous, flat, dark glossy-green, jointed branches, about 4 to 5 cm 

long and 1.5 to 2 cm wide, coarsely toothed, blunt-ended, that fork repeatedly in pairs, 

resembling crab's claws; flowers, many, 5 to 6 cm long and 1 to 1.5 cm wide, rose-red, 

rather narrow tubular, curved, with many narrow oblong petals and sepals bent back 

from long, clustered, protruding white, yellow-tipped stamens and a purple style; fruit. 

Ornamental pot plant and planted ornamental. 6. 

Unknown cactus "cactus" 

Recent introduction. Rare. Small cactus pot plant. 6. 

CAPPARIDACEAE (CAPPARACEAE) (Caper Family) 

Capparis cordifolia Lam. "oceanic caper" 

ekabobwiya, ekabobwija (N) 

syns. C. mariana Jacq.; C. spinosa var. mariana (Jacq.) K. Schum. 

Indigenous. Micronesia and Polynesia. Common. Small, sometimes sprawling, 

spineless, woody shrub, up to about 1 m high, with rather soft and light wood; leaf 

blades, about 3 to 5 cm long (rarely to 7 cm) and 2.5 to 5 cm wide, alternate, grayish- 

green, slightly fleshy, broadly ovate or orbicular, rounded at both ends or truncate or 

nearly subcordate at base, sometimes notched at the apex, lateral nerves 5- to 8-paired; 

petiole, slender, about 8 to 14 mm long; flowers, large, attractive, fragrant, pea-flower- 

like, asymmetric, axillary, solitary, borne on pedicels, 3 to 5 cm long, the bud opening 

late in the evening and withering the next morning; sepals, up to 2 cm long, 2-seriate, 

reflexed at anthesis, geleate; petals, 4, up to 2 cm long, attractive, white, glabrous, 

obovate-suborbicular, glabrous; stamens, numerous (80 to 108), 3 to 4 cm long, showy, 

white, but fading to pink or even purple; anthers, 3 mm long, purple; fruit, up to 4 to 5 

cm long, an oblong or ellipsoid berry, with reddish ribs and elsewhere green, ripening to 

dull yellow; seeds, about 3 mm long, dark brown, reniform. Found on limestone cliffs 

and limestone rock outcrops on coastal strip. Crushed leaves used by Nauruans as a fish 

poison. 2, 3(58636), 4(132N), 5(101), 6, 7.

Capparis quiniflora DC. 

syn. C. richii A. Gray 

Indigenous. E. Indonesia (Celebes and Lombok) to Melanesia and Nauru. 

Occasional. Thorny, woody, high-climbing vine, with paired recurved spines, 1 to 3 mm 

long; leaves, up to 10 cin long and 6 cm wide or larger, variable, narrowly lanceolate to 

ovate; petioles, 5 to 20 mm long; flowers, small, 2 to 10 in number, serially arranged in 

axillary or subterminal rows on pedicels, 6 to 20 mm long, which thicken and reach 5 cm 

long when in fruit; sepals, up to 5 by 3 mm; petals up to 7 by 4 mm; fruit, about 40 by 

35 mm, subglobose-ellipsoid. Found in plateau forest and on limestone pinnacles and 

cliffs of the escarpment. 3(5859 1, 58799, 58804a), 5, 6. 

Cleome rutidosperma DC. 

Recent introduction. Origin? Common. Slender ascending to sprawling or 

creeping, elongate, sparingly pilose, annual or short-lived perennial, odorless or nearly 

odorless herb; leaves trifoliate on very slender petioles, up to 2.5 cm long; leaflets, 2 to 

2.5 cm by about 1 cm, thin, the middle leaflet longest; flowers, axillary, small, petals 

blue-violet or pink, fading to white, on filiform pedicels, up to 3 cm long; fruit, 3 to 4 

cm long, a linear-fusiform capsule, on stipes 5 to 10 mm long; seed depressed-globose, 

conspicuously rugose with long curving ridges or wrinkles, dark reddish-brown. Weed in 

waste places, around buildings, and in areas recently cleared for phosphate mining. 

3(586Ol, 58616, 5875 l), 4(108N), 5, 6, 7(22303), 8(9540). 

Cleome viscosa L. 

syns. C. icosa.ndra. L. ; Polonisia. icosandra (L.) W. & A. ; P. viscosa (L.) DC. 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia or Old World Tropics. Common. Erect, sticky, 

scarcely branching annual herb, up to 20 cm high, with longitudinally-grooved and 

densely glandular hairy stems and a offensive odor; leaves, up to 7 cm by 7 cm, 

alternate, compound, palmately 3- to 5-foliate, long petiolate, glandular pubescent; 

leaflets, 1.5 to 4 cm long, the terminal leaflet longest, obovate to elliptic, tip acute to 

rounded, base cuneate to oblique, margins entire; petiole, about as long a terminal 

leaflet; flowers, solitary in upper leaf axils, on pedicels, 8 to 25 mm long; calyx, 

caducous, 4-lobes, about 5 mm long, falling soon; petals, 4, about 7 to 12 mm long, 

yellow, oblanceolate; fruit, 3 to 7 cm long, podlike, curved, longitudinally grooved, 

densely pubescent, 2-valved, splitting longitudinally (dehiscent); seeds, about 1.3 mm in 

diameter, roughly circular, numerous, small, reddish-brown, ridged (reniform). Weed 

found -- primarily - -- - - - in -- -- lowland waste 

phosphate mining. 3(58653),

C ARICACEAE (Papaya Family) 

Carica papaya L. "papaya", "pawpaw" 

dababaia, dababaiya (N); te mwemweara, te babaia (K); olesi (T) 

Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Soft-wooded, un- or 

few-branched, rather palm-like, small, quick-growing tree, up to 4 m or higher, with 

thick, hollow, tapering, nearly smooth trunks or stems with light bark and numerous 

almost heart-shaped leaf-scars, copious, thick, sticky, irritating milky sap, and leaves that 

drop as the tree grows; trees usually male or female, although some are bisexual 

(hermaphroditic) with both male and female flowers on the same tree; leaves, up to 60 

cm or more across, alternate, clustered near top, large, round in outline, deeply pal- 

mately 7- to 11-lobed, the lobes irregularly acuminately toothed and lobed; petioles, 

longer than blade, often over 1 m long, hollow; male flowers, about 2 cm wide, 

numerous, white or cream-colored, fragrant, borne on loose clusters on long axillary 

peduncles, 30 to 90 cm long; female flowers, about 4 to 6 cm wide, white, fragrant, 

subsessile, 5-petaled, solitary or few together in leaf axils; fruit, 10 to 40 cm long, 

variably shaped from subglobose or pear-shaped to cylindrical, green turning yellow or 

orange, with orange to red-orange flesh; seeds, 3 to 5 mm long, globose, many, around 

the edges of a central cavity, dark gray-green to black, wrinkled, caper-like, enclosed in 

a firm gelatinous membrane. Fruit tree in home gardens and in contract worker gardens 

at Location and the Topside Workshops. Ripe fruit eaten, and made into jam, primarily 

by resident European community; fruit known to be a laxative; juice and flesh from 

green fruit (which contains the enzyme papain) used to tenderize pork and beef; white sap 

from small immature fruit used as a cure for ringworm; fragrant flowers used in 

garlands; and hollow leaf petioles used by children as "pea shooters" for the fruit of 

Tourncfortia argcwtca (irin) . Common, often naturalized, in houseyard gardens and 

agricultural areas and an important local cash crop throughout the Pacific, and a 

commercial export crop in areas such as Hawaii, Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands. 2, 

3(58694), 5, 6, 7, 8. 

CASUARINACEAE (Casuarina Family) 

Casuarina equisetifolia L. "casuarina" , "she oak", "ironwood", "beefwood" 

tanenbaum (German for Christmas tree)(N); te katurina, te burukam (K); toa (T) 

syn. C. litorca L. 

- -- -- - - -- - -- - - -- -- - -- - - 

Pre-World War I introduction. Indian Ocean to Polynesia and Micronesia. 

Occasional. Medium to large, hard-wooded, fast-growing, pine-like tree, up to 15 m or 

higher, with numerous, short-lived, long, thin, drooping, needle-like, gray-green, 

cylindrical, jointed, striate, photosynthetic branchlets; leaves, whorled, reduced to

lanceolate or subulate, awl-shaped scales at each branchlet node; flowers, unisexual, in 

catkins; male flowers, brown, terminal, with whorled bracts, in spike-like inflorescences 

at the ends of branchlets; female flower heads, reddish-brown, condensed, lateral, each 

flower in the axil of a bract, protected by two lateral bracteoles, the female catkin 

enlarging, the bracts becoming woody in fruit; fruit, 1 to 2 cm long, globose, cone-like, 

dull-green ripening to brown, many-seeded. Planted, occasionally as a street tree or 

windbreak, and spontaneous on the coastal strip, and as a naturalized pioneer on some 

mined areas to where they have spread from trees planted near the Topside workshops. 

Although a common indigenous tree on sandy and rocky shores, and sometimes inland, 

throughout most of the western Pacific, and possibly an aboriginal introduction to some 

groups, such as Samoa, the casuarina seems to have been a recent post-European 

introduction to Nauru. 2, 3(58776), 5(81), 6, 7. 

CHENOPODIACEAE (Goosefoot or Saltbush Family) 

Atriplex nurnmularia Lindl. "Australian saltbush" 

Said to have been introduced in 1916, but not seen in 1978 or later. 

Beta vulgaris L. var. cycla L. "Swiss chard", "silverbeet", "leaf beet" 

Recent introduction. Europe. Rare. Biennial glabrous herb, up to 40 cm or taller; 

leaves, up to 40 by 20 cm or more, dark green, shiny, alternate, simple, feather-shaped, 

fleshy with thickened white midribs; flowers, rare, small, 3- to 4-flowered cymes 

arranged on a spike, each subtended by a small narrow leaf; fruit, mostly an aggregate 

formed by the cohesion of 2 or more fruits forming an irregular nutlike cluster held 

together by swollen perianth bases. Food plant in Chinese garden at Location. Leaves 

cooked as a spinach. 5, 6. 

Spinacea oleracea L. 

poh ts'oi (C) 

"spinach" 

Recent introduction. S. W. Asia. Rare. Small biennial herb, up to 25 cm high; 

leaves, 5 to 15 cm long and 3 to 8 cm wide, ovate to cordate, acuminate or somewhat 

sagittate; petioles, 2 to 10 cm long; fruit, an aggregate formed by the cohesion of 3 to 6 

fruits forming an irregular nutlike cluster. Food plant in garden at Location. Leaves 

- 

- - - -- - - - - - -- 

c55Ym asT @inacK5,6:7.

CLUSIACEAE OR GUTTIF'ERAE (Mangosteen Family) 

Calophyllum inophyllum L. "Portia tree", "Alexandrian laurel", "beach mahogany", 

" tomano" (Hawaii) iyo, ijo (N); te itai (K); fetau, itai (T); fetau (T) 

Indigenous. Trop. Africa to E. Polynesia and Micronesia. Very abundant. 

Medium to large, hard-wooded, often crooked, slow-growing tree, 10 to 20 m tall, with a 

broad, low-branching, spreading crown, rough gray bark, and sticky yellowish sap; 

leaves, 10 to 20 cm long and 6 to 10 cm wide, simple, opposite, dark green, glossy, 

glabrous above, densely covered with minute silvery-white scales beneath, stiff, leathery, 

elliptic-oblong, rounded or emarginate, base acute, pinnately nerved, with a stout pale 

yellow-green midrib, lateral nerves very fine, numerous, parallel; petioles, 1 to 2.5 cm 

long, stout, caniculate; flowers, about 2 cm in diameter, showy, waxy white, very 

fragrant when fresh, 4- to -5 petaled (rarely 6 to 8), with numerous yellow stamens, 

borne on pedicels, up to 3 cm long, in solitary axillary, 4 to 15-flowered racemose 

clusters, up to 10 cm long; sepals, 4, concave-orbicular, the outer pair smaller, about 8 

mm long, the inner pair, 10 inm long; fruit, about 2.5 to 5 cm long, green to purple- 

black, globose, hard, heavy, thin-fleshed, with a bony shell which encloses a somewhat 

poisonous single kernel or seed surrounded with cork, hanging from a long stalk. 

Dominant large tree in original pre-mining plateau (Topside) forest vegetation, common 

on escarpment slopes and on coastal strip. Timber provided the best wood for house posts 

(iyor, yor), furniture, woodcarving and for canoe hulls in the past; sticky sap (erebeniyo) 

used for caulking canoes; kernel of green and mature fruit (i kuan iyo ) crushed to yield 

oil which is applied to hair to make it long and black; old decayed fruit skewered on 

coconut midribs (engow) in past and burned as traditional Nauruan light; and mature fruit 

burned as a mosquito repellent. Trees now being indiscriminately felled and burned as 

refuse at a Topside dump to prepare land for phosphate mining. A tree highly valued for 

its timber and other purposes throughout the Pacific, the seed kernel (known commercial- 

ly as "punnai nut") yielding a dark green oil formerly exported from Fiji. 2, 3(58740), 

4(164N), 5(120), 6, 7. 

COMBRETACEAE (Terminalia Family) 

Quisqualis indica L. Rangoon creeper" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional. An erect, vigorous shrub, growing 

a large woody , vine from 2 to 7 In long L _ with slender stems and rusty-brown young 

into - _ 

growth; leaves 7 to 15 cm long, light green, soft, opposite, oval or oblong, acute, base 

rounded; flowers, borne in short showy drooping clusters in the leaf axils, changing color 

from pink to white as they open, and then darkening to red, pleasantly fragrant, calyx 

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 

ornamental. 3(58790), 5(113), 6, 7. 

Terminalia catappa L. "beach almond", "Indian almond", "Malabar almond", "tropical 

almond", "coastal almond" etetah, eteto (N); te kunikun (K); talie, te ipe (T) 

Indigenous. Trop. Asia and Australia to W. Polynesia and Micronesia. Common. 

Medium to large, deciduous or semi-deciduous tree, up to 30 m tall, with whorled, 

horizontal, wide-spreading branches arranged in tiers, and reddish timber; leaves, 15 to 

30 cm long and 10 to 22 cm wide, clustered in rosettes at the ends of the branches entire, 

leathery, shiny, dark-green turning red and yellow before dropping, new leaves appearing 

almost immediately, obovate, broadly rounded, obtuse or acute, base narrowing, 

narrowly and abruptly obtuse at petiole, pinnately-nerved, midrib slightly pubescent; 

petioles, 0.5 to 1 cm long, stout; flowers, small, numerous (35 to 80 ), white, petal-less, 

with a 5-lobed, bell-shaped calyx, which soon falls, and 10 stamens, borne in axillary, 

spikelike racemes, about 10 cm to 24 long, near ends of branches; fruit, 5 to 7 cm long, 

green turning yellow, then red, ovoid, subelliptic or subobovoid, hard, flattened, two- 

keeled (narrowly-winged), drupe, with thin fleshy pulp surrounding a single edible 

almond-like kernel. Tree in original plateau forest, on escarpment and on the coastal 

strip; occasionally planted or protected in home gardens. Timber used in light construc- 

tion and for woodcarving; roots used by some people to prepare a cure for dysentery; 

outside rind of fruit eaten when yellow and kernel eaten after the mature fruit has fallen; 

fruit strung as necklaces and used in black magic or sorcery. 3(58662), 5(116), 6, 7. 

CONVOLVULACEAE (Morning-Glory Family) 

Ipomoea aquatica Forsk. "water spinach", "swamp cabbage", "water convolvulus" 

Lorenzo (N); ung ts'oi (C); cangcong (F) 

syns. I. reptans Poir.; Convolvulus reptans L.; 1. repens Roth 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. Asia, Africa and Australia. Occasional. 

Creeping, trailing or sometimes floating, semi-aquatic, hollow-stemmed, perennial 

herbaceous vine, producing long shoots, rooting freely at the nodes; leaves, 5 to 15 cm 

long and 2 to 10 cm wide, light green, soft and limp (flaccid), variable, commonly 

oblong-lanceolate or heart-shaped, the base hastate or truncate, long-petiolate; petioles, 3 

to 15 cm long, hollow; flowers, 1 to 7 in cymes, peduncles, 2 to nearly 18 cm long, 

pedicels, 2 to 6 cm long; sepals, obtuse, ovate-oblong, 7 to 9 mm long; corolla, 3.5 to 

--- -- - -- - - - - - -- - -- - 

5.5 cm long, pinkish-violet, often darker in the throat, rarely white; fruit, to 1 cm long, 

ovoid; seeds, finely pubescent. Food plant in Chinese and Filipino gardens at Location 

and Topside Workshop gardens; naturalized in muddy areas of Buada Lagoon, where it

was formerly planted by the Japanese during World War 11. Tender leaves and shoots 

cooked as a green vegetable; usually propagated by cuttings. 5(24), 6, 7. 

Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. 

te kumara (K); kumala (T); fan shue (C) 

syn. Convolvulus batatas L. 

"sweet potato", "kumara" 

Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Smooth or pubescent 

creeping, herbaceous, perennial, vine with milky sap, forming large, edible tuberous 

roots; leaves, 4 to 15 cm long and 3 to 11 cm wide, green, limp, variable, deltoid-ovate 

to ovate orbicular, entire or palmately 3- to 5-lobed or -parted, cordate or subcordate, 

commonly with 2 prominent basal lobes, acute; petioles, slender, 3 to 15 cm long, often 

longer than blade; flowers, several to many in long-peduncled cymes; corolla, usually 3 

to 5 cm long, tubular and spreading, pale rose-violet, darker purplish in the throat, rarely 

white; sepals (calyx-lobes), about 10 to 15 mm long, briefly mucronate; fruit, a capsule; 

tubers, about 5 to 10 per plant, normally 10 to 30 cm long and 100 g to 1 kg in weight, 

fusiform to globular, usually smooth but sometimes ridged, skin white, yellow, orange, 

red, purple or brown, flesh waxy-white, yellowish, orange, reddish or purple, developing 

in the top 25 cm of the soil by secondary thickening of adventitious roots. Cultivated in 

contract laborers' food gardens at Location and Topside workshops; spontaneous along 

roadsides in some areas of Topside. Tuberous roots cooked as a staple and young leaves 

of some varieties occasionally cooked as a green vegetable. Dominant staple food plant 

and livestock feed in most of Papua New Guinea, parts of Solomon Islands and an 

important supplementary staple in many areas of Polynesia and Micronesia; leaves are 

also cooked as a vegetable green and an important livestock feed in some areas of the 

Pacific. 5, 6, 7. 

Ipomoea fistulosa Mart. ex Choisy 

syn. I. crassicaulis (Benth .) Rob. 

"bush morning-glory " 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Occasional. Perennial shrub, up to 3 m tall, with stiff 

but rather rambling branches; leaves, 6 to 25 cm long and 4 to 17 cm wide, ovate to 

heart-shaped, acuminate, midrib dorsally with 2 basal glands; petiole, 3 to 15 cm long; 

flowers, mostly 5 to 9 cm long, tubular, rather pale pink, but darker within the tube, 

day-blooming, borne in axillary, few-flowered cymes; sepals, 5, about 5 mm long, ovate 

orbicular; fruit, 1.5 to 2 cm long, ovoid; seeds, brownish pubescent. Planted ornamental, 

often along borders of home allotments. Has become naturalized in other areas of the 

Pacific and in S. E. Asia. 3(58617), 5(198), 6, 7.

Ipomoea hederifolia L. 

syn. I. angulata Lam. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare to occasional. Slender, branching, 

herbaceous, nearly glabrous, right-twining vine, up to 4 m high; leaves, up to 5 o 6 cm 

or longer and about 4 cm wide, variable, entire or irregularly lobed, ovate-cordate, 

acute, mucronate, basal sinus wide, marginally more or less coarsely dentate or sub- 

lobate, 7-nerved from base, midrib branched upward, long-petiolate; petiole, slender, as 

long as blade; flowers, few to several in branching, long-pedunculate, axillary clusters; 

corolla, 3 to 4 cm long, bright red, attractive, tubular, limb flaring to about 2.5 cm in 

diameter, calyx lobes long-pointed; fruit, 7 mm in diameter, a globose capsule, opening 

by 4 valves; seeds, 4, about 4 mm long, black, densely short hairy. Found growing 

spontaneously in ruderal sites on the coastal strip, climbing in a Leucaena leucocephala 

thicket and over roadside shrubbery in Ijuw near Anibare boundary in 1987. 5(149), 6, 

7(22307). 

Ipomoea littoralis B1. 

syns. I. denticulata (Desv.) Choisy; Convolvulus denticulatus Desv.; I. gracilis 

sensu auct. non R. Br. ; I. ch.oisiana Wight ex Safford 

Indigenous. Malaysia and the Pacific. Rare. Slender, creeping or twining 

herbaceous maritime vine, with glabrous stems; leaves, 4 to 10 cm long and 3 to 8 cm 

wide, alternate, light-green, subglabrous, ovate-cordate (heart-shaped) to reniform, entire 

or 3-lobed, acute or acuminate to obtuse, sometimes emarginate, base cordate with broad 

sinus, 7-nerved from base, midrib branched upward; flowers, solitary or few on 

peduncles, 1 to 4 cm long, pedicels 2 to 5 cm; sepals (calyx-lobes), all approaching 1 

cm, but unequal, apex slightly mucronate, inner lobes wide as long; corolla, about 3 to 4 

cm long, funnelform with spreading limb, dark pink to lavender, darker in the throat; 

fruit, approaching 1 cm, a glabrous, 2-celled capsule; seeds, 4, glabrous. Roadside and 

waste places. 8. 

Ipomoea macrantha R. & S. "wild moon flower" 

erekogo (N); te ruku (K); fue (T) 

syns. Convovulus tuba Schlect.; I. tuba (Schlecht.) G. Don; I. grandzjlora sensu 

Koidz. non Lam.; I. glaberritna Boj. ex Bouton; I. alba sensu Taylor non 

L.; Calonyction tuba (Schlect.) Colla; C. comospemza Boj. 

Indigenous. Pantropical. Occasional. Coarse, somewhat woody (sub-herbaceous), 

creeping or twining, night-blooming (climbing) vine; leaves, 5 to 16 cm long and about 

- -- 

equally-wide,alterna~~e-suborbicUlFtOh~rt-sk~ed,- acsinK mucgnac, base 

rounded, deeply cordate with open sinus, entire to slightly undulate, 7- to 9-nerved from 

base, midrib branched upward; petioles, up to 8 cm or longer; flowers, solitary or few, 

commonly in pairs, on elongate axillary peduncles, 8 to 14 cm long and 10 to 14 cm

across the limb, pedicels, about 2 cm long, bracteate; sepals (calyx-lobes) subequal, 1.5 

to 2.5 cm long, broadly suborbicular, rounded, persistent, containing slimy sap; corolla, 

7 to 12 cm long, funnelform, attractive, white with pale greenish bands, opening about 

midnight, fading and wilting by morning; fruit, 2 to 3 cm long, globose, dry, borne in 

the persistent calyx, splitting into 4 1-seeded capsules; seeds, about 1 cm long, dark, 

glabrous or with two rows of minute hairs. Found climbing on trees in coastal and 

plateau forests and creeping on open ground in some ruderal places. Leaves possibly used 

medicinally by Nauruans? 3(58666, 58735), 4(131N), 5(l l8), 6, 7. 

Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) Sweet ssp. brasiliense (L.) v. Ooststr. "beach morning-glory" 

erekogo, irekogo (Burges)(N); te ruku (K); fue (T) 

syns. Convolvulus brasiliensis L. ; C. maritimus Desr. ; I. brasiliense (L.) Sweet 

Indigenous. Pantropical. Abundant. Vigorous, prostrate, creeping, somewhat 

fleshy, herbaceous, vine, with a long main root and reddish-purple stems, rooting at 

nodes and extending up to 5 to 10 m; leaves, 5 to 12 cm long and wide, sometimes wider 

than long, alternate, glabrous, somewhat goat-foot-shaped and folded along the midvein, 

somewhat succulent, ovate-orbicular, base cordate to rounded, apex notched or 2-lobed, 

areolate veiny; petioles, 2 to 10 cm long, sometimes longer than blade, with 2 glands at 

apex; flowers, borne in solitary or several-flowered cymes, on long axillary peduncles to 

about 15 cm long; sepals (calyx-lobes) to 1 cm long, ovate, mucronate or notched at 

apex; corolla, 4 to 5 cm long, funnelform, dark rosy-pink to violet, purplish in the 

throat: fruit, about 1.3 to 2.5 cm across, subglobose capsule, splitting at the top into 4 

sections; seeds, 4, densely pubescent. Found on beach sand, not far from the sea, and on 

coastal vegetation. Leaves crushed to yield juice which prevents hair from falling out. 2, 

3(58729), 4(129N), 5(29), 6, 7. 

Merremia quinquefolia (L.) Hal1.f. 

Convolvulus quinquefolia L. 

Recent introduction. W. Indies. Herbaceous prostrate or climbing vine; leaves, 

palmately compound with 5 leaflets, leaflets oblong to lanceolate, 2.5 to 6 cm long; 

petioles, 2 to 5 (rarely up to 9) cm long; flowers, borne in axillary, solitary or severalflowered 

cymes, the peduncles glandular in the upper part and sometimes mixed with 

spreading bristly hairs; sepals, 4 to 8 mm long, narrowly ovate to oblong, obtuse, 

subequal or the outer ones shorter; corolla, 1.8 to 2.5 cm long, pale yellow or whitish; 

fruit, about 9 mm long, capsular, globose, stramineous, 4-valved; seeds, about 4.5 mm 

long, shortly curled-pilose, blackish. Weed seen in one place in semi-open area on 

escit~pmen t . -3658765). - - - -- - - -- - - - ---

CRASSULACEAE (Orpine Family) 

Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. "air plant", "miracle plant", "life plant" 

te ang (K) 

syns. Cotyledon pinnatum Lam. ; Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam .) Kurz; B. cal- 

ycinum Salisb. 

Pre-world War I1 introduction. Indian Ocean Islands. Occasional. Succulent, 

glabrous, erect, un- or sparingly-branched, pale gray-green, perennial herb, with reddish 

stems marked with oblong light spots, somewhat woody at the base, up to 60 cm or 

higher; leaves, up to 20 cm long by 10 cm, opposite, simple or pinnately compound with 

3 to 5 leaflets, broadly elliptic, margins crenate (scalloped), each crenation bearing at the 

notch a vegetative bud which (when leaf is detached) may produce rootlets and stem, 

eventually yielding a complete new plant; petioles, up to 10 to 12 long; petiolules, 3 to 5 

mm long; flowers, 3 to 6 cm long, red or red-pink and green, cylindrical, pendent, calyx 

and corolla 4-parted, dangling in terminal panicles; fruit, follicular. Planted ornamental. 

Common pot plant; naturalized and spreading around water tank near Topside Workshop 

food gardens. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7. 

Kalanchoe tubiflora (Harvey) Hamet "chandelier plant" 

syns. Bryophyllum tubzforum Harvey; B. verticillata Scott-Elliot 

Recent introduction. Madagascar. Rare. Succulent erect perennial herb, up to 50 

cm or higher; leaves, 2 to 12 cm long and about 6 mm thick, generally dull green, with 

purplish blotches or transversely striped, slender, nearly cylindrical or tubular (subterete), 

usually whorled in threes at the stem nodes or crowded toward stem ends, 7-toothed at 

the apex where vegetative buds develop; flowers, about 2 to 2.5 cm long, reddish, 

pendent, corolla much longer than calyx, both 4-parted. Ornamental potplant. 3(587 IS), 4 

(52). 

CUCURBITACEAE (Melon Family) 

Benicasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn. "wax gourd", "ash pumpkin", "winter melon", 

"white gourd" tung kwa (C) 

syns. B. cerfera (Fisch.) Savi; Cucurbita. hispida Thunb.; C. cerfera Fisch. 

- - -- - -- - - - - - --- - - - - - 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Java. Occasional. Wide-spreading, herbaceous, 

pubescent or hispid, annual climbing vine, to several meters, with short, branched 

tendrils; leaves, 10 to 35 cm across, rounded, cordate, pubescent, palmately 5- to 11- 

lobed; petioles, 10 to 20 cm long; flowers, 6 to 12 cm in diameter, monoecious, solitary,

axillary; calyx, 5-lobed; corolla, yellow, 5-petaled; male flowers on peduncles, 5 to 15 

cm long; female flowers, subsessile, ovary densely hairy; fruit, 20 to 120 cm long and 

15 to 80 cm wide, weighing up to 10 kg or more, melon-like, globose to oblong- 

cylindrical, green, with a easy-to-remove white waxy covering, more or less hairy when 

young; flesh (pulp), white, spongy; seeds, about 1 to 1.5 cm long and 5 to 7 mm wide, 

numerous, central, buff-colored, smooth, flat, ovate-elliptic, with narrow base. Food 

plant in Chinese gardens at Location. Flesh of fruit cooked as a vegetable. 5, 6, 7. 

Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Tan. var. caffrorum (Alef.) Fosb. "watermelon" 

te meren (K); meleni (T) 

syns. Citrullus vulgaris var. caflorurn Alef.; C. vulgaris Schrad. ex Eckl. & 

Zeyh. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Slender, much-branched, wide- 

spreading, prostrate, hairy, herbaceous, annual creeper, with rather thin, angular, 

grooved stems, 1.5 to 5 m long, branched (bifid or trifid) tendrils and an extensive and 

superficial root system; leaves, 5 to 20 cin long and 2 to 12 cm wide, alternate, scabrid 

or harshly pubescent, deeply pinnately lobed, the lobes again pinnately lobed and toothed, 

with broad apices; flowers, monoecious, solitary, axillary, on short pedicels, 3 to 5 cm 

long, bell-shaped (campanulate), usually more male than female flowers; calyx, 5-lobed; 

corolla, 2.5 to 3 cm in diameter, deeply 5-parted, pale yellow, petals, 1 to 1.5 cm long; 

male flowers, greenish; female flowers, longer-pedunculate, ovary ovoid with woolly 

hairs; fruit, large, up to over 50 cm long and 25 cm in diameter and weighing up to 4 to 

20 kg, rounded (globose) or oblong; rind, mostly glabrous, dark-green, striped or 

patterned, hard, but not durable; flesh (pulp), red to whitish-pink (rarely yellow), watery, 

sweet; seeds, 6 to 15 mrn long and 5 to 7 mm wide, many, black, sometimes white 

mottled, smooth, flattened, with swellings on either side of the apex. Food plant in home 

gardens and as spontaneous juveniles around residences and dump heaps. Fruit eaten raw. 

2, 3, 5, 6, 7. 

Cucumis melo L. var cantalu pensis Naud. "cantaloupe", "rock melon" 

te meren (K); meleni (T); heung kwa, t'im kwa (C) 

Recent introduction. S . W. Asia and Africa to the Mediterranean. Occasional. 

Softly hairy, trailing, herbaceous, annual vine, with ridged or striated stems, tender 

unbranched tendrils, and an extensive and superficial root system; leaves, 7 to 13 cm 

across, simple, rounded or kidney-shaped, usually 5-angled and sometimes shallowly 3- 

to 7 lobed; petiole, 8 to 16 cm long; flowers, about 2.5 cm across, generally andromonoecious 

(with hermaphroditic and male flowers on the same plant), yellow; male 

- - . -- - 

flowers, often in groups, each on a slender pedicel; hermaphroditic (and female) flowers, 

solitary, with shorter and thicker pedicels; fruit, 12 to 24 cm long and 10 to 18 cm in 

diameter, globose or oblong, hollow; rind, thick, scaly, rough, netted or often deeply 

grooved; flesh (pulp), soft, 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. 

Food plant in Chinese gardens at Location. Fruit flesh eaten raw. 5, 6. 

Cucumis melo L. var. conomon Makino 

ts'it kwa (C) 

"Oriental pickling melon " 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. China. Rare. Softly hairy, branching, trailing, 

occasionally climbing, herbaceous, annual vine, with ridged stems, tender unbranched 

tendrils, and an extensive and superficial root system; leaves, 7 to 13 cm across, simple, 

rounded to heart- or kidney-shaped; flowers, about 2.5 cm across, generally andro- 

monoecious (with hermaphroditic and male flowers on the same plant), yellow; male 

flowers, often in groups, each on a slender pedicels; hermaphroditic (and female) 

flowers, solitary, with shorter and thicker pedicel; fruit, 20 to 30 cm long and 6 to 8 cm 

in diameter, oblong, cylindrical, cucumber-like, slightly hollow; rind, thin, pale whitish- 

green to yellowish-green, longitudinally lined, smooth or slightly pubescent; pulp, soft, 

white to greenish-white, almost tasteless; seeds, 5 to 10 mm long, many, whitish or buff, 

smooth, flat, in a central cavity with fleshy placentas. Trailing or climbing food plant in 

Chinese gardens at Location and Topside. Fruit cooked as a vegetable, often in soups. 5, 

6. 

Cucumis sativus L. "cucumber" 

te kukamba (K); kukampa (T); tseng kwa, wong kwa (C) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. N. India. Rare. Scabrid, climbing or trailing, 

herbaceous, annual vine, climbing from 1 to 5 m, with strongly 4-angled stems, un- 

branched tendrils and an extensive and superficial root system; leaves, 8 to 20 cm long, 

hispid or rough, base cordate, apex acuminate, scarcely angled, unlobed or shallowly 3- 

to 5-lobed with acute sinuses, dentate, palmately 5- to 7-nerved; petioles, 5 to 18 cm 

long; flowers, 2 to 4 cm long, monoecious, yellow, bell-shaped, deeply 5-partite, hairy, 

wrinkled; calyx, 5 to 10 mm long, with 5 narrow lobes; male flowers, predominant, 

borne in axillary clusters on slender pedicels; female flowers, solitary or few, axillary, 

on stout peduncles; fruit, 15 to 25 cm long, pendulous, slenderly oblong or cylindric, 

often slightly curved, dark to light-green skinned, glabrous or covered with tiny bristly 

tubercles or warts (echinate), particularly when young; flesh, pale whitish-green; seeds, 8 

to 10 mm long and 3 to 5 cm wide, many, whitish, oblong, flat, margin defined only at 

the apex. Food plant in houseyard gardens. Fruit eaten raw, and occasionally cooked. 5, 

6, 7.

Cucurbita maxima Duch. "pumpkin", "winter squash", "autumn squash" 

dabamakin (N); te baukin, te bamakin, te bangke (K) 

Recent introduction? S . America. Rare. Prostrate, long-trailing, slightly rough, 

herbaceous, annual vine, with branched tendrils; stems, soft, round in cross-section; 

leaves, 6 to 19 cm long and 7 to 20 cm wide, slightly kidney-shaped (subreniform), 

nearly orbicular in outline, shallowly 5-lobed, cordate with a very deep sinus, margins 

denticulate, green, occasionally with white blotches, coarsely pubescent, not rigid; 

petioles, up to 20 cm long; flowers, solitary, monoecious, bell-shaped, acute or obtuse in 

bud, corolla lobes curved outward, bright yellow; male flowers, 4 to 7 cm long on 

peduncles, 10 to 17 cm long; sepal lobes, linear; calyx lobes, narrow subulate; female 

flowers, on a soft corky peduncle, thickening to a fruit-stalk, up to 7 cm long, thicker 

than stem, spongy, nearly cylindrical, not expanded at point of attachment to fruit; fruit, 

variously shaped, hard, green to dull orange or yellow, often mottled, usually hollow; 

flesh, yellow to orange, rather fibrous; seeds, 16 to 20 mm long and 8 to 12 mm wide, 

not separating easily and cleanly from pulp, dull white or buff, usually smooth or glossy, 

sometimes with fine wrinkles, ovate, attachment acute and asymmetrical, apex nearly 

straight across or oblique, margin or rim, smooth, obtuse, single, slightly raised. Food 

plant, often adventive in gardens. Fruit cooked as a vegetable. 3. 

Cucurbita pep0 L. "pumpkin", "field pumpkin", "summer squash", "marrow" 

dabamakin (N); te baukin, te bamakin, te bangke (K); panikeni (T) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Prostrate, long-trailing (rarely 

somewhat erect), slightly rough, hard-stemmed, herbaceous, annual vine, with 4- to 5- 

branched tendrils; stems, harsh to touch and spiculate, round in cross-section; leaves, 6 

to 19 cm long and 7 to 20 cm wide, broadly triangular or heart-shaped, often pointed, 

palmately, deeply 5-lobed, broad sinus between lobes, central lobe longest, rather finely 

toothed, harsh to the touch and spiculate, more prickly than C. maxima, cordate with 

narrow, acute sinuses, green, occasionally with white blotches, stiff and more or less 

rigid, foliage held upright; petioles, up to 15 cm long; flowers, solitary, monoecious, 

bell-shaped, acuminate in bud, corolla lobes nearly always upright, bright yellow to 

yellow-orange; sepals, short, awl-shaped; calyx lobes, narrow subulate; male flowers, 5 

to 6 cm long on peduncles; female flowers, on a hard, sharply 5-angular, grooved 

peduncles, maturing into a short fruit-stalk, without cork development and not, or only 

slightly enlarged at point of attachment to fruit; fruit, variable, usually spherical-oblate, 

dull orange to orange-brown, sides radially round-ridged, hollow; flesh, orange, coarsegrained, 

rather fibrous; seeds, 10 to 18 mm long and 8 to 11 mm wide, separating easily 

and cleanly from pulp, dirty white or creamy white, smooth or finely granular, ovate, 

atkchment ob tusead _ symmetrical,~apex~uSually~~traight~acms,~ _thin or fairlk plump, 

margin or rim, smooth, obtuse, clearly defined, usually appearing double. Occasional. 

Food plant, often adventive in waste places and gardens at Location and elsewhere on the 

coastal strip. Fruit cooked as a vegetable. 3, 5, 6, 7.

Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb. "angled loofah", "vegetable sponge", "ridge gourd", 

"dish-cloth gourd" sze kwa (C) 

syn. Cucumis acutangulus L. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction . India, Paleotropics. Occasional. Stout, climbing, 

glabrous, herbaceous, annual vine, with pentagonal stems, 3- or more-forked tendrils and 

fetid when bruised; leaves, 10 to 24 cm long and wide, rounded, rather shallowly 

palmately 5- to 7-lobed, coarsely and shallowly toothed, scabrous, pale beneath; flowers, 

4 to 5 cm in diameter, monoecious, axillary, pale yellow, 5-petaled, petals almost 

completely distinct, male and female flowers borne together in the same axil, opening in 

the late afternoon or evening; male flowers, in racemes of several flowers, peduncle 10 

to 25 cm long, stamens 3; female flowers, solitary, stigmas 3, ovary 10-ribbed; fruit, 15 

to 40 cm long and 5 to 10 cm in diameter, green to gray-green, very narrowly obovoid, 

with 10 acute longitudinal ridges or ribs, crowned with enlarged sepals and style; flesh, 

white, somewhat spongy, becoming fibrous when old; seeds, 10 to 13 mm long and 7 to 

9 cm wide, black, pitted, flattened. Climbing foodplant in Chinese gardens at Location 

and Topside. Young green fruit cooked as a vegetable. 4(162N), 5, 6, 7, 8(9577). 

Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roem. var. insularurn (A. Gray) Cogn. "smooth loofah", 

"wild vegetable sponge", "scrubber gourd", "dish-cloth gourd" 

syns. Momordica cylindrica L. ; M. lufa L.; LufSa acgyptica Mill.; L. insularum 

A. Gray 

Pre-World War I1 introduction; although variety insularum seems to be indigenous 

to many Pacific islands, it was probably introduced to Nauru. Trop. Asia. Locally 

common. Vigorous, climbing, somewhat pubescent, herbaceous annual vine, with 

pentagonal stems and 2- to 3-, or more-forked tendrils; leaves, to 20 cm long and nearly 

as wide, much longer than petiole, orbicular-ovate to almost kidney-shaped (subreni- 

form), deeply 5- to 7-angled or -lobed, acuminate or acute, base deeply cordate with 

open sinus; petiole, 5 to 10 cm long, scabrid or hispid; flowers, 5 to 9 cm in diameter, 

monoecious, axillary, yellow, petals almost completely distinct, male and female flowers 

in the same axil, opening in the early morning; male flowers, 4 to 20, crowded near the 

end of a solitary axillary peduncle, stamens 5; female flowers, solitary, stigmas 3, ovary 

not ribbed; fruit, 12 to 30 cm long, oblong-cylindrical, smooth or slightly ribbed or 

striped, crowned with stout sepals and style, fleshy at first, becoming dry; flesh, white, 

spongy, becoming fibrous when old; seeds, 10 to 15 mm long, black, smooth, flat, 

faintly winged. Weedy found on edges of forest, waste places, and spreading over 

Topside topsoil dump on plateau. 3(58587, 5873 I), 5(75), 6, 7.

Momordica charantia L. "bitter gourd", "bitter melon", "balsam apple" 

fu kwa (C); ampalaya (P) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Paleotropics. Occasional. Slender, high-climbing, 

herbaceous, annual vine, 2 to 4 m long, with slightly pubescent, 5-angled, furrowed. 

stems and unbranched tendrils; leaves, 5 to 15 cm in diameter, palmately 3- to 5- lobed, 

the lobes more or less undulate or coarsely toothed, base cordate, smooth or slightly 

pubescent; petiole, 10 to 12 cm long; flowers, 2.5 to 3.5 cm in diameter, monoecious, 

axillary, yellow, corolla deeply-lobed; calyx, deeply 5-parted; male flowers, single or 

racemose, stamens 3; corolla, deeply 5-parted, 1.5 to 2 cm long; female flowers, 

solitary, on peduncles with a kidney-shaped bracteole at base, stigmas 3; fruit, 5 to 20 

cm long, pendulous, ovoid to oblong-cylindric or pear-shaped, irregularly longitudinally 

ridged with numerous bumpy tubercles, short-pointed at tip, light green to orange or dark 

yellow when ripe, splitting at the tip into three irregular valves; pulp, bitter when green 

and slightly sweetish when ripe; seeds, 12 to 16 mm long and 5 to 9 mm wide, numer- 

ous, light brownish to light gray patterned, covered with a soft, fleshy red aril. Food 

plant in Chinese and Filipino gardens at Location and in Chinese gardens at Topside 

workshops and surrounding Buada Lagoon. Fruit and young leaves occasionally cooked 

as vegetables. 4(144N), 5, 6, 7. 

ERICACEAE (Heath Family) 

Rhododendron sp. "azalea" 

Recent introduction. Rare. Asia. Evergreen shrub. Flowers not seen. Planted 


EUPHORBIACEAE (Spurge Family) 

Acalypha amentacea Roxb. var. wilkesiana (Muel1.-Arg.) Fosb. 

"copper leaf", Jacob's coat" "beefsteak plant", "fire dragon plant" 

Kayser bush (N); te aronga (K); kalakalaapuki, kakarapus, ogoogo, lakau kula (T) 

syn. A. wi1kesia.n.a. Muell. -Arg. 

-- -- -- - - -- - -- - - - -- 

Pre-World War I introduction. Melanesia,-Common PZGnial skrU6; up 5 2-m 

or higher, with pubescent young branches; leaves, 5 to 20 cm long and 3 to 15 cm wide, 

alternate, simple, mostly ovate, crenate-serrate, acuminate, pubescent, rather curved and 

coarsely crisped, pinnately-nerved, attractive, commonly dark or bright-red, red-green or

green, often mottled with various shades of red, dark pink or bronzy green, sometimes 

with whitish or reddish-white margins resembling a thin marbling of fat on a beefsteak; 

petioles, 2 to 10 cm long; stipules, 3 to 11 mm long, oblong-lanceolate; flowers, 

monoecious, tiny, about 1 cm across, petal-less, borne alternately on slender axillary or 

terminal spikes, 4 to 15 cm or longer; bracts, about 4 to 10 mm across, red to deep 

purple, 5- to 13-toothed, only slightly cupular, subtending single flowers; male spikes 

slender, elongated, hanging among lower leaves, accompanied by smaller bracts; female 

spikes somewhat shorter, nearly erect, among leaves at branch tips, each cluster (1 to 5) 

accompanied by a larger triangular, toothed bract, often with a rounded central lobe; 

ovary, 1.5 to 2 mm wide, green, puberulent; styles whitish, hair- or bristle-like, curved; 

fruit, a small capsule. Planted ornamental and hedge plant. 3(58743, 58757), 5(41), 6, 7. 

Alcalypha amentacea Roxb. var. wilkesiana f. circinata (Muel1.-Arg.) Fosb. 

te aronga (K) 

syn. A. wilkesiana Roxb . f. circinata Muell. -Arg. 

Recent introduction. Pacific Is. Occasional. Perennial shrub, up to 2 m tall; 

leaves, 3 to 14 cm long and wide, suborbicular or reniform or broadly ovate, often 

rounded at the apex, somewhat flabellinerved, green, commonly variegated with a white 

margin. Planted ornamental, often as hedges. 3(58769), 5, 6, 7. 

Acalypha hispida Burm. f. "cats' tail", "chenille plant", "red-hot poker" 

Recent introduction. Indonesia. Rare. Perennial shrub, up to 2 m high; young 

branches pubescent; leaves, 5 to 18 cm long and 3 to 10 cm wide, green, alternate, 

ovate, dentate-crenate, acuminate, pinnately-nerved; petioles, 3 to 9 cm long; stipules, 5 

to 10 mm long, oblong-lanceolate; flowers (female), axillary, petal-less, borne in 

pendulous, bright-red, velvety, tassel-like spikes, 10 to 50 cm long and 1 to 2.5 cm in 

diameter, resembling a cat's tail; bracts, minute, entire, subtending flower clusters; fruit, 

not seen. Planted ornamental. 3(58705), 5, 6,. 

Breynia disticha J.R. & G. Forst var. disticha f. nivosa (W.G. Smith) Croizat 

"leaf-flower of the Pacific islands", "snow bush" eomonon (N)(Burges, 1933) 

syns. B. nivosa (Bull) Small; Phyllanthus nivosus Bull 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Pacific Is. Rare. Perennial glabrous shrub, up to 3 

m or taller, with slender, densely, two-ranked branches; leaves, 2.5 to 5 cm long, 

alternate, 2-ranked or spirally arranged, oval-ovate, entire, green, variegated with white, -- 

pinkJighfr~~~purple,obtuse~~abruptlyp~ted~~~les,short; stipules, very small, 

triangular acute; flowers, monoecious, small, green, petal-less, on short axillary pedicels; 

male flowers, 3 to many, borne in close clusters (fascicles) in the lower axils; female

flowers, solitary, with a green, 6-lobed or -toothed, bell-shaped or cuplike calyx, borne 

in the upper axils. Planted ornamental. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7. 

Codiaeum variegatum (L.) A. Juss. "croton", "codiaeum" 

syns. Croton variegatum L.; Phyllaurea variegata (L.) Wight; P. codiaeum 

Lour. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Malaysia to Melanesia. Common. Glabrous, 

densely-branched, shrub or small tree, up to 4 m or taller; leaves, 7 to 32 cm long and 2 

to 15 cm wide, alternate, spirally arranged, thick, leathery, extremely variable in shape, 

size and color, commonly entire, sometimes interrupted, wavy, twisted or 3- or more- 

lobed, linear-lanceolate, oblong or ovate to obovate, mostly acuminate, pinnately-nerved, 

plain, spotted, mottled, variegated, or decoratively patterned green, red, purple, pink, 

yellow and white, nerves often brightly colored, red or yellow; petioles, 1 to 9 cm long; 

flowers, monoecious, small, petal-less, borne in lax axillary narrow spikes, 15 to 25 cm 

long; male flowers, about 6 inm wide, with 5 or 6 sepals and petals and 15 to 35 free 

stamens, chestered; female flowers, solitary, lacking petals, scattered; fruit, small, a 

subglobose, thin-walled, 3-lobed capsule. Planted ornamental and hedge plant. 3(58714), 

5, 6(199, 200), 7. 

Euphorbia antiquorum L. "cactus spurge", "false cactus", "Malayan spurge tree" 

Recent introduction. India, S.E. Asia. Rare. Erect, spiny, cactus-like shrub, up to 

3 m or higher, with thick, green, succulent, ridged, 3- to 4-angled stems and branches; 

spines, up to 7 mm long, brown, on ridge elevations; leaves, none or commonly falling 

soon, 6 to 13 mm long, thick, oval; flowers, small, yellowish or greenish, borne in upper 

leaf axils. Planted ornamental. 3(58680), 5(130), 6, 7. 

Euphorbia chanlissonis (KI. & Gke.) Boiss. "beach spurge" 

e mai (B)(N); te tarai (K); teluna (T) 

syns. E. atom sensu auct. (Burges) Micr. non F0rst.f.; Anisophyllum 

chamissonis K1. & Gke; Chamaesyce atoto sensu auct. non (F0rst.f.) 

Croizat 

Indigenous. Trop. Pacific. Rare. Erect to semi-erect or sprawling, freely-branching, 

glabrous subshrub, up to 1 in tall, with decumbent or ascending stems, which are 

branched, appear jointed and thickened at the nodes, a woody rootstock and white sticky 

Mex;+k.aves,-115Lt~3-C~~~anU~ c~1-wiQe,-opposite,-en t ire,+cmwkatAgShy, 

ovate-oblong, oval-ovate or oblong subspatulate, base cordate and somewhat unequally 2- 

sided, apex acute to obtuse, sometimes mucronate, palmately veined, glabrous, lightgreen 

or glaucous above, whitened beneath; petioles, up to 2 mm long; flowers, 

numerous, monoecious, white or greenish, petal-less, in cyathia borne in small axillary or

terminal branching clusters (cymes); involucres of cyathea usually 1.7 to 2.3 mm long, 

glands with minute appendages; fruit, about 3 mm long, a glabrous, dehiscent capsule; 

seeds, small, smooth, released when dry fruit opens. Spreading shrub on seashore. 

2(38.5), 3, 5(106), 6, 7. 

Euphorbia cyathophora Murr. "painted leaf", "Mexican fire plant", "hypocrite 

plant", "wild poinsettia", "Christmas bush", "dwarf poinsettia" 

deriba, deribeh (N); te kabekau (K) 

syns. E. heterophylla L. var. cyathophora (Murr.) Griseb.; Poinsettia cyatho- 

phora (Murr.) K1. & Gke. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Erect annual herb, up 

to 80 cm or higher, with glabrous, green, longitudinally-grooved stems, sparingly 

pubescent young shoots and white latex; leaves, 3 to 8 cm long and 1.5 to 3.5 cm wide, 

alternate below, opposite above or in threes, somewhat fiddle-shaped (pandurate), 

pinnately, sharply and shortly 2- to 4-lobed, usually with a deep, rounded notch or 

incision on each margin, those of the basal leaves sometimes simply ovate, entire or 

obscurely distantly serrate, mostly glabrous, the upper leaves crowded beneath the 

flowers, the uppermost, bract-like leaves near the flowers with a bright red basal blotch; 

petioles, 1 to 4 cm long, slender; flowers, monoecious, small, inconspicuous, greenish, 

petal-less, in cyathia packed in short terminal clusters (cymes), 2 to 4 cm wide; involucre 

of cyathium, 3 to 5 mm long, on a stalk of equal length, cup-shaped, 5-lobed, green, 

enclosing several male flowers and 1 female flower, and bearing a funnel-shaped gland 

with a large elongated opening, about 1.5 cm long; male flowers, tiny, numerous, 

surrounding the female flower and reduced to a single stamen, anthers, yellow; female 

flowers, one per cyathium, consisting of a stalked, 3-lobed ovary; fruit, 3 to 5 mm long, 

glabrous, subglobose, 3-lobed capsule (schizocarp), splitting at maturity into three 1- 

seeded segments; seeds, 2 to 2.5 mm across, dark brown, tuberculate, obovoid or 

globose, basally flattened, apically subconic. Roadside and waste place weed. 1 (23.R), 2, 

3(58628), 4(104N), 5(31), 6, 7(27818), 8(9556). 

Euphorbia geniculata Ortega "wild spurge" 

Recent introduction. Texas, Mexico and the W. Indies. Occasional. Erect annual 

herb, to about 60 cm or higher, with somewhat hairy, green hollow stems and white 

latex; leaves, 3 to 8 cm and 1.5 to 3.5 cm wide, basal and apical leaves opposite, other 

leaves alternate, entire, ovate or oblong-rhomboidal, acute-acuminate, obscurely dentate 

toward base, lower leaves all green, glaucous beneath, the uppermost bract-like leaves 

nar the flo~ers-with~w hkor- pinkbasal pethks, IUcLcm-long-flowers, 

monoecious, small, inconspicuous, greenish, petal-less, in cyathia packed in short 

terminal clusters (cymes), 2 to 4 cm long; involucre of cyathium, cup-shaped, 5- to 7- 

lobed, green, enclosing several male flowers and 1 female flower, and bearing a single 

funnel-shaped gland at one side; male flowers, tiny, numerous, surrounding the female

flower and reduced to a single stamen, anthers, yellow; female flowers, one per 

cyathium, consisting of a stalked, 3-celled ovary with 3 bifid styles; fruit, 3 to 5 mm 

across, subglobose, 3-lobed capsule (schizocarp), splitting at maturity into three 1-seeded 

segments; seeds, 2.5 to 3.2 mm across, grey-brown, angular, sharply keeled on one side, 

slightly tuberculate. Weed of roadsides and wasteplaces. 5(72), 6, 7, 8(9580). 

Euphorbia heterophylla L. 

syn. Poinsettia heterophylla (L.) Klotzsch & Garcke 

"wild spurge" 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Occasional. Erect, unbranched annual herb, up to 70 

cm high, with hollow stems; leaves, alternate, the lower entire, oval or elliptic, with 

irregularly-toothed margins, the upper leaves deeply lobed, the topmost leaves green or 

with a purple-spotted (never red) base and clustered beneath the inflorescences; inflores- 

cences, separately male and female borne in terminal cyathia; cyathium, a 5-lobed green 

cup enclosing several male and one female flower and bearing a gland with a small 

circular opening; fruit, a 3-celled capsule, explosively dehiscent; seeds, 1 to a cell, 2 to 

2.5 mm across, subglobose, dark brown to black, rugose or tuberculate, with a keel and 

a transverse groove at right angles to it. Weed of roadsides and ruderal sites. 3(58623, 

58667), 4(102N). 

Euphorbia hirta L. "garden spurge", "asthma plant", "hairy spurge", "old blood" te 

tarai, te tarai Kutaie ("Kusaie, KosraeU)(K) 

syns. E. pilulijera L.; Chamaesyce hirta (L.) Millsp. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Pantropical. Abundant. Erect or decumbent, 

scarcely branching, widely spreading, densely hairy annual herb, 6 to 60 cm high, with 

white latex; leaves, 1 to 4 cm long and 0.5 to 1.5 cm wide, opposite, simple, elliptical, 

oblong or ovate-rhomboidal, acute to obtuse tip, base obliquely acute, finely serrate, 

stipulate, leaf surfaces appressed pubescent, green, often with red, brown or purplish 

tinge, paler beneath; petioles, 2 to 3 mm long; flowers, monoecious, very small, greenish 

white, petal-less, in cyathia arranged in 1 to 2 dense, axillary, globose clusters (cymes) 

on short pedicels, 3 to 15 mm long; involucre 4- to 5-lobed, enclosing several male 

flowers and 1 female flower, and with minute glands; male flowers, minute, surrounding 

the female flower, each consisting of a single stamen; female flowers, on per cymatium, 

consisting of a 3-celled ovary; fruit, 1 to 1.3 mm across, globose, hairy, brown, 3-lobed 

schizocarp splitting into three 1-seeded segments at maturity; seeds, about 1 mm long, 

irregular oblong with some faint transverse ridges. Weed in waste places and open areas; 

pioneer plant in recently mined areas. 2, 3(58627, 58677), 4(114N), 5(21), 6, 7, 

8(9554). -- 

- - -- -- - -- - - -- -- -- - - -

Euphorbia hypericifolia L. "spurge", "graceful spurge" 

te tarai (K) 

syn. Chamaesyce hypericifolia (L.) Millsp. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Slender, reddish-stemmed, 

glabrous, branching herb, 10 to 50 cm high, with a taproot and white latex; leaves, 1 to 

2.5 cm long and 0.3 to 1 cm wide, thin, opposite, elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, entire or 

minutely toothed, base oblique, green, rarely pinkish or reddish-purplish, glaucous 

below; petioles, short, about 1 to 2 mm long; flowers, monoecious, small, inconspicuous, 

greenish, petal-less, in cyathia borne in small cymes, on pedicels, 1.2 to 3 cm long, in 

upper axils; involucral bracts, white, aging to pink; fruit, a 3 lobed capsule, with one 

seed to a lobe, and forked styles; seeds, less than 1 mm long, ribbed, reticulate, dark red 

to purplish. Garden and ruderal weed. 3(58658), 5(72), 6(223), 7, 8(9555). 

Euphorbia milii Ch. des Moul. var. splendens (Bojer) Ursch & Leandri 

"crown of thorns" 

syn. E. splendens Bojer 

Recent introduction. Madagascar. Rare. Erect branching shrub, up to 1 m or 

higher, with hard, succulent, nearly cylindrical, subterete or slightly ridged stems, 

sometimes twining, beset with many slender spines, up to 2.5 cm long; leaves, 2 to 5 cm 

long and 1.5 to 4 mm wide, obovate, thinly fleshy, bright green, crowded toward branch 

tips, soon falling; flowers, monoecious, very small, petal-less, in cyathia borne on long 

axillary peduncles near the branch tips, each subtended by two opposite, rounded, wing- 

like, bright- or salmon-red bracts, 8 to 10 mm long. Planted ornamental and pot plant. 

6(178). 

Euphorbia prostrata Ait. 

te tarai (K) 

syn. Chamaesyce prostrata (Ait.) Small 

"prostrate spurge" 

Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Abundant. Prostrate annual herb, 

much-branched at base, with white latex and slender purplish or pinkish stems, 2 to 20 

cm long, which are glabrous or minutely puberulent on one side only; leaves, 2 to 10 

mm long and 1.5 to 6 mm wide, opposite, simple, oblong-elliptic to oblong-obovate, tip 

rounded to obtuse, base rounded to obliquely unequilateral, margins finely serrate 

(serrulate), glabrous or sparsely puberulent dorsally, glaucous with a purplish tinge; 

petioles, short, about 1 mm long; stipules, on upper side of stem distinct, linear, pilose, 

those of lower side fused, apically toothed; flowers, monoecious, very small, purplish, 

-- -- 

pp -- - -- 

peae

ovary; fruit, about 1 mm long, subglobose, 3-lobed schizocarp, sparsely hairy on the 

margins, pinkish or purplish, on a stalk as long as the fruit, splitting at maturity into 

three 1-seeded segments; seeds, about 0.8 mm long, narrowly ovoid, truncate basally, 

apically obtuse, tetragonal, reddish or grayish, 5- to 7-grooved transversely. Weed along 

paths and open waste places; pioneer plant in recently mined areas. 1(62.R), 3(58630, 

58631), 4(116N), 5(22), 6, 7, 8(9552). 

Euphorbia pulcherrirna Willd. ex Klotszch 

syn. Poinsettia pulcherrima (Willd .) R. Grah. 

"poinsettia" 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Erect, glabrous, branching, soft-wooded 

shrub, up to 2 in or higher, with white latex; leaves, 8 to 25 cm long and 5 to 15 cm 

wide, elliptic to elliptic-ovate, acute, entire or slightly sinuate-toothed or lobed, often 

somewhat fiddle-shaped, bright green, pubescent; petioles, 3 to 8 cm long; uppermost 

bracteal leaves bright red (rarely pink, white or yellow), lanceolate, forming a rosette, 

borne at the tips of long arching stems; flowers, monoecious, inconspicuous, greenish, 

petal-less, in rather large cyathia; involucre, 8 to 10 mm high, green, with reddish 5- 

laciniate lobes, with a large yellowish gland about 4 mm long; styles, bifid, red; fruit, 

about 1.5 cm long, a long-stipulate capsule, glabrous, nodding; seeds, about 6 mm 

across, subglobose, pale, smooth. Planted ornamental. 6. 

Euphorbia rubicunda B1. " thyme-leafed spurge", "dwarf spurge" 

te tarai (K) 

syn. E. thym(folia sensu auct. non L. 

Recent introduction. India. Occasional. Small prostrate, hispid, annual herb, with 

pinkish stems and white latex; leaves, up to 1 cm long, opposite, obliquely oblong 

obtuse, crenulate, glabrous or puberulent, coppery; stipules, less than 1 mm long, 

elongate fimbriate; flowers, monoecious, minute, petal-less, borne in cyathia arranged in 

short, few-flowered axillary clusters (cymes) on short pedicels; involucre enclosing 

several male and 1 female flowers, gland small or none; fruit, about 1 mm long, very 

shortly-stalked, white-pubescent, 3-celled capsule; seeds, about 0.7 mm long, 1 per cell, 

blunt, light-brown, 4-angled, with 5 or 6 shallow transverse furrows. Weed along 

roadsides and around buildings. 3(58824, 58661), 6, 7, 8(9561). 

Euphorbia tirucalli L. "pencil plant", "pencil tree", "naked lady", "milk hedge", 

"milk bush" 

- - - - --- - -- -- -- -p-pp - pp 

Recent introduction. E. Africa and India. Occasional. Medium to large, freely 

branching shrub, up to 4 m or higher, with numerous slender, cylindrical, leafless, green 

articulated branches; leaves, 0.7 to 2.5 cm and up to 0.5 cm wide long or less, narrow, 

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 

glands (nectaries); fruit, a 3-valved capsule; seeds, smooth, ovoid. Planted ornamental. 5, 

6(168). 

Jatropha integerrima Jacq. "rose-colored jatropha", "red-flowered jatropha" 

syns. J. hastata. Jacq.; J. panduraefolia Andr. 

Recent introduction. Cuba. Common. Slender shrub up to 1 to 3 m high, with 

little or no watery latex; leaves, 6 to 16 cm long and 4 to 10 cm wide, alternate and 

spirally arranged, ovate to fiddle-shaped (panduriform), acuminate, mostly entire with 

obscure basal teeth or marginally incised or toothed;; petioles, 3 to 10 cm long; stipules, 

minute, subulate-deltoid, entire; flowers, monoecious, 5-petaled, dissected, attractive rich 

pink to bright red, petals about 10 to 13 mm long, borne in terminal or axillary umbels 

with long, branched stalks, about 6 to 14 cm long; male flowers, distal, usually with a 

dissected disc, stamens, 8 to 10, anthers yellow to salmon-orange; female flowers, lower, 

with cupular or pulviniform disk, ovary 3-locular; fruit, about 1 cm long, shallowly 

lobed, breaking into 3 segments; seeds, ellipsoid, with crustaceous testa. Planted 

ornamental. 3(58796), 5, 6(276), 7. 

Jatropha podagrica Hook. "gout stalk", "coral plant" 

Recent introduction. Central America. Rare. Succulent, un- or little-branched 

perennial shrub, up to 1 m or higher, with a swollen stem, much swollen at the base, and 

white latex; leaves, 10 to 30 cm in diameter, peltate to broadly ovate, entire to palmately 

3- or 5- angled or -lobed, whitish beneath, sinuses rounded, lobes broad and acute, 

attached within the margin by long petioles; petioles, 5 to 12 cm long; stipules, divided 

into small rigid segments; flowers, about 12 mm across, orange-red to vermilion, borne 

in dense umbels on long peduncles; calyx, eglandular, orange-red, 5-petaled, petals 5 to 

8 mm long, red to vermilion; pistil, prominent, about 4 mm long, light orange-yellow 

(ovary) to yellowish-green (stigma and style); fruits, about 1.5 cm long, capsular, broad- 

ellipsoid, breakmg into 3 segments; seeds, ellipsoid, with crustaceous testa, poisonous. 


Manihot esculenta Crantz "cassava", "manioc", "tapioca" 

te tabioka (K); tapioka, kasava (T) 

syns. M. u.tilissima Pohl; M. manihot (L.) Karst.; Jatropha manihot L. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Brazil or Trop. S. America. Common. An erect, 

-- -p---p -- -- - - -- - -- -- - -- --glabrous, 

slightly glaucous, half-woody, branched or unbranched shrub, up to 3 m or 

higher, with milky latex, stems bearing prominent nubby leaf scars, and large edible 

tuberous roots; l&ves, 10 to 30 cin -across, alternate, spirally arranged, somewhat 

pendulous, palmately 3- to 9-lobed (usually 5- to 7-lobed), the lobes, 4 to 22 cm long and

1 to 6 cm wide, very slenderly lanceolate-elliptic, or obovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 

deeply separated, dark to light green and glabrous above, glaucous and pale beneath, 

sometimes red-tinged, sometimes slightly hairy beneath, midrib green to deep red; 

petioles, 5 to 32 cm long, green to deep red; stipules, usually with 3 to 5 lanceolate lobes 

to 1 cm long, deciduous; flowers, about 1 to 2 cm across, monoecious, petal-less, often 

not developing, pendulous, borne in few-flowered, lax, axillary paniculate clusters, 3 to 

10 cm long, with male and female flowers in the same inflorescence, the latter near the 

base; bracts, linear, deciduous; sepals 5, pale yellow or tinged with red, glabrous 

without, puberulent within; male flowers, on pedicels 0.5 to 1 cm long, calyx, 3 to 8 mm 

long, campanulate with 5 triangular lobes extending to middle of calyx, stamens 10 in 2 

whorls, alternately short and long, filaments free, anthers small, basal disk orange, fleshy 

with 5 double lobes; female flowers, on pedicels 1 to 2.5 cm long, usually larger than 

males, calyx 5-partite to base, 1 cm long or more, ovary, 3 to 4 mm long, 3-carpellary, 

6-ridged, glabrous, greenish-white with pink or red streaks, on a 10-lobed disc, style 

connate, surmounted by 3 lobed white stigmas, each lobe much divided; fruit, 1.5 to 2 

cm long, subglobose to ellipsoid capsule with narrow longitudinal wings or ridges, 3- 

seeded, splitting explosively; seeds, about 12 mm long, ellipsoid, smooth, gray mottled 

with dark blotches, carunculate, with a thin crustaceous testa; tubers, developing as 

swellings on adventitious roots at a short distance from the stem, usually 4 to 10 per 

plant, 10 to 100 cm long and 3 to 15 cm in diameter, usually weighing 1 to 10 kg or 

more, cylindrical or tapering, occasionally branched, outer skin, rough or smooth, light 

to darker brown to white or pinkish, inner rind or cortex usually white, but sometimes 

tinged with pink or brown, core or pith consisting of rich white or yellowish starch with 

few xylem bundles and latex tubes. Food plant in I Kiribati and Tuvaluan gardens at 

Location and Topside workshops. This easy-to-grow plant, which thrives on the poorest 

of soils, has become the dominant staple root crop, displacing taro and yam as the 

dominant staple in many areas of high-island Micronesia, and in Fiji, Tonga, parts of the 

Cook Islands, and in the drier areas of Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Papua New 

Guinea. 5, 6, 7. 

Pedilanthus tithymaloides (L.) Poit. "slipper flower", "slipper spurge", "shoe spurge", 

"zigzag plant", "redbird cactus", "ribbon cactus" 

syns. P. carinatus Spreng.; Euphorbia tithymaloides L. 

Recent introduction. Caribbean. Occasional. Erect or somewhat decumbent, 

sparsely branching, slightly succulent subshrub, up to 1 m or higher, with white latex and 

fleshy, cylindrical stems which zigzag from node to node; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long, 

alternate, soon falling, fleshy, waxy, ovate to lanceolate, subsessile, often variegated or 

streaked green, white, yellowish or pink tinted, or in some forms completely albino; 

-flowers,menoec~u~,~~spi~s,-p~l~e~-yellaw.is~or~n.~c 

terminal cymose clusters; cyathium, about 12 mm long, narrow, boat- or slipper-shaped 

red or pink bracts containing 1 female and several male flowers, with 4 glands; fruit, 7.5 

by 9 mm, capsular; seeds, 5 mm long, ovate. Planted ornamental. 3(58681), 5, 6, 7.

Phyllanthus amarus Sch. & Th. 

te kaimatu (K) 

syn. P. niruri L. sensu auct. plur. non L. 

"sleeping plant" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America (despite African type locality). Common. 

Erect to semi-prostrate, diffusely branched annual herb, somewhat woody at the base, 10 

to 50 cm high; leaves, 4 to 10 mm long and 2 to 4 mm wide, numerous, crowded, 

simple but appearing pinnately compound, alternate, in two rows on opposite sides of the 

branchlets, oblong-elliptic or squarish, tip and base rounded, entire, green, lighter 

beneath, glabrous, subsessile; stipules, about 1.5 mm long, narrow-triangular; flowers, 

monoecious, minute, petal-less, greenish, borne in axillary cymules, on the branchlets, 

under the leaves, and containing 1 male and 1 female flower per node; calyx lobes 5, 

acute; pedicels 2 mm long; male flowers, with 3 stamens; female flowers, with a 3-celled 

ovary and 3 bifid styles; fruit, about 1.5 mm wide, solitary, capsular, 3-celled, depressed 

globose, glabrous, greenish to yellow-brown, borne on a stalk about 1.5 mm long, 

splitting at maturity into three 2-seeded segments; seeds, about 1.5 mm long, wedge- 

shaped, rounded dorsally, light brown, longitudinally 5- to 7-ribbed on back. Weed of 

gardens and waste places. 3(58685, 58733), 4(155N), 5(47), 6, 7, 8(9571). 

Phyllanthus societatis Muell. Arg. 

eoemangemang, ewemangemang, eoemangmang (N) 

Indigenous. Polynesia and Micronesia. Common. Erect, or half-erect, branching 

shrub, up to 50 cm or taller; leaves, 0.6 to 2.5 cm long, alternate, simple but appearing 

pinnately compound, alternate, in two rows on opposite sides of the branchlets, sessile, 

mucronate, cuneate; flowers, inonoecious, minute, petal-less, greenish, borne in axillary 

cymules; male flowers, numerous, slender stalked, sepals 6, oblong-ovate, having 6 

alternate glands at base, stamens 3, filaments united; female flowers, mostly solitary, 

sepals 6, waxy white, ovary 3-lobed subtended by an entire glandular disc; fruit, 6 to 7 

mm in diameter, depressed, splitting at maturity into three 2-seeded sections. Found as 

scattered individuals and small communities in unmined areas on plateau, on slopes 

around plateau, at base of escarpment and on coastal strip, around cemeteries, and 

occasionally in revegetated mined areas and as a pioneer plant on limestone pinnacles on 

the coastal strip. Straight main stems used as toy spears by children. 3(58595, 58748, 

58801), 5(48, 51), 6, 7(22317), 8(9590). 

Ricinus comrnunis L. "castor bean", castor oil plant" 

-- Recent introduction. Africa. Rare. Coarse, erec6- branching, glabrous, semi- 

woody shrub, up to 3 m or higher, with spreading, hollow greenish or reddish stems and 

branches with well-marked nodes and leaf scars, watery sap, and a well-developed 

taproot; leaves, 10 cin to 75 cm in diameter, alternate, spirally arranged, round-ovate in 

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; 

petiole, 8 to 50 cm long, with 2 glands at apex; flowers, monoecious, small, petal-less in 

large terminal (appearing axillary) paniculate clusters (cymules), 10 to 35 cm long, with 

male flowers at the base and female flowers on the top; male flowers, with 3 to 5 calyx 

lobes, very numerous stamens variously connate in branching clusters; female flowers, 

with caducous, spathaceous calyx, ovary 3-celled, styles spreading usually bifid; fruit, 1 

to 2 cm long, ovoid, capsular, softly spiny, green to purplish-brown, with three 1-seeded 

lobes, dehiscent; seeds, 0.5 to 1.5 cm long, oblong-ellipsoid, compressed dorsally, 

smooth, mottled with brown, black and grey or white, very oily. Weed of roadsides and 

waste places. 3, 4(137N), 5(145), 6, 7, 8. 

Synadenium cupulare (Boiss.) Wheeler 

Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Rare. Large, succulent shrub, 1 to 1.6 m high, 

with thick cylindrical, thornless branches; leaves, 5 to 10 crn long, alternate, inverted 

ovate or obovate, thick, cuneate, taprring to a short petiole; flowers, small, red, borne in 

cyathia in axillary and terminal umbels, with a greenish-yellow gland. Pot plant at Cliff 

Lodge. 5, 6. 

FABACEAE OR LEGUMINOSAE (Bean, Pea or Legume Family) 

Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. "sweet acacia", "West Indian blackhorn", "cassie flower", 

" klu" (Hawaii) katin, debena (B)(N); te bakoa, te kai bakoa (K) 

syns. Mimosa .farnesiana L. ; Vachdlia farnesiana (L.) W. & A. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop America. Occasional. Erect, much-branching 

shrub, up to 3 m or higher, the trunk and branches bearing numerous straight, slender 

stipular spines, 4 to 30 mm long; leaves, dark green, finely divided, bipinnate, with 2 to 

6 (rarely 8) pairs of compound leaflets (pinnae), 1 to 4 cm long, each with 8 to 25 pairs 

of small leaflets, 3 to 6 mm long and 1 to 1.5 mm wide; flowers in pedunculate axillary 

heads, 1 to 3 heads together, peduncles, 1 to 3 cm long; flower heads, about 1.3 cm 

across, subglobose, yellow to yellow-orange, fragrant, stamens numerous; fruit, a pod, 5 

to 8 cm long and 8 to 15 mm in diameter, plump, cylindrical or subterete, curved, dark 

brown to black, indehiscent; pulp, sweetish; seeds, compressed, elliptic, brown. Found in 

waste places and on roadsides. Glue made from seed pod. 2, 3(58640), 4(159N), 5, 6, 7, 

8(9568). 

Acacia sp. "acacia" 

Recent introduction. Australia? Rare. Planted ornamental tree. 3(58699).

Adenanthera pavonina L. 

bin ("beanU)(N); lopa (T) 

"red-bead tree", "false wiliwili" (Hawaii) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction? Malaysia. Common. Medium-sized, deciduous 

tree, up to 7 m or higher; leaves, bipinnate, with 2 to 8 pairs of compound leaflets 

(pinnae), each with 6 to 12 pairs of alternate leaflets, 2 to 5 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide, 

ovate, obtuse, glabrous, rather pale green, thin; petiolules about 2 mm long; flowers, 

greenish-white to yellowish, sweet-fragrant, short-pedicellate, borne in slender, elongate 

axillary or aggregated terminal pedunculate racemose clusters, up to 15 cm or more long; 

calyx, campanulate, 4- to 5-toothed; stamens 8 to 10; fruit, a pod, up to 25 cm or longer 

and 2 cm wide, slender, flattened, linear at first, becoming falcately curved or contorted, 

brown, smooth and shiny inside, 2-valved, dehiscent, becoming spirally twisted after 

dehiscence; seeds, about 8 mm across, 10 to 12 per pod, lenticular, suborbicular, hard, 

very ornamental, dark or bright red. Spontaneous tree in escarpment and Buada forests 

and in older strip-mined areas. Seeds used in necklaces and eaten by children. 3(58804), 

5(142), 6, 7. 

Alysicarpus vaginalis (L.) DC. "alysicarpus" , "one-leaved clover" 

syns. Hedysarum vaginale L; A. nummularifoliur (L.) DC. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Paleotropics. Common. More or less prostrate, 

somewhat suffruticose hispid branching, spreading herb, with jointed stems up to 1 m or 

more long; leaves, 0.3 to 5 cm long and 0.2 to 3 cm wide, alternate, somewhat dimor- 

phic, the proximal elliptic-subobovate, the distal narrower, lanceolate, rounded at the 

tips, obtuse or truncate at base; petioles, 1 to 8 mm long, slender; stipules, prominent; 

flowers, about 6 lnm long, pinkish to reddish purple, short-pedicellate, borne in rather 

dense short terminal racemose clusters, up to 8 cm long, 6 to 12 flowers to a cluster; 

fruit, pods, 1 to 2.5 cm long, crowded, 5 to 7 seeded, cylindric, rugose, jointed, 

indehiscent, but breaking at the joints between seeds at maturity; seeds, about 1.5 mm 

long, oblong-oval, brown to pale brown or yellowish. Weed in open or semi-open places, 

along jeep tracks in unmined forest, and a pioneer plant in recently mined areas. 2, 

3(58744, 58763), 4(115N), 5(88), 6, 7. 

Bauhinia monandra Kurz "pink bauhinia", "orchid tree", "pink butterfly tree", 

"St. Thomas tree" 

Recent introduction. Burma. Occasional. Shrub or small tree, up to 5 m or higher, 

with a rounded crown, smooth gray bark and brown-hairy young growth; leaves, 7 to 20 

-- 

cm long andide,alter?%ife,--0vate-obloTg InTutTTne,cordatEto Touni at 6asi 

palmately 3- to many-nerved, pubescent beneath when young, deeply divided at apex into 

2 wing- or butterfly-like lobes which extend about a fifth to half way to the base, lobes 

obtuse to subacuminate; calyx, spathaceous or 5-lobed; flowers, orchid-like, up to 10 cm

across, several together in terminal or axillary racemes; petals 5, erect or spreading (4 

obovate, 1 ovate), each about 3 to 5 cm long and 2 to 3 cm across, white to pink with 

red or purple blotches or dots, the uppermost one with deeper red, yellow or yellow 

margined; fertile stamen 1, staminodes 5, small; pods, 15 to 18 cm long and about 3 cm 

wide, oblong or linear, flattened, leathery, rather shiny brownish or black; seeds, ovate, 

compressed, dull brown, free or separated by tissue or septa. Planted ornamental. 

3(58785), 5, 6(224), 7. 

Bauhinia variegata L "white bauhinia", "orchid tree", "butterfly tree", "purple 

orchid tree", "moun tain ebony" 

Recent introduction. India, Burma and China. Rare. Shrub or small tree, up to 8 

m high; leaves, 5 to 14 cm long and wide, alternate, broadly ovate to suborbicular, 

cordate to truncate at based, palmately-nerved, split at apex into 2 wing-like lobes which 

extend about a third of the way or less to the base, lobes rounded; flowers, several 

together in terminal or axillary racemes; petals 5, obovate, 4 to 6 cm long and 2 to 3 cm 

across, the uppermost one broader, variable from pale purple to rose or white or yellow, 

with one petal variegated with red and yellow; fertile stamens 5, staminodes 5, about half 

as long as the stamens; pods, up to 30 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. The tree is variable 

with the two main varieties being B. variegata var. variegata, with pale purple to rose 

petals, with purple or crimson veins or blotches, and var. candida with white petals with 

green veins, and somewhat purplish on the exterior. Planted ornamental tree. 6(194), 7. 

Caesalpinia bonduc Roxb. "beach nicker", "gray nicker", "nicker bean" 

dugienae, dogienae (N) 

Indigenous. Pantropical. Rare. Scrambling to climbing shrub with long branches 

with sharp, recurved, hooked spines, young parts brown pubescent; leaves, 30 to 80 cm 

long, bipinnate with 6 to 12 pairs of pinnae; stipules pinnate, subpersistent, leafy, 

composed of 2 or 3 superimposed parts, caducous; leaflets (pinnae), 1.5 to 6.5 cm long 

and 0.5 to 3 cm wide, opposite or subopposite, ovate to elliptic-oblong, inequilaterally 

rounded or cuneate at base, obtuse to subacute at apex, slightly pubescent; petiolules, 2 

to 3 mm long; flowers, about 1 cm long, numerous, in supra-axillary racemose clusters, 

calyx greenish brown, corolla yellow, pedicels at antithesis 6 to 12 mm long; pods, 4.5 

to 9 cm long and 3 to 5 cm wide, oblong, inflated, prickly, dehiscent; seeds 1 or 2, 

about 1 to 1.8 cm in diameter, subglobose, smooth, glossy gray or olive green, very 

hard. Large shrub in coastal thicket and in overgrown garden on Command Ridge. 

5(114), 6(158, 212, 269). 

Caesalpinia pulcherrinia (L.) Sw. "pride of Barbados", "dwarf poinciana", 

"Barbados flower fence" 

syn. Poinciana pulcherrima L.

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Shrub, up to 2 to 3 m tall, with 

branches bearing short, stiff, scattered prickles; leaves, up to 30 cm long, alternate, 

bipinnate, pinnae 4 to 8 pairs, each with 5 to 13 pairs of leaflets; leaflets, about 2 to 2.5 

cm long and up to 1 cm wide, light green, elliptic, obtuse or with shallow notch at apex, 

obliquely inequilateral; flowers, on long pedicels in long terminal racemes, petals 5, 15 

to 25 mm long, spreading, orbicular or oblong, crinkly-edged, usually long-clawed, 

scarlet to orange-red or red-and-yellow, usually with yellow wavy margins, or all yellow 

(var. flava); filaments, 5 to 7.5 cm long, mostly scarlet, longer than petals; pedicels, 2.5 

to 10 cm long; pods, up to 10 cm long and 2 cm wide, coriaceous, oblong, smooth, 

brown to black, several-seeded, dehiscent; seeds, 6 to 8 per pod, brown, compressed, 

Planted ornamental. 3(58789), 5(38), 6, 7. 

Cajanus cajan (Mill.) Millsp. "pigeon pea", "red gram", arhar dhal (Hindi) 

syns. C. indicus Spreng.; C. flavus DC.; Cystisus cajan L. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. India and southeast Asia. Said to have been 

introduced in 1935, but not seen in 1978 or thereafter, but possibly re-introduced since 

then by expatriate Indian contract employees. Erect, short-lived, perennial pubescent 

shrub, 1 to 3 m or higher, with prominently ribbed stems and a pronounced taproot, 

sometimes grown as an annual; leaves, spirally arranged, pinnately trifoliate; leaflets, 2.5 

to 12 cm long and 1.5 to 4 cm wide, elliptic to lanceolate, acute, dotted beneath with 

resin glands, grayish-green pubescent, soon glabrate above, finely silvery-pilose beneath, 

longer-stalked terminal leaflet usually larger than short-stalked laterals; petiole, grooved, 

about 2 to 8 cm long; stipules, ovate, hairy, about 4 mm long; flowers, about 2.5 cm 

long, in long-pedunculate terminal panicles, also axillary and subcapitate-racemose, 

subequal to the leaves in length; calyx 4-lobed, two upper lobes united (connate); corolla, 

12 to 17 mm in diameter, petals, usually suborbicular, reflexed auriculate at base, bright 

yellow, marked with dark reddish-brown to crimson lines within and often flushed with 

brown to red without, wings yellow, keel yellow-green; pods, 4 to 10 cm long and 6 to 

15 mm wide, linear-oblong, flattened, inflated, pubescent-glandular, pointed, with 

diagonal depressions between the seeds, often streaked with purplish black to reddish 

brown, tardily dehiscent; seeds, variable in shape and color, 2 to 8, up to 8 mm in 

diameter, globose, compressed, cream-colored to reddish or brownish or speckled with 

small white hilum, edible. Cultivated food plant. 

Calopogonium mucunoides Desv. "calopogonium" , "calopo" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Slender creeping or twining perennial 

herbaceous vine, coarsely brown-tawny _pubescent; leaves pinnate& trifoliate;-leaflets, 

petiolate, nearly equal in size, about 3 to 7 cm long and 2 to 6 cm wide, ovate to 

rhomboid, obtuse to apiculate-subacute at apex, densely pubescent; flowers, 7 to 10 mm 

long, axillary, short- to long-pedunculate, sessile or nearly so, medium to pale blue or 

slightly purplish, sometimes with proximal yellow blotches; pods 2 to 4 cm long and 3 to

5 mm wide, compressed-convex, slightly constricted between the seeds, coarsely 

pubescent; seeds 4 to 8, cube-like, flattened, about 3.5 by 3 by 2 mm, pale brown. 

Locally abundant weed in low ground around Buada Lagoon. Probably originally 

introduced as a green manure and nitrogen-fixing plant, but now naturalized. 3(58651), 

6(153). 

Canavalia cathartics Thouars "Mauna Loa bean" (Hawaii) 

erekogo, irekogo (N); te kitoko (K); saketa (T) 

syns. C. microcarpa: (DC.) Piper; C. turgida Graham (of Burges list) 

Indigenous. Pantropical. Occasional. Rather coarse creeping and high climbing 

herbaceous vine; leaves, about 20 cm long, alternate, trifoliate; leaflets, 8 to 15 cm long 

and 7 to 10 cm wide, ovate to acuminate, base rounded, obtuse, papery, whitish 

puberulent; flowers, 3 to 4 cm long, fragrant, short-pedicellate, few, borne on rather 

long, axillary peduncles up to 20 cm long, pedicels about 2 mm long; calyx, 5-lobed, 

about 14 mm long, white-puberulent, upper lip much shorter than calyx tube; corolla 5- 

petaled, pink to lavender, the wings and keel petals somewhat paler than the others; 

pods, 10 to 12 cm long and 3 to 4.5 cm wide, thick, inflated, indehiscent or tardily 

dehiscent, 3-angled on one edge, pointed, tan or brown; seeds, about 6, about 1.8 cm 

long, ovoid, slightly flattened, brown to dark reddish-brown, hilum 9 to 14 mm long. 

Climbing on trees in escarpment forest of Anibare. 2(49.5), 3(58737, 58800), 5(135), 6, 

7. 

Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC. 

syn . Dolichos ensiforn?is L 

"Jack bean", "horse bean" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. W. Indies. Reported by Schumann (1898) as 

collected by Finch, but not seen in 1978. Bushy erect annual herb, 1 to 2 m high, the tips 

of branches tending to twine; leaves trifoliate; leaflets, 6 to 15 cm long and 5 to 10 cm 

wide, ovate-elliptic, obtuse or shortly acute, shortly white puberulent especially on 

petioles and petiolules; petioles, stout, grooved above, usually longer than leaflets, 

terminal leaflet long-stalked, lateral leaflets short-stalked with unequilateral base; flowers, 

2 to 2.8 cm long, short-pedicellate, borne on axillary peduncles of 10 to 50 flowers in 

groups of 3 to 5 on swollen pedicelar glands, pedicels 2 mm long; calyx, 14 mm long, 5- 

lobed, with 2 upper and 3 smaller lower lobes, puberulent, the upper lip only slightly 

shorter than the calyx tube; corolla 5-petaled, rose to violet; pods, 20 to 35 cm long and 

2 to 3.5 cin wide, stout, somewhat compressed, pale tan or straw-colored when ripe, 

pendant, spirally dehiscent, ribbed near upper suture; seeds, 8 to 20, about 2 cm long 

and 1.3 cm wide, oblong, somewhat compressed, ivory white with brown scar, hilum 

about 9 mm long, pale brown with orange margin.

Canavalia rosea (Sw.) DC. "sea bean", "bay bean" 

erekogo (N); te kitoko (K) 

syns. C. maritima (Aubl.) Thouars; C. obtusifolia (Lam.) DC. 

Indigenous. Pantropical. Rare. Prostrate, rather coarse trailing or weakly climbing 

glabrous or slightly pubescent herbaceous vine; leaves, alternate, trifoliate; leaflets, 6 to 

12 cm and nearly as wide, fleshy-coriaceous, elliptic to suborbicular, subovate or 

subobovate, obtuse or slightly emarginate-notched at apex, base rounded, obtuse to acute, 

with pubescent appressed hairs; flowers, 2 cm to 3 cm long, short-pedicellate, in long- 

pedunculate axillary few-flowered racemes, up to 20 cm long, slightly shorter than the 

leaves; pedicel about 3 mm long; calyx 5-lobed, about 12 mm long, whitish-puberulent, 

upper lip much shorter than tube, lowest tooth 2 mm long; corolla, 5-petaled, about 3 cm 

long (standard), pink to purple, commonly with white blotch or yellowish proximally, the 

wings and keel petals pale magenta; pods, 8 to 15 cm long and 2 to 3 cm wide, broadly 

linear, inflated or only slightly compressed, spirally dehiscent, pale tan; seeds, about 1.8 

cm long, elliptic, slightly compressed, brown with dark marbling, hilum about 7 mm 

long. Found in beach vegetation. 7(27804). 

Cassia alata L. "golden candelabra bush", "Roman candle tree", "candle bush", 

"ringworm bush" 

syn. Senna alam (L.) Roxb. 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Coarse erect shrub or small tree, 2 to 5 m 

tall, with downy green branches and strong-smelling foliage and bark; leaves, 50 to 80 

cm long, with 5 to 13 pairs of large leaflets; leaflets, 5 to 18 cm long and 3 to 9 cm 

wide, the distal ones largest, ovate-oblong, obtuse, truncate, or even slightly notched at 

apex, subsessile; stipules, obliquely deltoid, 6 to 16 by 3 to 10 mm; inflorescence, a 

striking long-pedunculate erect dense cone-like racemose spike, 15 to 60 cm long, 

bearing many crowded and overlapping flowers; calyx, 5-parted, sepals up to 16 mm 

long, yellow or orange; petals 5, 16 to 23 mm long, bright yellow, subtended by yellow 

or yellow-orange floral bracts; pods, 12 to 19 cm long and 2 to 3 cm wide, straight, 

widely ascending, sharply tetragonal, papery or leathery in texture, winged lengthwise 

down the middle of each valve; seeds, numerous, up to 60, flat. Planted ornamental; 

leaves widely used as a cure for ringworm, but reportedly not in Nauru. 5, 6. 

Cassia fistula L. "golden shower tree", "Indian laburnum", "pudding-pipe tree" 

te katia? (K) 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Occasional. Small to medium tree, up to 10 to 

l~m~~~h~fiha~hort60l~andpreadX~cTOWn~~leaves~G~h 

-3toZFpaiKCf 

leaflets; leaflets, 8 to 21 cm long and 5 to 9 cm wide, subsymmetrically ovate or elliptic, 

acute to subacuminate; inflorescence, 15 to 65 cm long, a drooping many (15 to 75)flowered 

axillary raceme, resembling in size and shape a large bunch of grapes, often

occurring 2 or 3 together; pedicels 3 to 6 cm long; calyx 5-sepaled; corolla, 4 to 6.5 cm 

across, 5-petaled, petals 1.6 to 3.2 cm long, bright golden yellow, subequal, shortly 

clawed; stamens 10, strongly accrescent (crescent-shaped) toward the abaxial side of the 

flower, the filaments of 3 long abaxial stamens sigmoidally arcuate, gradually and 

slightly thickened in the middle, and much longer than the anthers; pods, 30 to 60 cm 

long and 2 cm or less thick, cylindrical or narrowly terete, straight, smooth, hard-walled, 

dark brown, with seeds embedded in sweet, sticky, blackish pulp; seeds, many, up to 

100, brownish. Planted ornamental. 3(58529, 58788), 5, 6, 7. 

Cassia glauca Lam. " scrambled-egg tree?" 

syns. C. sulfureu DC. ex Colladon; Senna sulfurea (DC. ex Colladon) 

Irwin & Barneby 

Recent introduction. India. Rare. Small tree, 4 to 6 m high; leaves, up to 30 cm 

long with 4 to 7 pairs of leaflets; leaflets, up to 8.5 cm long and 3.8 cm wide, usually 

elliptic, paler beneath; inflorescence, a 7 to 15-flowered axillary raceme; pedicels, 2 to 4 

cm long; calyx 5-sepaled, innermost sepal 8 to 11.5 mm long; corolla 5-petaled, petals, 

up to 23 to 30 mm long, ovate to oblong-obovate, bright yellow to orange-yellow; pod, 

10 to 17 cm long and 1.3 to 1.8 cm wide, plano-compressed, brown; seeds, transverse, 

compressed parallel to valves. Planted ornamental. 6(170, l75), 7. 

Cassia grandis L.f. 

te kasia? (K) 

"pink shower tree", "horse cassia" 

Recent introduction. Central America. Rare. Medium-sized tree up to 10 m or 

higher; leaves with 8 to 17 pairs of leaflets; largest ones 3.5 to 6.5 cm long and 1.2 to 

2.5 cm wide, oblong, obtuse at apex; inflorescence, 8 to 27 cm long, a 20 to 45-flowered 

raceme, axillary or borne on branches, becoming obliquely geotropic from drooping 

branches; pedicels, 8 to 20 mm long subtended by bracts; bracts, 2 to 5 mm long, ovate, 

caducous as pedicels begin to elongate; corolla, 5-petaled, longest petals 8.5 to 11 mm 

long; pods, 40 to 90 cm long and 3.5 to 5 cm wide, massively linear-oblong, slightly 

laterally compressed, keeled dorsally by 1 and ventrally by 2 parallel blunt ribs; seeds, 

14 to 16 mm long and 9 to 10 mm wide. Planted in home garden at Buada. 7. 

Cassia occidentalis L. 'coffee senna", "arsenic bean" 

tan braua ("sunflower")(N); te katia? (K) 

syn. Senna occickntalis (L.) Link 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Abundant. Erect, branching fetid 

annual subshrub, up to 2 In high, with glabrous longitudinally grooved stems and often 

woody near the base; leaves, 11 to 24 cm long, alternate, pinnately compound, with 4 to 

6 pairs of opposite leaflets; leaflets, 3 to 12 cm long and 2 to 4 cm wide, the terminal

pair largest, elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, base inequalaterally rounded, 

entire, glabrous; petiole with conspicuous gland near base, petiolules 1 to 2 mm long; 

inflorescence, a short 1- to 5-flowered axillary or terminal raceme, each flower subtended 

by an acute, caducous bract; calyx deeply divided into 5 pinkish or brown-tinged sepals 

with rounded tips; corolla, Spetaled, each petal about 9 to 16 mm long, obovate, yellow, 

drying whitish and brown-veined; pods, 6 to 15 cm long and 5 to 9 mm wide, erect or 

narrowly ascending, linear, flattened, glabrous, falcate, the margins somewhat thickened, 

purplish in colour with green margins turning brown; seeds, 15 to 50, about 3 mm long, 

ovate, brown, mostly with broad faces turned toward septa. Weed of waste places and 

roadsides. Dried seeds boiled as a tea substitute during World War 11, a use learned from 

the Japanese; soft leaves cooked as a spinach and used medicinally by the Chinese. 2, 

3(58529), 4(128N), 5(13), 6, 7, 8(9547). 

Centrosema pubescens Benth. " cen tro " 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. S. America. Extinct. Trailing or climbing 

herb, with slender pilose stems, often forming tangled mats; leaves trifoliate, petiolate, 

the terminal leaflet larger; leaflets, 3 to 9 cm long and 1.5 to 5 cm wide, ovate to 

elliptic, apex mucronate, base rounded, short-pilose but glabrate on both sides; inflores- 

cence, compact, axillary, several-flowered pseudo-raceme, each flower subtended by 

bracteoles about 8 mm long and equal in length or smaller than calyx; flowers blue to 

purple or mauve with darker veins and a white or yellowish patch down the middle of 

largest petal (standard), the standard, up to 4 cm broad and 3 cm long, broadly orbicular, 

rather reflexed with a spur scarcely 1 mm long, pubescent without, the keel petals nearly 

as long as the wings; pods, up to 17 cm long and 7 mm wide, excluding persistent style, 

compressed, margins thickened, with 4 prominent ribs or wings near the sutures, 

dehiscent, the style often persistent as a beak; seeds, often about 20, 5 by 3 by 2 mm, 

oblong or subglobose, compressed, olive-green with red markings to red-brown with 

black streaks, hilum small. Reported in 1935 to have been introduced, but not seen in 

1978 or thereafter. A widely used pasture legume and nitrogenous cover or green manure 

crop. 

Cicer arietinum L. "chick pea", "garbanzo bean", "Indian gram", "common gram", 

"chana" (Hindi) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. W. Asia. Extinct. Erect or spreading, much- 

branched, annual herb, 25 to 50 cm tall, downy with all parts covered with clavate 

glandular hairs and with tetragonous stems and a well developed tap root; leaves, about 

5 cm long, imparipinnate with 9 to 15 leaflets, yellow-n to dark bluish-gr-izn; 

stipules, about 8 mm long, ovate, notched; leaflets, 0.8 to 2 cm long and 0.5 to 1.5 cm 

wide, opposite or alternate, ovate, elliptic or obovate, serrate; inflorescence, an axillary 

jointed peduncle, bearing solitary flowers, 2.4 to 4 cm long, borne on pedicels 5 to 10 

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 

(largest petal), 1 to 1.5 cm long, broad and clawed, wings free, keel incurved; stamens 

10; pods, 1.5 to 3 cm long and 1 to 2 cm across, 1- to 2-seeded, oblong, swollen, beak 

obliquely placed, sometimes sterile; seeds, 0.5 by 1 cm in diameter, angular, oblong- 

obovoid, with pointed beak and small hilum, testa smooth, wrinkled or rough, ranging in 

color from white, yellow, red, brown to nearly black. Common food and fodder legume 

reported in 1935 to have been introduced, but not seen in 1978 or thereafter. 

Clitorea ternatea L. "butterfly pea" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America or Pantropical. Fast growing perennial 

climbing or sprawling herb with slender stems, up to 3 m long, and a woody rootstalk, 

young growth somewhat pubescent; leaves, alternate, compound, odd-pinnate, with 5 to 9 

leaflets, one terminal; leaflets, 2 to 7 cm long and 1.5 to 4 cm wide, oblong to elliptic, 

obtuse, base acutish, apressed-pilose but subglabrate on both sides; petiolules, about 2 

mm long; stipules, short linear; flowers, mostly solitary, sometimes paired in leaf axils 

on pedicels about as long as petioles; calyx, about 1.5 to 2 cm long, longish-tubular 

subtended by 2 conspicuous basal bracteoles and lobes about half as long as tube; petals 

large, up to 4 by 5 cm, the standard the largest, other petals very small; standard, erect, 

half-tubular, wavy-margined, bright vivid blue to violet with a pale yellow or white 

proximal blotch, finely puberulent dorsally, wings much shorter, also blue with pale basal 

parts; pods, 8 to 12 cm long awns 0.8 to 1 cm wide, linear-oblong, compressed, 2- 

valved, sharp-beaked, thick-margined and slightly broad-margined distally, apressed- 

pilose but subglabrate, dehiscent; seeds, 5 to 10, up to 8 by 4 by 2.5 mm, ellipsoid or 

subglobose, compressed, greenish to pale or dark brown with darker mottling, hilum 

small. Occasional. Planted ornamental. 3(58778), 5(7 I), 6(246), 7. 

Crotalaria goreensis Guitl. & Pers. " rattlepod" 

Recent introduction. W. Africa. Common. Erect subshrub, 50 cm to 1 m tall, 

branching below; leaves, alternate, long-petiolate, trifoliate; petioles, 2 to 4 cm long; 

stipules foliaceous, trifoliate, similar to, but smaller than leaflets, stipular leaflets, 3 to 8 

mm long and 1 to 3 lnrn wide, stipular petiolules 3 to 8 mm long; leaflets, 1 to 4 cm 

long and 4 to 8 lnln wide, the terminal leaf longest, narrowly elliptic, acute, obovate or 

slightly mucronate, base acute, light gray-green, glabrous; inflorescence, a leaf opposed 

peduncle, 3 to 7 cm long, bearing solitary flowers, pedicels about 1 to 2 mm long; calyx 

funnelform, about 2 mm long; corolla, yellow; pods, 1 to 1.8 cm long, 2-valved, oblong, 

inflated, beaked, dehiscent; seeds, small, about 3 mm long, club- or kidney-shaped, dark 

brown. Widespread weed of waste places, roadsides and other ruderal sites on coastal 

strip-o-ateau . 3 (5 85>3;586r2T3873@,4(TOBN>7(3T58)76, 'l(223 1 1 )-TXOT

Crotalaria retusa L. " rattlepod" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Rare. Coarse short-lived subshrub or stiff herb, 

40 to 100 cm high, with pilose ribbed stems; leaves, 4 to 8 cm long and 1.5 to 2.5 cm 

wide, simple, alternate, obovate-oblong to oblanceolate, rounded, emarginate or mucro- 

nate, cuneate at base, shortly-stalked, finely pubescent, the hairs minute and closely 

appressed; stipules, 1 to 5 mm long, subulate; petioles, about 3 mm long; inflorescence, 

a dense terminal many-flowered raceme, up to 30 cm long; flowers, 2 to 3 cm long, 

borne on short downward bent pedicels; calyx, 2-lipped, the upper deeply bifid, the 

lower 3-toothed; petals bright yellow, the standard, about 2 cm high and 3 cm wide, 

reflexed, yellow marked with purplish veins or blotches, the wings, about 1.5 cm long, 

yellow, almost hiding the keel, the keel with a short twisted beak; pods, 3 to 5 cm long 

and 1.3 to 1.8 cm wide, oblong-clavate, inflated, dehiscent, held horizontally, black 

when dry; seeds, about 20, about 4 mm long, yellowish or golden-brown. Weed of 

ruderal habitats and roadsides. 4(158N). 

Crotalaria spectabilis Roth 

syn. C. sericea Retz. 

"rattlepod" 

Recent introduction. India and Paleotropics. Occasional. Erect robust, smooth- 

stemmed subshrub, up to 1 m or higher, leaves, 5 to 13 cm long, obovate, oblanceolate 

or sometimes spoonshaped, base acuininate or cuneate, shortly petiolate, glabrous above, 

with soft silky hairs (villose) below; stipules sessile and persistent; inflorescence, a loose 

peduncle, 30 cm or longer, bearing 20 or more flowers; flowers, 2.5 cm or longer, 

bright yellow or purple?; floral bracts, leaflike, oval or cordate; calyx, about 12 mm 

long, glabrous, cleft more than halfway to the base; pods. 2.5 to 5 cm long, 2-valved, 

bladder-shaped, glabrous, containing a small number of seeds, which at maturity become 

loose in the pod. Weed near Buada Lagoon, in gardens, and near coast in Nibok; 

occasionally cultivated in home gardens. 3(58647), 4, 6, 7, 8(9579). 

Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub. "cluster bean", "guar" (Hindi) 

syns. C. psoraloides (Lam.) DC. ; Psoralea tetragonoloba L. ; Dolichos psora- 

loides Lam. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. India. Extinct. Robust bushy annual, 1 to 3 m 

high, with stiff, erect, angled, grooved, white-pilose branches; leaves, alternate, 

trifoliate; leaflets, ovate, sparsely serrate; inflorescence, a dense axillary raceme bearing 

6 to 30 solitary flowers in axils of caducous bracts; calyx, cupuliform, oblique, the 

lowermost tooth the longest; petals 5, strongly veined, the standard, about 8 mm long, 

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 

erect, slightly gibbous or short-calcarate; pods, 4 to 10 cm long, linear, compressed, with 

a marked beak, a double ridge on the dorsal side and a single ridge on the ventral side, 

septate between the 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, the young 

tender pod which are cooked as a vegetable; reported in 1935 to have been introduced, 

but not seen in 1978 or thereafter. 

Delonix regia (Bojer) Raf. "poinciana", "royal poinciana", "flame tree", "flamboyant", 

"flame of the forest" bin ("bean"), red tree (N); te tua (K); fuatausaga (T) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Madagascar. Occasional. Rapidly growing, 

medium-sized, spreading, broad-crowned deciduous tree, up to 10 to 12 m high and 

several times as wide, with smooth, light-colored bark; leaves, mostly 20 to 60 cm long, 

alternate, bipinnate, frond-like, with 10 to 20 pairs of pinnae; pinnae, about 10 cm long, 

each with 25 to 35 pairs of leaflets; leaflets, 0.5 to 1 cm long, opposite, oblong-elliptic, 

obtusish, base oblique, subsessile, glabrous, medium green; stipules, inconspicuous, 

forked at base, the divisions pinnate, with 3 to 6 leaflets; inflorescence, an axillary 

corymbose-raceme bearing large, showy flowers, 7.5 to 10 cm across, aggregated near 

ends of branchlets; bracts, small, caducous, bracteoles none; calyx, short-tubed, sepals 5, 

valvate, subequal, free at antithesis; petals 5, about 4 to 7 cm long, subequal in size, 

brilliant crimson to scarlet or red-orange, conspicuously clawed, imbricate (overlapping), 

the uppermost with whitish or yellowish streaks or mottling, broad-bladed and stalked 

with their distal part abruptly expanded, orbicular with wavy edges; pods, 13 to 60 cm 

long and 3 to 5 cm wide, linear-oblong, parallel-edged, flattened, shortly-beaked at tip, 

woody or coriaceous, pendent, septate, dark reddish-brown turning black, filled within 

between the seeds, many-seeded, persistent, dehiscent; seeds, oblong-cylindric, trans- 

verse, gray with pale margins, testa hard. Planted ornamental; flowers used in garlands. 

3(58620), 5(121), 6, 7. 

Derris trifoliata Lour. "beach derris root", "beach poison vine" 

syns. Derris uligin,osa Benth. ; Robinia uliginosa Willd. 

Indigenous. Trop. Africa to Polynesia. Occasional. Glabrous creeping and 

climbing shrub with prostrate rooting stems and rather large, scattered lenticels, climbing 

to a height of 5 to 6 m; leaves, alternate, 3 to 7-foliate; leaflets, 4 to 12 cm long and 2 to 

6 cm wide, ovate to elliptic-ovate, acute-acuminate or cuspidate at apex (acumen rounded 

or emarginate at tip), base obtuse or rounded-subtruncate, subcoriacious, rather glossy 

medium-green, slightly paler but not glaucous dorsally, the secondary nerves prominulous 

beneath, petiolate; petioles, 4 to 8 mm long; inflorescences, axillary short-pedunculate 

racemes bearing flowers on short slender pedicels; calyx, 2 to 3 mm long, pale green; 

corolla, 6 to 8 mm long, petals, pale pink or greenish-white and faintly pink-tinged; the 

filaments and styles white; pods, 3 to 5 cm long and 2 to 3.5 wide, subreniform or 

subrhomboid to broadly oblong, flat, with a wing, 1 to 2 mm broad, along the upper 

suture, greenish or tan, conspicuously veiny, 1- to 2-seeded; seeds, 1.5 to 2.4 cm long, 

oblong-reniform. In forest on cliffs and steep slopes of escarpment surrounding the

central plateau. No reported use in Nauru, although the roots, which contain rotenone, 

are often used for fish poison throughout the Pacific. 3(58803), 6. 

Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC. "Florida beggarweed " 

syns. D. purpureum (Mill.) Fawc. & Rendle; Hedysarum purpureum Mill.; H. 

tortuosum S w . 

Recent introduction. W. Indies and Central America. Common. Erect subshrub or 

annual, somewhat woody (ligneous), branching herb, up to about 2 m high, with slender 

densely and finely pubescent longitudinally grooved stems; leaves, alternate, trifoliate; 

petioles, often reddish; stipules, asymmetrical, distinctly auriculate at base on side away 

from petiole (and less obviously on side toward petiole), acuminate from a broad base, 

sometimes reflexed, persistent; leaflets, 2.5 to 13 cm long and 1.5 to 7 cm wide, the 

terminal leaflet largest, narrowly elliptic to ovate, acute to mucronate, base acute to 

rounded, laxly pilose with long hairs and/or short, uncinate hairs; inflorescences, simple 

or branching racemes, 20 to 50 cm long; calyx, deeply 5-lobed, densely pubescent, borne 

on a thin pedicel, 5 to 17 mm long, with many basally thickened hairs; corolla, 4 to 5 

mm long, pea-like (papilionaceous), white or greenish-yellow to pink shading to mauve; 

stamens 10, diadelphous; pods, 1.5 to 3 cm long, twisted, brown, segmented, each 

segment (article) 3 to 6.5 inm long and 3 to 4 mm wide, the articles suborbicular, the 

isthmi comparatively narrow, about one-fourth as broad as articles, 2- to 7-seeded, each 

seed in a separate compartment which separates at maturity; seeds, compressed. Weed on 

roadsides, on slopes in settled areas, and in waste places. 3(58639, 58741), 4(110N), 

5(87), 6, 7(22308). 

Desmodium triflorum (L.) DC . "tropical trefoil", " three-flowered beggarweed" 

syn. Hedysarum triflorum L. 

Recent introduction. Pantropical. Occasional. Diminutive prostrate freely- 

branching perennial creeping herb with slender stems with appressed or weakly spreading 

hairs, up to 1 mln long, and a woody rootstalk, com~nonly forming a thick mat; leaves 

alternate, trifoliate, clover-shaped, lower leaves sometimes unifoliate; stipules sym- 

metrical at base, lanceolate, acuminate; leaflets, 4 to 10 mm long and almost as wide, 

terminal leaflet largest, sometimes bearing 2 white marks, obovate to elliptic-obovate or 

obocordate, rounded (obtuse) and usually distinctly (but slightly) emarginate, base 

narrowed to a short petiolule; inflorescence, a lax, 2- to 3-(rarely 5)-flowered fascicle 

(occasionally solitary), up to 6 cm long, borne opposite the leaves, each fascicle 

subtended by a soon caducous primary ovate-acuminate, not congested bract,; pedicels or 

peduncles, 3 to 10 mm long, lengthening in fruit to over 1 cm, puberulent with straight 

--- ~~~~~~~ - ----- -- 

or ~-spreading hairs, 0.7 to 1 min long, or glabrous; calyx, appearing subequally 5- 

lobed, lobes shallo~ly connate at base for less than half their length; pale or hch 

pink to reddish-violet, the standard obovate, 4 to 5 mm long; pods, 6 to 20 mm long and 

about 2.3 mm broad, indented on the lower suture, segmented into 2 to 5 articles, each 2

to 4 mm long and broad, indehiscent, with only uncinate hairs, the isthmi two-thirds to 

three-quarters as broad as the articles; seeds, bean-shaped (reniform). Weed in gardens, 

lawns and in shaded ruderal habitats on plateau. Possibly deliberately introduced as a 

green manure and cover crop. 3(58708, 58803), 4(126N), 5(148), 6, 7. 

Dolichos lablab L. "hyacinth bean", lablab bean", "dolichos", "bovanist bean", "Egyptian 

bean", "Indian bean", "bataw or batani bean (Philippines) 

syns. D . purpureus L.; Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet; L. niger 

Medik. ; L. vulgaris Savi; L. cultratus DC. 

Recent introduction. Paleotropics. Rare. Vigorous perennial, glabrous or finely 

pubescent twining or scrambling herbaceous vine, from 1.5 to 6 m long or high, all parts 

often flushed with purple; leaves, alternate, trifoliate; petioles, 6 to 26 cm long; leaflets, 

5 to 15 cm long and nearly as wide, entire, broadly triangular ovate, lateral leaflets 

oblique, acute-acuminate, base obtuse, subglabrous or softly ,pubescent, 3-nerved from 

base, midrib branched upward, the terminal leaf longer stalked; inflorescences, erect, 

terminal and axillary peduncles, 5 to 40 cm long, bearing pseudoracemose clusters of 1 

to 5 flowers together at nodes along the peduncle, each about 1.5 cm long, on slender 

pedicels up to 1 cm long; bracts and bracteoles, 2 to 5 mm long, caducous; calyx, about 

equal in length to the pedicels, 4-lobed, campanulate, bilabiate, the 2 upper lobes joined 

into an entire or emarginate lip, the lower lip 3-lobed; petals, small, violet or whitish, 

the standard up to 14 mm long and 20 mm across, orbicular, reflexed, auriculate at base, 

the wings obliquely obovate, longer than the keels, the keel petals incurved at a right 

angle, obtuse with a small convex pocket at base; stamens 10; pod, 6 to 12 cm long by 2 

to 4 cm wide, 2-valved, obliquely oblong, flattened, often curved, beaked at tip with 

persistent style; seeds, 3 to 6, usually not larger than 15 by 9 by 5 mm, ovoid, slightly 

compressed, dark brown, reddish or pale tan or white, often speckled, the hilum linear 

with whitish rim-aril. Food plant in Filipino gardens at Location; the young pods and 

tender seeds cooked as a vegetable. Said to have been introduced in 1935 and established 

by 1936. 5, 6. 

Erythrina variegata L. var. variegata "variegated' coral tree" 

Recent introduction. Pacific Is. Rare. Differs from E. variegata var. orientalis 

(see description below) in having narrower, more leathery leaves, which are mottled or 

variegated with light yellow along the midribs and side veins, and larger lighter-colored 

flowers in longer erect clusters. Planted ornamental. 3, 5(39), 6, 7. 

-- - - _. - 

Erythrina variegata var. orientalis (L.) Merr. "coral tree", 

yora, yoreh (N) 

syns. E. inllica Lam. ; E. corallodendron var. orientalis (L.) Merr.

Indigenous. Indopacific. Occasional. Medium to large deciduous tree, up to 25 m 

high, the trunk and branches usually with coarse spiny thorns; leaves, alternate, trifoliate, 

membranous, rachis not including the petiole 12 to 40 cm long; petioles, 9 to 20 cm 

long; leaflets, 6 to 30 cm long and nearly as wide, broadly triangular-ovate, rhombic or 

cuspidate, acute-acuminate, rounded, acutish or truncate at base, lower leaflets somewhat 

oblique, with prominent glands below the base of petiolules; petiolules, 5 to 14 mm long; 

inflorescence, a dense axillary or terminal pedunculate raceme, up to 40 cm long, bearing 

numerous flowers, about 6 cm long, clustered near the end of the raceme; calyx tube in 

bud closed at orifice, early broken by the emergent corolla; petals, bright dark red or 

scarlet, very unequal, the standard 5 to 8 by 2 to 3.5 cm, broadly elliptic, narrowed 

proximally to a short claw, the keel petals separate, obovate, rounded at apex, nearly as 

long as the wings, these obovate, rounded, about one-third as long as the standard; pod, 

10 to 45 cm long and 2 to 3.5 cm in diameter, not or slightly constricted between the 

seeds, the valves coarsely reticulate-veined, glabrous, black, tardily dehiscent; seeds, 1 to 

12, 1.2 by 2.5 cm, ovoid, bright red to brownish red, the hilum oblong. Planted or 

spontaneous on coastal strip and in old strip-mined land; a number of large specimens 

along road near Nauru Phosphate Company tennis court area. Trunks and thick branches 

used for living fence posts, and in canoe construction in the past; flowers used in 

garlands in the past. 3(58737a), 5, 6, 7. 

Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp. "gliricidia", "madre de cacao (mother of 

cocoa)", "Nicaragua cocoa shade" 

syn . Robinia. sepiurn Jacq. 

Recent introduction. Central and northern So. America. Small semi-deciduous 

fast-growing tree, up to 10 In tall, with pale bark and ascending stems; leaves, 15 to 25 

cm long, imparipinnate, with 5 to 17 leaflets; leaflets, 3 to 8.5 cm long and 1.5 to 5 cm 

wide, opposite, ovate, ovate-oblong to elliptic-oblong, obtusely acuminate, often with 

brown blotches or bronzy and glaucous beneath, dull green above, glabrate; inflorescen- 

ces, stiff short racemes, 5 to 13 cm long, on the older branches after the leaves have 

fallen, bearing single flowers, each about 1.8 to 2 cin long, on the rachis; bracts, small, 

bracteoles none; pedicels, 8 to 12 mm long, jointed at tip; calyx, cupuliform, puberulent, 

red-tinged; petals 5, rose or paler pink, the standard, large, suborbicular, reflexed, 

sometimes with small inflexed auricles, claw very short, with a pale yellow central 

blotch, the wings falcate-oblong, free, shorter than the keel, the keel petals incurved, 

sometimes partly yellowish; stamens, 10, the filaments of 9 connate into the sheath; 

pods, 8 to 16 cm long and 1.5 to 1.9 cm wide, 2-valved, linear-oblong, flattened, non- 

partitioned, dehiscent, the valves coriaceous; seeds, 2 to 9, purplish-brown. Planted 

roadside ornamental on Meneng Terrace. Widely used in tropical America and elsewhere 

as a shadetree for tree for cocoa, bananas and coffee and as a living fence and wind-

Hardenbergia violacea (Schneev.) F. C. Stern "sarsaparilla" 

Recent introduction. Australia. Rare. A climbing or scrambling evergreen herb; 

leaves, simple; inflorescence, clusters of violet flowers with yellow markings. Ornamen- 

tal pot plant. 6. 

Indigofera hirsuta L. "hirsute indigo" 

Recent introduction. Africa and Madagascar to southern Asia and Australia. 

Occasional. Erect or low spreading shrub, up to 1 m tall, stiffly and copiously brown- 

hirsute with long hairs and woody at the base; leaves, imparipinnate with 5 to 7 leaflets; 

leaflets, up to 4.5 by 2.5 cm, opposite, elliptic-obovate, densely pilose on both sides; 

inflorescence, a dense raceme, 20 to 30 cm long, the peduncle, 2.5 to 8 cm long, both 

peduncle and pedicels brown pubescent; calyx about 4 mm long, divided nearly to base 

with linear-setaceous lobes, brown pubescent; corolla, small, with brick-red to salmon- 

red or rose-colored petals; pods, 1.2 to 2 cm long and about 2 mm in diameter, straight, 

cylindrical, somewhat tetragonal, with spreading dark brown hairs; seeds, 6 to 9, nearly 

square or rectangular in outline. In plateau forest along path. 3(58614, 58730), 5(136), 

8(9545). 

Indigofera spicata Forssk. "creeping indigo" 

syns. I. hendecaphylla Jacq.; I. endecaphylla Jacq. ex Lam. (sphalm?) 

Recent introduction. Africa and Madagascar to Yemen, southeast Asia and 

Australia. Occasional. Spreading or prostrate annual herb, with stems sometimes 

ascending to 60 cm; leaves imparipinnate with 5 to 11 leaflets (usually 7); leaflets, 3 to 

30 mm long, alternate or rarely opposite, elliptic to obovate, apex mucronate, shortly 

petiolate; inflorescence, an axillary raceme, up to 15 cm long, the peduncle 1 to 4 cm 

long, the pedicels, about 0.5 lnm long; calyx, 2 to 3 mm long, divided nearly to the 

base; corolla, 4 to 5 lnm long, salmon pink; pods, 11 to 25 mm long and about 2 mm in 

diameter, straight, cylindrical, appressed-strigulose or pubescent; seeds, 5 to 8. Roadside 

weed on coastal strip and plateau. 4(123N), 6, 7. 

Leucaena leucocephala (Lam .) de Wit "leucaena" , " koa haole" (Hawaii), "lead tree", 

"wild tamarind" bin ("beanN)(N); te kai tetua (K) 

syns. L. glauca (L. ex Willd.) Benth.; Mimosa leucocephala Lam.; Mimosa 

glauca sensu L.; Acacia leucocephala (Lam.) Link 

~ - ~ 

~ -~ ~ ~ p~~ 

- - ~ 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Common. Erect slender shrub or 

small tree, 1 to 5 m high, young growth puberulent; leaves, alternate, bipinnate, to 25 

cm long, with 3 to 10 pairs of opposite pinnae, 5 to 10 cm long, each with 7 to 20 pairs

of leaflets; petioles, up to 10 cm or longer; leaflets, 6 to 19 mm long and 1.5 to 5 mm 

wide, opposite, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, acute, asymmetrical, inequilateral at 

base, sessile, somewhat dull grayish-green, glabrous; flowers, 1.5 to 3 cm in diameter, in 

dense, axillary globose, head-like, pedunculate clusters; peduncles, up to 4 to 6 cm long; 

calyx, 2.5 mm long, tubular, short-dentate with 5 small lobes at top; petals 5, 4 to 5 mm 

long, linear, free, pale green or white; stamens, 10, nearly 1 cm long, long-exserted, 

filaments white, anthers hairy, pale yellow; pods, 8 to 20 cm long and 1 to 2.2 cm wide, 

clustered, 2 -valved, strap-shaped, linear, flat, beaked at apex, not septate, dark brown, 

more or less dehiscent; seeds, 15 to 25, about 6 mm long, transverse, oval-oblong, flat, 

glossy brown. Spontaneous in disturbed habitats on escarpment slopes below plateau and 

in isolated stands on coastal strip. Used as firewood. 3(58638), 4(161N), 5(9), 6, 7, 

8(9564). 

Mimosa pudica L. var. tetrandra (HBK ex Willd.) DC. 

syn. M. tetrandra HBK ex Willd. 

"sensitive plant" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Decumbent or prostrate subwoody, 

loosely branching perennial creeper, up to 50 cm high, with reddish-brown stems bearing 

scattered curved prickles; leaves, alternate, bipinnate, with 1 to 3 pairs of pinnae, 

palmately arranged at the end of the rachis, each with 12 to 25 pairs of leaflets; leaflets, 

6 to 15 mm long and 1.2 to 3 mm wide, linear or oblong, acute, asymmetrical, sessile, 

bristly, sensitive with leaves immediately folding at pulvinate joints if touched or jarred; 

flowers, 1 to 2 cm in diameter, in small globose, head-like, axillary pedunculate clusters; 

peduncles, up to 2.5 cm long, hairy; calyx, absent or very small; corolla, 4-lobed, 

sympetalous, very small; stamens 4, 4 to 6 mm long, showy, rose-pink to purple; pods, 

0.8 to 2 crn long and 2 to 4 mm wide, clustered, thin, flat, prickly-bristly, indented 

between the seeds, splitting at maturity from the undivided margins into 2 to 5 one- 

seeded segments; seeds, 2 to 5, about 2 mm across, rounded, brown. Roadside weed near 

Buada Lagoon. 4(156N), 6(lgO). 

Peltophorum pterocarpum (DC.) Backer ex Heyne "yellow poinciana", "copperpod", 

"golden flamboyant", "yellow flame tree" 

syns. P. inerme (Roxb.) Naves; P. .firrugineum. (Dcne.) Benth. ; Inga 

prerocarpa DC. ; Caesalpinia inernlis Roxb. ; C. ferruginea Dcne. 

Recent introduction. Malaysia to N. Australia. Rare. Medium-sized, heavilyfoliaged, 

broad-crowned tree, 8 to 15 In high; leaves, bipinnate, 30 to 50 cm long, 

rachises brown puberulent, with 4 to 15 pairs of pinnae, each with 8 to 20 pairs of 

leafle_ts;s_tip~les small, caducous; leaflets, about 0.8 to 3 cm long and 3.5 to 10 mm 

wide, opposite, oblong, rounded or ernarginate, base oblique, dark green;fliFEi~Eii 

about 2.5 cm across, fragrant, borne in large terminal racemes aggregated into panicles; 

bracts, lanceolate, bracteoles none; bracts, buds and axes brownish-reddish pubescent; 

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, 

the filaments curved; pods, 5 to 11.5 cm long and 2 to 2.7 cm wide, 2-valved, oblong- 

lanceolate, flattened, straight or curved, slightly winged along both margins, copper- 

colored, red-brown or brown when ripe, blackening eventually but persistent on the tree, 

veiny on the sides, indehiscent; seeds, 1 to 4, transverse, oblong, flattish, pale brown. 

Planted ornamental tree on Military Ridge. 5, 6. 

Samanea saman (Jacq.) Merr. "rain tree", " monkeypod tree" 

syns. Albizia saman (Jacq.) F. v. Muell. ; Mimosa saman Jacq. ; Enterolobium 

saman (Jacq.) Prain ex King; Pithecellobium saman (Jacq.) Benth.; Inga 

saman (Jacq.) Willd. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Large to massive tree, 7 to 25 m high, 

the trunk up to 1 m in diameter, the crown rounded, usually broader than tall; leaves, 

bipinnate, with 2 to 9 pairs of pinnae, each with 2 to 10 pairs of leaflets; leaflets, 2 to 8 

cm long and 1 to 4.5 cm wide, the distal ones larger than the proximal ones, ovate to 

obovate or oblong-elliptic, asymmetric, subsessile, shining above, downy beneath, folding 

(closing) in late afternoon for the night and in cloudy or rainy weather; flowers, in 

axillary long-pedunculate heads, the central flower larger than the others; calyx, 6 to 7.5 

mm long, short lobed; corolla, up to 13 mm long, petals connate up to the middle, pink 

with greenish or yellowish lobes; stamens many, 2 to 4 cm long, basally connate, 

exserted, white proximally, shading to pink or crimson distally; pods, 9 to 24 cm long, 

1.3 to 2.2 cm wide and 1.5 to 2.5 mm thick, straight or slightly curved, thick but 

compressed, semi-succulent, internally septate, with thickened sutures, brown turning 

black when mature, indehiscent, containing sweet, sticky brown pulp within; seeds 15 to 

20, exarillate, brown. Ornamental tree in home gardens on Meneng Terrace and at 

Buada. 5, 6, 7. 

Vigna marina (Burm.) Merr. "beach pea" 

erekogo (N); te kitoko (K); saketa (T) 

syns. V. lutea (Sw.) A. Gray; Phaseohis marinus Burm.; Dolichos luteus Sw. 

Indigenous. Pantropical. Common. Prostrate, creeping, sometimes climbing, 

subglabrous, weak-stemmed, long-trailing herbaceous perennial vine; leaves, alternate, 

trifoliate; stipules, 2 to 3 lnln long, ovate to lanceolate, inconspicuously bilobate at base, 

early caducous; petioles, 5 to 10 cm long; leaflets, 4 to 10 cm long and 3 to 8 cm wide, 

broadly ovate or suborbicular to obovate, apex rounded to emarginate, base obtuse, 3- 

nerved from base, midrib branched upward, lateral leaflets somewhat oblique, incmspicu~dy~ap~~~asean~~ho~acesbut 

-soan~rate-samesslhatAleshy_; 

flowers, 1.5 to 2 cm long, short-pedicellate, in few-flowered racemose clusters crowded 

distally on axillary peduncles, up to 15 cm or longer; petals and stamens, pale to bright 

yellow, the standard usually 12 to 14 lnln in diameter, obovate, the keel not much longer 

than other 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 

contracted between the seeds, splitting open along the two sides when mature, green 

turning brown; seeds, 2 to 10, up to 7 by 6 by 5 mm, ellipsoidal, brown, with an oblong 

hilum and undeveloped rim-aril. Found on beaches and in open sites and waste places 

behind beaches; reported by Burges (1935) to be "growing plentifully wherever soil is 

fairly heavy and moist, e.g., as at Buada. The natives have always considered that other 

plants grew better if near Vigna . . . ." Plant used medicinally; leaves crushed to bathe 

young girls' hair and to make adult hair grow long and black; leaves used to cover 

earthen oven. 1(30.R), 2, 3(58610), 4(120N), 5(33), 6, 7, 8. 

Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. ssp. sesquipedalis (L.) Verdc. "long bean", "yard-long 

bean", "snake bean", asparagus bean", "asparagus pea" 

bin ("beanW)(N); te bin ("beanU)(K); tau kok (C) 

syns. V. swquipedalis (L.) Fruw. ; Dolichos sesquipedalis L.; Vigna sinensis (L.) 

Endl. ex Hassk. var. sesquipedalis (L.) Koern. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. Africa. Twining, climbing annual herb with 

glabrous stems, up to 2 to 4 m high; leaves, pinnately trifoliate; stipules, large, produced 

below the base attachment, more or less persistent; leaflets, 5 to 16 cm long and 4 to 11 

cm wide, the terminal leaflet with a long petiolule, ovate to rhombic-ovate, acute, entire 

or sometimes inconspicuously lobed, the veins sometimes purplish; inflorescence, an 

axillary ~on~-~edunculate few-flowered raceme, with flowers in clusters of 3 to 6; the 

bracts and bracteoles small, caducous; pedicels, short, shorter or about as long as the 

calyx; calyx, campanulate, bilabiate, the two upper lobes completely or partly united, the 

lower lip 3-lobed; corolla, much exserted, petals, white or greenish, tinged with yellow, 

blue or purple, the standard orbicular with inflexed auricles, the wings slightly shorter 

than the standard, the keel petals about as long as the wings or longer, obtuse or beaked, 

sometimes incurved, truncate; stamens 10, alternately slightly longer and shorter, the 

filaments of 9 connate into a sheath, the vexillary filament free, the anthers uniform; 

pods, variable depending on the cultivar, 20 to 100 cm long and 0.3 to 1.1 cm broad, 

pendent, linear, subterete, straight or somewhat inturned or twisted, sometimes rather 

flaccid, not septate, more or less inflated and sometimes flabby when young, dehiscent, 

the style dehiscent; seeds, many, usually 8 to 12 mm long, elongate reniform, variable in 

color. Common. Food plant in Chinese gardens at Location and Topside workshops. 5, 

6.

GENTIANACEAE (Gentian Family) 

Fagraea berteroana A. Gray ex Benth. pua (Polynesia); "pua kenikeni" (Hawaii) 

eijinut? (B)(N) 

syns. Carissa grandis Bertero ex. Guill.; Fagraea berteriana A. Gray ex Benth.; 

F. berteriana Benth. ex Seem.; F. grandis Pancher & Sebert 

Indigenous? Pacific Islands, from New Caledonia to as far east as the Marquesas 

and Hawaii, although possibly an aboriginal introduction in these areas. Extinct; reported 

by Hambruch in 1910, but not seen in 1933 or thereafter. Medium to large glabrous, 

often-branching tree, 1.5 to 20 m high, branches with conspicuous leaf scars; sometimes 

a scrambling, climbing or epiphytic shrub; leaves, up to 15 cm long and 8 cm wide, 

opposite, oval-ovate or oblong, rounded, obtuse or sub-acute-acuminate blunt, base 

cuneate or decurrent, entire, rather thick, pinnately nerved, midrib stout, lateral veins 

slender and obscure; petiole, up to 2.5 cm long; flowers, nearly 5 cm wide, very 

fragrant, fleshy, in axillary cymose clusters; calyx, 12 to 15 mm long, rather deeply- 

lobed; corolla, 5-parted, tubular, the tube 3 to 5 cm long, the lobes imbricate spreading, 

overlapping to the right, creamy-white turning yellow; style greenish; fruit, 3 to 5 cm 

long and 2 to 4 cm wide, ellipsoidal, obtuse to acute at apex, rather succulent, yellow 

turning orange to bright red when ripe; seeds, very numerous, embedded in pulp. 

Fragrant flowers used in garlands and to scent coconut oil in Polynesia and Melanesia. 1. 

Pelargonium x hortorum 

syn . P. hortorurn Bailey 

GERANIACEAE (Geranium Family) 

"geranium", "fish geranium" 

Recent introduction. So. Africa. Rare. Tender perennial subshrub, up to 50 cm 

high; leaves, 7 to 13 cm in diameter, rounded, scalloped, downy; flowers, not seen. Pot 

plant. 6. 

GESNERIACEAE (Gloxinia Family) 

Recent introduction. C. America. Rare. Trailing or pendent perennial herb, stems 

up to over 1 m long; leaves, about 2.5 cm long, pale green, pubescent; flowers, 3.5 to 

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 of tube. Pot 

plant. 6. 

Columnea sp. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Pot plant. 6. 

Episcia cupreata (Hook.) Hanst. 

syn . Achimenes cuprcata. Hook. 

"columnea" 

"episcia" , "peacock plant" 

Recent introduction. Colombia and Venezuela. Occasional. Spreading or creeping 

pilose perennial herb with long stolons and short, stout stems, rooting at the joints, up to 

30 cm or higher; leaves, 10 to 13 cin long to 6 to 8 cm wide, including the petiole, blade 

about 7.5 cm long, opposite, broadly elliptic to ovate, edges scalloped, pinnately-nerved, 

succulent, hairy, variable in color from coppery to reddish green or clear green, often 

variegated; flowers, about 2.5 cin long, axillary, solitary, borne on long pubescent 

peduncles; calyx, deeply 5-lobed; corolla, much larger than calyx, tubular, with 5 

subequal, rounded lobes spreading to about 2 cm in diameter, tube red on upper surface, 

yellow with red spots on lower surface and within, the limb orange-red, the 3 lower 

lobes the longest; fruit, a 2-valved capsule; seeds, ellipsoid, smooth, brown. Pot plant. 

5,6. 

Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl. "African violet", "Saintpaulia" 

Recent introduction. Trop. E. Africa. Rare. Stemless perennial pubescent herb; 

leaves, 3.5 to 8 cm long and wide, long-petiolate, alternate to subopposite, suborbicular 

to oblong-ovate, succulent, velvety, edges scalloped, often purplish beneath, forming a 

rosette or broad tuft of leaves at the base; petioles, pilose; inflorescences, axillary, 2- to 

10-flowered cymose peduncles, rising above the leaves; calyx, deeply 5-lobed, the lobes 

linear or lanceolate, erect; corolla, 2 to 3.5 cm across, rotate to broadly campanulate, 

much longer than the calyx, the tube short, the limb 5-lobed, 2-lipped, the upper lip 2- 

lobed and shorter, color variable depending on the cultivar, white or pink to violet, dark 

purple or blue; fruit, about 7 inm long, longer than the calyx, a narrow-oblong to 

subglobose capsule, dehiscing by decay of the pericarp; seeds, ellipsoid. Pot plant. 5,6.

GOODENIACEAE (Nau paka Family) 

Scaevola taccada (Gaertn .) Roxb. " scaevola" , "saltbush", 

" half-flower " ; "beach naupaka" (Hawaii) 

emet, emed, emit (B)(N); te mao (K); gasu, gahu (T) 

syns. S. sericea var. taccada Makino; S. frutescens sensu auct. non (Mill.) 

Krause; S. frutescens var. sericea (F0rst.f.) Merr. (nom. nud.); S. koenigii 

Vahl; S. lobelia Murr.; Lobelia taccada Gaertn.; L. koenigii (Vahl) Wight 

Indigenous. Trop. Asia to Hawaii. Very abundant. Erect freely branching, 

spreading, somewhat succulent, soft-wooded, pithy-stemmed glabrous to pubescent shrub, 

up to about 2 m high, with leaves spiralled or crowded near the ends of the branches; 

leaves, 8 to 26 cin long and 3 to 12 cm wide, alternate, obovate to oblong-spathulate, 

apex rounded (obtuse) or emarginate, base cuneate-decurrent, margins somewhat wavy or 

obscurely toothed or crenate, glabrous or somewhat puberulent, slightly fleshy, light 

bright green, the midrib sometimes faintly purplish, venation obscure; petiole, short, up 

to 15 mm long, broad, winged by decurrent blade margins with a basal tuft of sulky 

white hairs in the leaf axil; inflorescence, a fragrant axillary forking 3- to 9-flowered 

cymose cluster, 2 to 5 cin long, the peduncles 0.5 to 2 cm long; calyx, 5 to 12 mm long 

including acute lobes, 5 to 10 lnln long; corolla, 12 to 22 mm long, the tube, 10 to 15 

mm long, white to greenish or purplish, the limb, 5 to 10 mm long, spreading, white or 

pale green without, and purple-veined or brown-bordered, the lobes with membrana- 

ceous, sometimes fimbriate or erose margins, asymmetrical, appearing to be split in two 

with only half the petals remaining; fruit, 10 to 18 mm in diameter when fresh, drying to 

7 to 13 mm, 2-celled, subglobose, bluntly costate, fleshy, white; seeds, 1 or 2. Abundant 

in strand vegetation; dominant species and one of first colonizers on strip-mined areas. 

Wood considered good for smoking (cooking) fish and the black noddy bird (an important 

delicacy at feasts); hollow sticks used as "guns" to shoot gum balls (egato) and small 

balls carved from pandanus; inner bark used in the past to make headbands which 

resembled noddy-bird feathers and which were worn for traditional dances; leaves used to 

wrap food in and to cover the earth oven (eom, eyom); Scaevola and Guettarda speciosa 

(iut) flowers the first flowers smelled by returning sailors; flowers used in garlands and 

either added directly, or boiled with coconut oil to scent it; leaves crushed to yield a 

juice to retards loss of hair and cure rashes; inner bark scraped to yield medicine for 

abscesses or boils, and white ripened fruit squeezed into eyes as a "pre-eye-drops" cure 

for conjunctivitis. 2, 3(58622, 58761), 5(30), 6, 7(27801).

HERNANDIACEAE (Hernandia Family) 

Hernandia nymphaeifolia (Presl.) Kubitzki "Ian tern tree" 

etiu, yetiu, etsiw (N); te niinareburebu, te bingibing (K); puka, puka vaka (T) 

syns. H. sonora L.; H. peltata Meissn.; H. ovigera senus auct. non L.; Biasolet- 

tia nyrnphaeifolia Presl 

Indigenous. Trop. Asia to Pacific Is. Rare. Medium to large tree, up to 20 m 

high, with a shortly buttressed trunk and smooth grayish, slightly fissured bark; leaves, 

12 to 40 cm long and 10 to 30 cm wide, alternate, rounded-ovate, acute-acuminate, 

subpeltate to peltate near base, glabrous, softly leathery, medium green (the ventral 

insertion of the petiole usually red), palmately 5- to 9-nerved from petiole; petiole, 5 to 

17 cm long; inflorescence, a densely-flowered axillary and terminal long-stalked, 

tomentose cyinose panicle of numerous, unisexual but monoecious, white to yellowish- 

white flowers, 12 to 30 cin long; involucre, green to whitish or pinkish, slightly fleshy, 

subtended by 4 bracteoles; each cyme composed of 3 pedicellate white to pale green 

flowers, the 2 laterals males, the center one female; male flowers, about 7 mm long, 3- 

merous; female flowers, 4-merous; style up to 5 mm long; fruit, about 2.5 cm in 

diameter, broadly obovoid-subcompressed, nut-like, brown, nearly smooth, somewhat 

ribbed, enclosed in an enlarged, fleshy, white or grayish to reddish succulent balloon-like 

vesicle with a circumscissile opening; seed 1. Tree on or near base of escarpment. Very 

light wood, which is sometimes found in the form of driftwood, used for canoe outrig- 

gers, pull-floats for fishermen to tie fish to, and corks for bottles; fruit rubbed against 

rock to burn each other in traditional games. 5(10), 6, 7(27819). 

LAMIACEAE OR LABIATAE (Mint Family) 

Coleus amboinicus Lour. "Indian borage" 

syns. Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng.; Coleus aromaticus Benth. 

Recent introduction. Africa and India to Indonesia. Rare. Very aromatic, densely 

pubescent, somewhat succulent, low sprawling or ascending perennial herb, up to 1 m 

high, with sub-quadrangular to subterete stems; leaves 2 to 11 cm long and 1.5 to 9 cm 

wide, opposite, broadly ovate to suborbicular, acute to broadly rounded (obtusish), base 

cuneate or rounded to truncate, coarsely crenate to dentate (toothed), succulent, finely 

pubescent on both sides, fragile; petioles 1 to 5 cm long, densely pubescent; inflorescence, 

a long simple (unbranched) terminal spicate panicle up to 50 cm or longer bearing 

numerous ( up t~3OOrmmoT~whorl~~~wer~-onn~hort-pdi~efsatinterva;fs~f 

dxm t 4 

to 2 cm; bracts, 3 to 4 ~nm long; pedicels slender, hirsute, up to 5 mm long; calyx 1.5 to 

4 mm long, campanulate, hirsute and glandular, the upper lip erect, broadly ovate- 

oblong, the other teeth narrow, very acute; corolla, 7 to 12 mm long, pale blue or violet 

to pink, the tube 3 to 4 ~n~n long, declinate, expanding distally, pubescent without, the

upper lip to 4.5 by 

fruit, about 0.5 by 

Indian residence at 

6(211), 7. 

Coleus pumilus Blanco 

syn. C. repens Gurke 

3 mm, erect, puberulent, the lower lip to 5 to 6 by 4 mm, concave; 

0.7 mm, a nutlet, smooth, pale brown. Pot plant at Location and at 

Meneng Terrace. Leaves used as a spice in curries and medicinally. 

"creeping coleus" 

Recent introduction. W. Africa. Occasional. Pot plant. 2(59673, 5878 I), 5, 6. 

Mentha piperita L. "mint", "peppermint" 

syn. M. x piperita L. (M. aquatica L. X M. spicata L.) 

Recent introduction. Europe. Rare. S trongly-scented erect to sprawling rhizoma- 

tous perennial herb, the stems 4-angled, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, often purplish; 

leaves, 1 to 6 cm long and 1 to 3.5 cm wide, opposite, lanceolate-elliptic to oblong- 

ovate, ovate or suborbicular, somewhat rugose, sharply acute to apiculate, cuneate to 

rounded or cordate at base, serrate at margin, pubescent to glabrous; petioles, 3 to 6 mm 

long; inflorescence, a terminal spikelet at stem tips with flowers arranged in whorls 

(verticils) which are congested terminally and more distantly-spaced basally, mostly 

glabrous except on calyces; calyx, 3 to 4 mm long, tubular, purplish and dotted with oil 

glands, the teeth subequal, ciliate, narrowly acuminate, much shorter than calyx tube at 

anthesis; corolla, 4 to 6 mm long, pale violet, glabrous or puberulent, the tube exserted; 

stamens 4, small, included; fruit, about 0.75 mm long, a brown nutlet. Pot herb planted 

in old oil drum on Command Ridge and at Indian residence at Meneng Terrace. 6, 7. 

Ocirnum basilicum L. 

dementsi (N); te marou (K); mili (T) 

l1 basil", "sweet basil" 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Africa to Pacific Is. (Paleotropics). Occasional. 

Freely-branching aromatic perennial herb or subshrub, often cultivated as an annual, up 

80 cm or higher, the stems 4-angled, the branchlets glabrous to hispid; leaves, 2 to 8 cm 

long and 1 to 3 cm wide, opposite, elliptic-lanceolate to ovate and oblong, acute, base 

cuneate to attenuate, entire or obscurely dentate, glabrous to scattered-pubescent; 

petioles, up to 2 cm long, slender; inflorescences, terminal racemes, 10 to 15 cm or 

longer, at stem tips bearing many short-pedicellate, 6-flowered whorls (verticils) at 

intervals; bracts, petiolate, green to rich purple, the bracteoles, 2 to 6 mm long; calyx, 2 

to 3 mm long at anthesis, enlar~in~ to 5 to 9 mm long in fruit, bilabiate,_lO-nerved, with 

long hairs inside, greenish, purplish-tinged; corolla, 7 to 9 mm long, tube 3.5 mm long, 

upper lip 4-toothed, lower lip entire, white, glabrous to hispid; fruit, of 4 nutlets, 1.5 to 

2.5 mm long, obovoid or ellipsoid, brown or blackish, pitted, swelling in water and 

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, 

5(141), 6, 7(22305). 

Ocirnum sanctum L. 

demere (N)?; te marou (K) 

syn. 0. tenuiJlorum L. 

"sacred basil", tulsi (Hindi) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. Asia, now Pantropical. Rare. Erect, 

aromatic, much-branched herb or subshrub up to 1 m high, the branchlets soft-pubescent; 

leaves, 3 to 7.5 cm long and 1 to 2.8 cm wide, elliptic to elliptic-oblong or rhomboidal, 

obtuse to acute, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire or remotely serrate, upper bract- 

like leaves ovate to cordate, green to grayish-purple, pubescent on both surfaces but 

especially on nerves beneath; petioles, up to 2.5 cm long; inflorescences, slender racemes 

at stem tips, 8 to 10 cm long, bearing whorls (verticils) of flowers at intervals; brac- 

teoles, 2 to 3 mm long, ovate, acuminate, ciliate; pedicels, up to 4.5 mm long; calyx, 

2.5 to 3.5 mm long at the anthesis, enlarging to 5 mm in fruit, often purplish, glabrous 

within except occasionally puberulent near the base of upper lobe, the upper lip subor- 

bicular, reflexed, short-apiculate, the lower lip longer than the upper lip, the teeth 4, 

lanceolate; corolla, 3 to 5 mm long, the tube 1.5 to 2 mm long, upper lip with rounded 

lobes, lower lip entire, purplish to pale pink or white; stamens 4; fruit, 0.8 to 1.5 mrn 

long, nutlets, subglobose-compressed or broadly ellipsoid, purple-green to brown, smooth 

to minutely pitted. Planted ornamental. Fragrant flowers and leaves used in garlands and 

headbands and for scenting coconut oil. 5, 6, 7. 

Plectranthus oertendahlii Fries "Swedish ivy", "prostrate coleus" 

Recent introduction. S. Africa. Rare. Prostrate or trailing, tender or somewhat 

succulent, perennial herb, up to 50 cm high, with creeping reddish stems; leaves, 

suborbicular, velvety, bronze-green with silver along the veins and purplish beneath; 

inflorescences, erect or ascending racemes or panicles, 10 to 15 cm long, bearing whorls 

(verticils) of flowers at intervals; corolla, 2-lipped, pink. Pot plant. 3(58673, 5878 l), 5, 

6. 

Plectranthus scutellarioides (L.) R. Br. "painted nettle", "coleus", "paintedleaf 

plant " 

syns. Coleus scutellarioides (L.) Benth. and C. blumei Benth. ; Ocimum scutellarioides 

L.; Solen,ostc?m.on scutellarioides (L.) Codd 

-- 

-- 

Recent introduction. Malaysia. Occasional. Erect or ascending, tender or 

somewhat succulent, aromatic brown-pubescent perennial herb up to 1.5 rn high, the 

stems 4-angled and branches glabrous to pubescent; leaves, opposite, 4 to 17 crn long and 

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 

subglabrous, variegated, highly ornamental, variously colored, green, red, purple, yellow 

or white; petioles, 1 to 8 cm long, slender; inflorescences, erect terminal racemes or 

panicles, 5 to 40 cm long, bearing whorls (verticils) at intervals; bracts, 4 by 5 mm, 

ovate, long-acuminate, deciduous; pedicels, 3 to 4 mm long; calyx, 2 to 4 mm long and 

2 to 3 mm wide, enlarging to 7 mm long in fruit, bilabiate, obliquely campanulate, 

pubescent and gland-dotted, 10-nerved; corolla, 8 to 18 mm, long, infundibular, blue to 

purple or mauve, the tube, about 5 mm long, paler, puberulent, abruptly decurved, the 

upper lip about 1.5 mm long, erect, the lower lip deeply concave, up to 6 mm long; 

stamens 4; fruit, nutlets, 0.75 to 1.2 mm long, lenticular to broadly ovoid or subglobose, 

brown, smooth, glossy. Planted ornamental and pot plant. 5, 6, 7. 

LAURACEAE (Laurel Family) 

Cassytha filiformis L. "beach dodder", "giant dodder", "devil's twine" 

denuwanini, denuwenini, eduwinini (B)(N); te ntanini (K); fetai (T) 

Indigenous. Pantropical. Abundant. Slender, filiform, branching, twining or 

climbing light green to yellowish-green or yellowish-orange, glabrous parasitic herb, up 

to 3 to 8 m long, attaching to host plants by means of sucker-like haustoria, often 

forming sense, tangled mats; leaves, alternate, spirally arranged, reduced to minute 

scales; inflorescences, erect solitary pedunculate spike-like clusters, 1.5 to 5 cm long, 

borne in the axils of minute bracts; rachis, rather thick, glabrous, finely brown-hairy; 

bracts and bracteoles ovate-circular; flowers, bisexual, the perianth greenish-white to 

yellowish-white, somewhat fleshy, tepals 6, white, the 3 outer tepals, connate, broadly 

ovate-circular, about 0.75 mn across, the 3 inner ones broadly ovate, glabrous, 2 to 2.5 

mm long; stamens 9; staminodes, few, yellow; fruit, 4 to 7.5 mm in diameter, subglob- 

ose, white when mature, enclosed in a fleshy perianth tube, 1-seeded; seed with a 

membranaceous or coriaceous testa. Parasite on other plants, found generally on natural 

vegetation at all elevations. Entire plant used as garlands and headbands; plant used for 

"black magic" by I Kiribati and other islanders, a practice occasionally copied by 

Nauruans; tender tips used at times in the past for scenting coconut oil; fruit eaten by 

children in the past. 2(23.5), 3(58590), 4(163N), 5(6), 6, 7, 8(9566). 

Persea americana Mill. "avocado", "avocado pear", "alligator pear" 

syns. Laurus persea L. ; Persea gratissima Gaertn . f. 

- - R e r P n t i ~ i e R - W ~ R~E. - Mediutnlarge-evergreen_-,up-to_ 12m 

or taller; leaves, 7 to 30 cm long and 2.5 to 20 cm wide, alternate and spirally arranged, 

elliptic, ovate-oblong or obovate-oblong, acute-acuminate, chartaceous to somewhat 

coriaceous, glaucous beneath, downy when young, nerves alternate, pinnate, prominent; 

petioles, 1.5 to 5 cm long; inflorescences, axillary many-flowered downy panicles

crowded near the ends of branches; peduncles and pedicels, yellowish-green, pubescent; 

flowers, bisexual, somewhat fragrant, subtended by lanceolate deciduous hairy brown 

bracts, 4 mm long; the perianth of 6 tepals, 10 to 15 mm in diameter, greenish to 

yellowish white, short-pedicellate; stamens 9, in 3 whorls, the staminodes, conspicuous, 

orange to brown; pedicels cylindric or enlarged and fleshy when in fruit; fruit, 7 to 25 

cm long and 5 to 12 cm in diameter, subglobose to pear-shaped (pyriform) fleshy, 1- 

seeded drupe, skin light-green to purplish, flesh light-green to yellow-green, of butter- 

like consistency, edible; seed, single, subglobose, up to 5 cm in diameter, with 2 brown 

seed coats and 2 fleshy, whitish or pink cotyledons. Seedling planted in garden at 

Meneng Terrace. 5. 

LECY THIDACEAE (Brazilnut Family) 

Barringtonia asiatica (L.) Kurz "fish-poison tree", "barringtonia" 

kwenbabai, kwenababai, eijinut (B)(N); te baireati (K); futu (T) 

syns. Mammea asiatica L. ; Barrin.gtnnia speciosa Forst. ; B. butonica Forst. 

Indigenous. Indo-Pacific. Occasional. Large, spreading, round-crowned tree, 10 to 

20 m high, with gray bark and rather stout branches; leaves, 15 to 50 cm long and 8 to 

24 cm wide, alternate, clustered toward the ends of branches, obovate or oblong-obovate, 

obtuse or slightly emarginate, base cuneate, subcoriaceous, glabrous, glossy-green, 

subsessile; petioles, 1 to 5 cm long; inflorescences, terminal more or less erect racemes, 

2 to 15 cm long and 15 cm broad; pedicels, 2 to 9 cm long; calyx, 2-lobed, sepals, 2 to 

4 by 2 to 3 cm, concave, obtuse, persistent on fruit; corolla, 4-parted, sweetly fragrant, 

petals, about 4 to 8 cm long and 2.5 to 4.5 cm wide at anthesis, elliptic to ovate, white, 

early deciduous; stamens numerous, 4 to 12 cm long, white at base, pink- or red-tinged 

distally, anthers yellow; style, 6 to 15 cm long, white at base, pink- or red-tinged 

distally; fruit, 8 to 12 cm long and broad, 4-angled, l-seeded, pyramidal or subturbinate, 

exterior fibrous, crowned by calyx (2 large persistent sepals), pendent and heavy when 

ripe, buoyant; seed, 4 to 5 cm long and 2.5 to 4 cm wide, ovoid or ellipsoid. Spontaneous 

or planted on coastal strip, often in home gardens; larger concentrations on 

escarpment leading to plateau above Anibare Bay. Wood a favoured timber and fuelwood 

for cooking toddy syrup (karn~~c~rara); fruit possibly used to poison fish in the past. 

Fruit commonly used as a fish poison or stupefacient elsewhere in the Pacific. 1(48.R), 

2, 3(58665), 5(36), 6, 7.

LYTHRACEAE (Lythrum Family) 

Lagerstroemia indica L. "crape myrtle" 

Recent introduction. S. China. Rare. Glabrous, deciduous shrub or small tree, 2 

to 5 m high, with 4-angled branchlets; leaves, 3 to 10 cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide, 

alternate, elliptic to oblong-subobovate, obtuse to acute, subsessile; inflorescences, 

terminal or axillary panicles, 5 to 20 cm long, bearing clusters of flowers, each about 2.5 

to 3 cm across; calyx, 6-lobed, campanulate, glabrous; petals 6, 12 to 15 mm long, 

ovate-suborbicular, wrinkled, clawed, scentless, white, pink or lavender to rich purple or 

blue; stamens about 15 to 40; fruit, about 0.5 to 1 cm long, ovoid, capsular; seeds, 

winged. Planted ornamental on Command Ridge. 3(58712), 5, 6. 

MALPIGHIACEAE (Malpighia Family) 

Stigmaphyllon ciliatum (Lam.) Jussl.'Brazilian golden vine", "golden cup", "orchid vine" 

Recent introduction. W. Indies to Brazil. Rare. Slender, woody vine; leaves, 2.5 

to 8 cm long and nearly as wide, cordate, glabrous with pubescent margins; inflorescen- 

ces, axillary racemose clusters of 3 to 7 flowers, each about 3.7 cm in diameter; sepals 

5; petals 5, bright yellow, free, stalked at base, unequal, wavy, orchid-like; stamens 10, 

unequal, only 6 bearing anthers; styles 3; fruit, 3-parted, each part with a broad wing 

about 2.5 cin long. Planted ornamental climber. 3(58725), 6. 

Tristellateia australasiae Rich. 

syn. Tristellateia a~stralis Rich. 

" bagnit" 

Recent introduction. Malaysia and Australia. Occasional. Glabrous, long woody 

climber with stems dotted with raised lenticels; leaves, 2 to 12 cm long, opposite or 

verticillate, ovate, acute or obtuse, base rounded or subcordate with 2 glands, glabrous, 

rather pale green; petiole, 5 to 20 inin long; inflorescences, terminal racemes at branch 

tips bearing 12 or more flowers, each nearly 2.5 cm in diameter; sepals 5; petals 5, 

bright yellow, 4 of them slightly falcate, equal, each about 1 cm long excluding the 2 

mm long pinkish-orange claw; stamens, usually 10 of unequal length, yellow turning red; 

style 1, curved, undivided; fruit, samaroid, with a lateral wing with 5 to 8 slender 

flattened - - lobes each --- up to about 1 cm long. Planted ornamental climber. 5, 6(179, 205), 

- - -- - - - - -- - --- -- 

7.

MALVACEAE (Mallow Family) 

Abutilon asiaticum (L.) Sweet var. supraviride Fosb. 

ekaura, inen ekaura (N); te kaura ni Banaba (K) 

Indigenous. S. E. Asia to the Pacific Is. Occasional. Erect velvety-pubescent 

subshrub, 0.5 to 2 m high; leaves, 5 to 12 cm long, alternate, suborbicular-ovate cordate 

at base, coarsely crenate-serrate or lobed, palmately-nerved, downy gray-green, long- 

petiolate; flowers, 1.5 to 2.5 cm across, axillary, solitary, on long pedicels, 4 to 7 cm 

long; calyx 5-lobed; corolla, 1.5 to 2.5 cm across, petals 5, about 1 cm long or longer, 

imbricate, deltoid-obovate, orange-yellow; fruit, circular, a capsular schizocarp of 11 to 

20 radiating carpels, hirsute, brown when dry, each carpel flattened, somewhat boat- 

shaped, apiculate by the short persistent style-remnant, about 8 mm long; seeds, 

reniform, stellate-pubescent. Found in waste places and ruderal habitats along coastal 

strip, especially near the Ijuw-Anibare boundary, and among pioneering weeds in topsoil 

in areas recently cleared for phosphate mining. Tender meristem used to scent coconut 

oil; flowers used in garlands and headbands. 2, 3(58807, 58805), 4(107N), 5(107), 6, 

7(22306). 

Gossypium barbadense L. " sea-island cotton", "cotton" 

duwoduwo (N); te baubau (K) 

syns. G. brasiliense Macf.; G. pc?ru.vianu.m Cav. 

Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Extinct? Erect branching shrub, 

up to 3 m or higher; leaves, 7 to 13 cm long, alternate, rotund to ovate, cordate, deeply 

palmately 3 to 5 (rarely 7)-lobed or laciniate, glabrous with short, fugacious hairs, long- 

petiolate; stipules foliaceous, lanceolate or ovate, auriculate; inflorescences, terminal or 

on short axillary branches, solitary or 2 to 4-flowered racemes; bracteoles of epicalyx 3, 

much longer than the calyx, with cordate base and a deeply incised or laciniate apical 

lobe; top of pedicel with or without glands below the bracteoles; corolla, 5 to 8 cm 

across, obovately 5-petaled, petals, about 5 to 8 cm long, yellow, becoming streaked with 

red or purple on fading, usually with a basal reddish or purplish spot; fruit, a 3-valved 

ovoid, leathery, pitted capsule dotted with black oil glands; seeds, numerous, ovoid, 

black, covered with fine, long, pure white easily-removed woolly fibers or hairs (cotton). 

Collected by Burges in 1935, but not seen by subsequent collectors. Grown by Nauruans 

in the past for the cotton which was used to stuff mattresses and pillows. The Nauruan 

name for cotton is the same as for kapok. 2.

Hibiscus esculentus L. "okra", "gumbo", lady's finger"; bindi (Fiji Hindi) 

syn. Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench. 

Recent introduction. Asia. Coarse, erect suffruticose, annual herb, 1 to 3 m high, 

with green or red-tinged stems; leaves, 10 to 25 cm long and 10 to 35 cm wide, 

alternate, broadly cordate, palmately 3- to 7 lobed, serrate, hirsute, pale green beneath; 

petioles, 15 to 35 cm long, hispid, often red-tinged; flowers, solitary, axillary; peduncle 

about 2 cm long; epicalyx of up to 10 narrow bracteoles, up to 1.5 cm long, usually 

falling before fruit reaches maturity; calyx completely fused as flower develops, splitting 

longitudinally as flower opens, falling with the corolla after anthesis, 2 to 3 cm long; 

petals 5, yellow with crimson spot on claw, obovate, 5 to 7 cm long; stamina1 column 

united to base of petals, 2 to 3 cm long, with numerous stamens; stigmas small, 5 to 9, 

deep red; fruit, 10 to 30 cm long and 2 to 3 cm across, a pyramidal-oblong, beaked 

capsule, longitudinally furrowed, hirsute or glabrous, dehiscing longitudinally when ripe; 

seeds, 5 mm in diameter, dark green to brown, rounded, tuberculate. 

Hibiscus manihot L. "bush spinach", "edible hibiscus" ; "bush hibiscus spinach" ; 

"pele" (Polynesia); lnbele (bele in Fiji); nambere (K); pele (T); kabis, slippery 

kabis (SI) 

syn. Abelmoschus manih,ot (L.) Medik 

Recent introduction. S. E. Asia. Occasional. Erect, perennial, often suffruticose 

woody herb or subshrub, 1.5 to 3 m or higher, with young stems, petioles and pedicels 

glabrous or short-hairy, often accompanied by longer hairs; leaves, 10 to 60 cm by 5 to 

60 cm, alternate, extremely variable in shape, orbicular to ovate-oblong, base cordate, 

either contracted into an elongated-triangular acumen from a broad base or palmately 3 to 

7-lobed (or 3 to 7-fid) to subentire, lobes or segments triangular-ovate, oblong-lanceolate, 

obovate-spathulate or linear, entire, dentate or serrate, pellucid-dotted, more or less 

crenate, glabrous or pubescent; petiole, 2 to 50 cm long; stipules, 2 to 8 cm long, 

filiform, caducous, flanked by paired, variable lobed or entire leaflets, 2 to 6 cm long; 

inflorescences, axillary, solitary, on pedicels, 1 to 5 cm long; bracteoles of epicalyx, 4 to 

6 (-8), 1 to 3 cm long and 0.5 to 1 cm broad, ovate to oblong, not rarely coherent in 

pairs, pubescent on both sides; petals 3, 5 to 8 cm by 3 to 6 cm, yellow with purple 

centers; fruit, 3.5 to 6 cm long and 2 to 2.5 cm broad, capsular, pentagonous, with 5 

prominent costas, concave between the costas, loculicidally dehiscent; seeds, many, about 

3 to 4 mm long, subglobose, asymmetrical, dark brown, pubescent. Food plant in 

gardens at Location and Topside Workshop and occasionally in other home gardens. 

Nutritious slippery green leaves cooked as a green vegetable by Solomon Islanders, 

Tuvaluans, I-Kiribati and Fijians. Along with taro leaves, one of the two most important 

leafy green vegetables in the Pacific Is. 5, 6(105), 7.

Hibiscus mutabilis L. "changeable rose mallow", "changeable rose", "variable rose" 

dorot ("the roseU)(N) 

Recent introduction. S. China. Rare. Large, downy pubescent shrub, up to 5 m 

tall, with both simple and stellate hairs; leaves, 10 to 25 cm long and broad, alternate, 

orbicular, cordate, 3 to 7-lobed, long-acuminate, 5 to ll-nerved, dark green above and 

light green and tomentose beneath; petioles, 2 to 8 cm long; inflorescences, axillary 

(occasionally terminal), usually single but sometimes double; pedicels, 7 to 10 cm long, 

accrescent, articulate; epicalyx , 6-segmented, well-developed, persistent, segments about 

2 cm long, linear-lanceolate; calyx, 5 to 7 cm across, deeply divided, Nobed, lobes 2 to 

3.5 cm long, abruptly widened above the base; corolla, 8 to 12 cm across, opening white 

changing to pink, many-petaled, petals 4 to 5 cm long; fruit, about 2.5 cm wide, 

subglobose, capsular, 5-locular, setose-lanate; seeds, reniform, tomentose, the hairs 2 to 

4 mm long, spreading to subspreading. Planted ornamental along road to Meneng 

Terrace. 5(157), 7. 

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. "hibiscus", "red hibiscus" 

dorot ("the roseU)(N); te roti ("the roseU)(K); aute (T) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. Asia. Common. Many branching, glabrous 

shrub, up to 1 to 4 m tall, with erect to drooping branches; leaves, about 6 to 15 cm long 

and up to 12 cm wide, alternate, variable, ovate-elliptical, acute or acuminate, crenate- 

serrate, subcordate, obtuse or subacute, green on both sides, palmately 5-nerved; 

petioles, up to 5 cm long; inflorescences, axillary, near the ends of branches on elongate 

pedicels, 1.5 to 7.5 cm long; epicalyx of 5 or more ovate- to linear-lanceolate bracts 5 to 

18 mm long; calyx, green, 5-lobed for about half its length, persistent; corolla, mostly 8 

to 12 cm across, single or in some forms double, campanulate or broadly funnelform, 

petals entire, showy, usually bright red, but also pink, yellow, light-orange or white; 

staminal tube slightly longer than the corolla, often nodding or pendulous, crimson; fruit, 

capsular, ovoid-rounded, 5-valved, 15-seeded (or less); seeds, subglobose, rarely seen. 

Planted ornamental and hedge plant; flowers used in garlands and for decoration. One of 

the commonest and most widespread of all ornamental plants in tropical regions. 

3(58791), 5(126), 6, 7. 

Hibiscus schizopetalus (Mast.) Hook. f. 

dorot (N) 

"coral hibiscus", "dragon flower" 

Recent introduction. E. Africa. Rare. Glabrous shrub, 2 to 4 m high, very much 

- like H. rosa-sinensis; leaves, alternate, ovate-elliptical, acute, -- dentate; inflorescences, - - 

soritary , pendulous Klongpedicels attheends1 ender, drooping branches; pedicels, 

8 to 10 cm long; segments of epicalyx 1 to 2 mm long; calyx irregularly 2- to 4-lobed, 

sometimes spathaceous; corolla, deeply dissected (laciniate), reflexed, petals pink-andwhite 

to coral-red, sometimes with white or yellow margins; staminal tube about twice as

long as petals, slender, flaccid, red, curved at the tip. Planted ornamental. 3(58770), 

5(125), 6. 

Hibiscus tiliaceus L. "beach hibiscus", hibiscus tree", " hau" (Hawaii) 

ekwane (N); te kiaiai, te rao (K); fou, fau (T) 

syns. Pariti tiliaceus (L.) A. St. Hil. ; P. tiliaceum Britt. ; Paritium tiliaceum (L.) 

A. St. Hil. 

Indigenous. Pantropical. Very abundant. A small, dense, broad-crowned, often 

scrambling tree, 3 to 10 (rarely 15 to 18) m high, intricately branched when mature, 

with many spreading low branches from a short trunk; youngest branches gray-pubescent, 

older ones glabrate with grayish rather smooth very fibrous and mucilaginous bark and 

bast fiber; leaves, up to 15 or 20 cm long and nearly as wide, round-ovate, abruptly 

acuminate, base deeply cordate, velvety pubescent when young, glabrate and dark green 

above, grayish-white stellate-tomentose beneath and slightly glaucous, palmately 7- to 9- 

nerved with linear basal glands dorsally; petioles, up to 12 or 15 cm long; stipules, 2 to 

4 cm long, broadly attached, ultimately leaving annular scars; inflorescences, terminal or 

axillary, solitary or in few-flowered open cymes or panicles; epicalyx conspicuous, 

shorter than calyx, with 8 to 12 deltoid, acute segments (bracts); pedicels 1 to 3 cm long; 

calyx 5-lobed; corolla, about 10 cm across, cupular-campanulate, yellow with a maroon- 

purple eye, aging (after falling) to salmon red; staminal tube shorter than corolla, yellow; 

style rich purple distally; fruit, 1 to 2.5 cm long and 2 cm wide, ovoid globose, capsular, 

5-celled, pubescent, grayish-brown, splitting at top when mature; seeds, generally 15, 

glabrous, brownish black. In thickets and forest on escarpment surrounding plateau and 

on inner and outer edges of coastal strip. Timber used for house construction and 

considered good for canoe outriggers, poles for noddy bird nets, and the best wood for 

the construction of frigate bird nesting platforms (eteo, etea); very soft pieces of wood 

rubbed together in the past to make fire by friction in the procedure known as ikumo; 

inner bark (bast fiber) used to make white fiber, which after stripping off outer bark and 

soaking in mud and sea water, is used to make skirts (ridi), special hula skirts (ingung), 

and baskets (ebwer, eber); fibre used for straining coconut cream and for lashing house 

rafters; leaves used for parceling pig and other foods for cooking in the earth oven 

(eyom, eom); leaves cooked with water as a cure for diarrhea. 1(22.R), 2, 3(58747), 

4(169N), 5(28), 6, 7. 

Hibiscus ornamental hybrids "hybrid hibiscus" 

Recent introduction. Rare. Origin? Variable shrubs, up to 2 m or higher; leaves 

-~mcmtkte--wefs~ ~ ~ @ t ~ e h r r l r t o ~ t n r p v e ~ f am 1 - ~ 4 

5-lobed, showy, more or less campanulate; staminal column more or less covered with 

stamens surrounding all but the tip of a longer 5-lobed style; fruit a 5-valved capsule 

containing 15 or more seeds. Planted ornamentals. 3, 5, 6, 7.

Malvastrum coromandelianum (L.) Garcke "false mallow" 

syns. M. tricuspidatum A. Gray; Malva coromandeliana L; Malva tricuspidata 

R. Br. 

Recent introduction. C. America to S . United States. Common. Tough-stemmed, 

woody-rooted, widely-branching annual herb or subshrub up to 1 m high (usually less); 

stems, pubescent with 4-rayed hairs; leaves, 2 to 6 cm long and 1 to 2.5 cm wide, 

alternate, ovate to ovate-elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, serrate, appressed- 

pubescent, 3-nerved from the base, midrib branched upward; petioles, 1.5 to 4 cm long, 

slender; stipules, 0.5 to 1 cm or more long, lanceolate to very narrow; inflorescences, 

axillary, solitary or finally appearing in short axillary and terminal clusters; peduncles, 

about 5 mm or longer; epicalyx of 3 free narrow subulate bracts; calyx, deeply 5-lobed, 

the sepals ovate, acute, pubescent; corolla, about 1.2 to 2 cm across, broadly cam- 

panulate, 5-petaled, opening after mid-day, finally falling with the staminal tube; petals 

slightly unequally bilobed at apex, yellow to salmon-orange; stamina1 column shorter than 

the corolla, divided at apex into numerous filaments; fruit, about 6 mm across, a discoid 

(wheelshaped) schizocarp breaking up at maturity into 10 one-seeded segments (meri- 

carps), each about 3 mm long, with a few stiff hairs and 2 stubby points on the convex 

side; seeds, 1.5 mm long, obliquely reniform, black with a dull surface. Weed in settled 

areas, roadsides and ruderal sites. 3(58694, 58728, 58766), 5, 6(207), 7, 8. 

Malvaviscus arboreus Cav. var. penduliflorus (Moc. & Sesse ex DC.) Schery 

"sleeping hibiscus", "Turk's cap" 

syns. M. penrlul~jlorus Moc. & Sesse ex DC.; M. conzatti Greenm.; M. gran- 

digorus Hort. non H.B. K. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. A shrub, 1 to 3 m high, with 

fibrous bark; leaves, 7 cm to 20 cm long and up to 10 cm wide, alternate, narrowly 

ovate to ovate-oblong or ovate-lanceolate, acute to obtusely acuminate, base broad 

cuneate to rounded, serrate; petioles, usually 5 to 12 cm long, puberulent; stipules, about 

7 mm long, linear; flowers, solitary, axillary, pendulous, hibiscus-like; pedicels, 4 to 6 

cm long or longer, slender, pubescent; epicalyx of usually 6 to 7 linear oblong bracts, 

about 1 to 1.5 cm long, apex obtuse, margins ciliate; calyx, 5-lobed, exceeding bracts of 

epicalyx by up to 1 cm; corolla, about 4 to 7 cm long, 5-petaled, bright red (occasionally 

pink), petals, unequally obovate, slightly keeled, flattened at apex, base suricular, 

remaining rolled, overlapping and closed; staminal tube slightly exserted, slender, reddish 

or pale pink with dull purple anthers; fruit, a 5-seeded schizocarp, globose, fleshy, red. 

Planted ornamental. 5(124), 6.

Sida acuta Burm.f. "spiny-headed sida" , "broom weed" 

"coffee bush" (N) 

syns. S. carpinifolia L.f.; S. glomerata Cav. 

Recent introduction. Pantropical. Common. Low, freely-branching perennial 

subshrub, up to 1 m tall, with slender stems and a strong taproot; leaves, 1.5 to 7.5 cm 

long and 0.5 to 2 cm wide, alternate, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, acute, obtuse, 

cordulate or rounded at base, sharply serrate, yellowish-green, more or less stellate- 

pubescent or glabrous beneath, palmately 3-nerved from base, pinnately nerved above the 

base, midrib branched upward; petioles, 3 to 5 cm long; stipules linear-acute or linear- 

subulate, up to 12 mm long; inflorescences, solitary or paired, axillary or sometimes 

terminal; pedicels, 2 to 10 cm long; calyx, about 5 mm across, 5-lobed, lobes pointed; 

corolla, about 4 to 15 mm across, 5-petaled, petals united at base, obovate, rotate, 

yellow; stamens numerous, fused into a column (monadelphous); fruit, 4 to 5 mm broad, 

a 6 to 10-carpellate schizocarp, carpels 2-awned, grooved dorsally; seeds, about 1.5 to 2 

mm long, rounded-wedge-shaped, dark reddish-brown. Weed on coastal strip, along 

roadside, and in and near thickets. Two forms, a narrow ovate-lanceolate-leaved form 

(22303) and a broader-leaved form (96) exist. 3(58615, 58649, 58806), 5(23, 96), 6, 

7(22303), 8(9558, 9582). 

Sida fallax Walp. 

ekaura, idibin ekaura (N); te kaura (K) 

"ilima" (Hawaii) 

Indigenous. Indo-Pacific. Rare. Small downy, often almost prostrate, shrub, up to 

50 cm high; leaves, about 2 to 4 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide, alternate, oblong or 

cordate, acute or obtuse, serrate or scalloped-edged, glaucous, downy; petioles, about 1 

to 2 cm long ??; flowers, axillary or terminal, solitary or 2 .or 3 near ends of branch tips; 

pedicels, 2 to 5 cm long, slender ??; calyx, about half as large as corolla, 10-ribbed, 

downy; corolla, about 2 to 2.5 cm across, 5-petaled, yellow to rich orange, reddish near 

the center; stamens numerous, fused into a column (monadelphous); fruit, a wheel-like, 

7- to 12-carpellate schizocarp with 1-seeded, short-awned seed cases or carpels; seeds ??. 

Found in ruderal habitats on coastal strip and in areas cleared recently for phosphate 

mining. Unopened flower buds used, after soaking in coconut oil to retard their opening 

and make them last, to make headbands and necklaces worn by dancers and sportsmen 

during special occasions; dried and treated leaves used by I Kiribati, in Kiribati, as a 

very strong fertilizer and mulch in ceremonial giant swamp taro (Cyrtospemza chamis- 

sonis) gardens. l(5 .R), 2(7.5), 5(108), 6(l6O, 162). 

Sida rhombifolia L. "broomweed", "broom plant", "Cuba jute", "Paddy's lucerne" 

- -. 

"coffee bush", itsi (tea) (N) 

Recent introduction. Pantropical. Common. Tough-stemmed, much-branching, 

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 

obtusish, base cuneate to very narrowly obtuse at petiole, serrate near apex, somewhat 

glaucous-green above, pale beneath, glabrous above, densely stellate-pubescent beneath; 

petioles, 2 to 6 mm long (rarely longer); stipules 3 to 10 mm long, narrow; flowers, 

solitary or occasionally paired in axils; pedicels 1 to 5 cm long, slender; calyx, about 15 

mm wide, 5-lobed, lobes deltoid-apiculate; corolla, about 6 to 18 mm wide, 5-petaled, 

petals free, obovate, unequally bilobed, rotate, yellow to pale orange; stamens numerous, 

fused into a column (monadelphous); fruit, about 8 mm in diameter, an 8- to 10 (rarely 

12)-carpellate schizocarp, carpels about 3 to 4.5 mm long, deltoid, apiculate, stellate 

pubescent dorsally, with 2 sharp awns, about 1 mm long at apex; seeds, 1 per mericarp, 

about 2 mm long, rounded wedge-shaped or almost pyramidal-triangular, dark brown or 

black. Weed of roadsides, waste places and semi-shaded areas. Tea made from leaves 

during World War 11; leaves boiled in water used to treat blisters. 3(58621), 4(138N), 5, 

6, 7, 8(9575). 

Sida spinosa L. var. angustifolia (Lam .). Griseb. "prickly sida" 

Recent introduction. Pantropical. Occasional. Soft pubescent herb, up to 1 m 

high, the young stems covered with minute soft hairs; leaves, 2.5 to 5 cm long and 0.4 to 

2 cm wide, alternate, ovate-lanceolate, or oblong, acute, base rounded, obtuse or 

subcordulate, serrate; petiole, up to 2 cm or longer, slender; stipules, small, pointed, one 

at base and 2 lateral, usually curved downward; flowers solitary or in axillary or terminal 

paniculate clusters of 2 or 3; corolla, about 1 cm across, 5-petaled, light yellow; fruit, an 

ovoid 5-carpellate schizocarp, carpels 2-beaked; seeds, triangular, smooth, dark brown. 

Weed in waste places. 4, 6. 

Thespesia populnea (L.) Sol. ex Correa " milo" (Hawaii, Polynesia) 

itira, itirya (N); te bingibing (?)(K); milo (T) 

syns. Hibiscus populneus L. (at least in part); H. baccijkrus Forst-f.; Malvavis- 

cus populneus (L.) Gaertn. 

Indigenous. Paleotropics. Occasional. Medium tree, 3 to 15 m (rarely 20 m)high, 

with a fairly stout trunk, rough corrugated bark, dense round crown, and glabrous 

branches; branch tips silvery brown lepidote or scurfy, glabrescent; leaves, 5 to 15 cm 

long and almost as broad, alternate, rather crowded, ovate, base cordate with an open 

sinus, acuminate, entire or rarely somewhat lobed, green above, only slightly paler 

beneath, glabrous, slightly fleshy-coriaceous, glossy, usually at right angles to petiole, 

the tip pointing down, midrib yellowish, palmately 7- to 7-nerved; petioles, 3 to 12 cm 

long; inflorescences, solitary, axillary; pedicels, about half as long as the petioles, stout; 

- epiczlyx,5t~S;bracteate, brw-1'1 mm long, oblong to lanceolate, caducous; 

calyx, about 18 mm in diameter, rim- or disc-like, unlobed or scarcely toothed, persis- 

tent; corolla, 8 to 10 cm across, 5-petaled, campanulate, rather persistent, pale yellow 

with a maroon or reddish center of "eye", fading to purple or pinkish-purple; staminal

column fused (monadelphous), shorter than corolla, cylindric, toothed at apex, pale 

yellow; stigmas yellow; fruit, about 2 to 4.5 cm across, depressed-pentagonal-globose, 

usually 4- to 5-celled, coriaceous-woody, glabrous, green becoming purplish or brown at 

maturity, with a yellowish gum, indehiscent, irregularly crumbling upon aging, calyx 

persistent at base; seeds, 4 per cell, usually 7 to 8 mm long, ovoid to obovoid, glabrous 

or silky pubescent (villous). Growing along edges of mangroves in Anetan; planted on 

golf course. Specimens (73.R) have leaves scarcely cordate, almost subtruncate at base, 

as in Thespesia populneodes, but have seeds villous on angles, as in T. populnea. 

Considered the best wood for house construction, woodcarving, furniture and canoe 

outriggers; wood also used in traditional stick games. l(73 .R) , 2, 3(58745), 4(165N), 

5(57), 6, 7(27821). 

MELIACEAE (Mahogany Family) 

Melia azedarach L. "Indian lilac", "China berry", "Persian lilac", "pride of India" 

gadong, gadung (N) 

Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. Asia. Common. Small to medium tree, 3 to 

12 m (rarely 15 m) high, with wide-spreading branches and coarse weak wood; leaves, 

up to 50 cm or longer, alternate, bipinnate, with 3 to 7 pairs of leaflets, the lowest 

pinnae sometimes once more divided (thus partly tripinnate); leaflets, 3 to 9 cm long and 

1 to 3 cm wide, opposite, oblong-ovate or lanceolate, acute to acuminate, base somewhat 

inequilaterally acute, serrate, glabrous; petiolules, up to 8 mm long; inflorescences, 

axillary, open, many-flowered panicles, 10 to 30 cm long; calyx, 5- to 6-lobed, puberu- 

lent; corolla, nearly 2 cm across, 5 (or 6)-petaled, the petals about 8 mm long, oblan- 

ceolate, purple to lavender or nearly white, fragrant; stamina1 tube cylindric, as long as 

petals, toothed, lilac, anthers 10; fruit, about 13 to 20 mm long, 3- to 8-locular, a 

subglobose to ellipsoid, fleshy, yellow drupe, the endocarp thick, bony; seeds, 1 (or 2) 

per locule, laterally compressed, the testa crustaceous. Planted ornamental and spon- 

taneous on coastal strip, in strip-mined area on plateau, near the Topside Oval, and on 

escarpment slopes near phosphate processing plant. 2, 3(58732), 4(l22N), 5(74), 6, 7. 

Sandoricum koetjape (Burm. f.) Merr. "santol" (Philippines) 

syns. S. indicm Cav. ; Melia koetjape (Burm.f.) Merr. 

Recent introduction. Malesia. Extinct? Medium to rather bulky, somewhat 

- d e c i d u o & r e e ; t r p ~ ~ - 2 ~ r - k ' ~ ~ w ~ ~ ~ b e~ -- s e ~ 

to gray smooth or slightly flaky bark; leaves, spiralled, trifoliate; leaflets, 10 to 20 cm 

long, oblong-ovate, acute, rounded at base, slightly asymmetric or not, velvety-pubescent 

or leathery, withering yellow or red; inflorescences in many-flowered axillary panicles, 

10 to 20 cm long; calyx, 5-lobed, pubescent; corolla, 5-petaled, the petals about 1 cm

long, linear, yellowish, fragrant; stamen tube elongate, anthers 10, stigma 5-lobed; fruit, 

8 to 10 cm across, a globose, fleshy drupe with velvety-pubescent skin, usually 5-celled, 

1 seed to each cell; pulp, brownish-white, acid, edible; seeds, large, inedible. Small 

recently planted seedling growing in Filipino home garden at Location in 1980. No 

longer present in 198 1. 5. 

MORACEAE (Mulberry Family) 

Artocarpus altilis (Park.) Fosb. 

deme (N); te mai (K); mei (T) 

syns. A. incisus (Thunb.) L.f.; A. communis Forst. 

"breadfruit" 

Aboriginal introduction. Malayo-Pacific. Common. Medium to large, round- 

topped tree, 10 to 20 m or higher, with thick milky sap; leaves, 30 to 60 cm (rarely up 

to 1 m) long and 20 to 40 (rarely up to 65 cm) cm wide, alternate, deeply pinnately 5- to 

7-lobed or -incised, lobes long-acuminate, oblong, acute, or in some varieties entire or 

shallowly divided with 2 or 4 short triangular lobes, base broadly cuneate or obtuse, dark 

green above, paler beneath, thick-coriaceous, glabrous above, sometimes hairy on the 

nerves beneath or on both surfaces; midrib raised strongly beneath; petioles, 3 to 5 cm 

long, stout; stipules, 10 to 25 cm long, dorsally pilose; male inflorescences, 7 to 30 cm 

long and 1.5 to 4 cm wide, solitary, axillary, dense, yellow, somewhat spongy, cylindri- 

clavate (somewhat club-shaped), drooping spikelike clusters on stout peduncles 3 to 8 cm 

long; female inflorescences, solitary, axillary, globose to rounded-oblong or ellipsoid 

headlike clusters, 8 to 10 cm long and 5 to 7 cm wide, which develop into fruits, stiffly 

upright on stout peduncles 4 to 8 cm long; fruit, a syncarp, 10 to 30 cm in diameter, 

globose or rounded-oblong, weighing up to 6 kg, studded with slightly conic or pyrami- 

dal, hexagonal carpel apices, yellowish-green to brownish; inner flesh yellowish-white to 

creamy, usually seedless, but sometimes with seeds, about 2.5 cm long. Planted staple 

tree crop on coastal strip. Fruit cooked as a staple food; sap (denda) used as an adhesive 

for caulking canoes and a chewing gum; leaves used for wrapping food for cooking, for 

parcelization of fresh food, and as plates; medicine for curing ear aches made by 

crushing juice out of tender meristems. Two main cultivars of A. altilis are deme and 

modenewe or m.oden.awc? ("modern way"). Important staple food in Kiribati, Tuvalu. and 

other atoll countries, and an important supplementary staple in other areas of the Pacific. 

2, 3(58753), 5, 6, 7.

Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. "jakfruit", "jackfruit" 

te mai rekereke (K) 

syns. A. integrifolia sensu L. f. ; A. integer sensu (Thunb.) Merr. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Indomalaysia. Rare. Medium tree, 10 to 20 m 

high, with thick milky sap and young twigs with many long, rigid hairs which are often 

hooked at the apex; leaves, 5 to 25 cm long and 3 to 12 cm wide, alternate, oval or 

oblong, entire (sometimes 3-lobed on young trees), acuminate, acute or obtuse, base 

cuneate or obtuse, non-decurrent, dark-green, coriaceous, with stiff hairs; petioles, about 

3.5 cm long; stipules, 1.5 to 8.5 cm long; male inflorescences, axillary or terminal 

spikelike clusters, 2.5 to 10 cm long and 1 to 3 cm in diameter, ellipsoid-clavate, terete, 

yellow or greenish yellow; female inflorescences, in globose or oblong heads which turn 

into fruit and which are borne on the trunk or older branches (cauliflorous or ramiflor- 

ous); fruit stalk 7 to 12 cm long; fruit, a syncarp, usually 30 to 40 cm long but oc- 

casionally up to 60 to 90 cm long and about half as wide, oblong cylindric, golden 

yellow to yellow-green, weighing up to 20 kg, rind studded with hexagonal bluntly conic 

carpel apices; inner flesh pulpy, waxy, whitish-yellow, acid or sweetish or fetid when 

over-ripe; seeds, 2 to 3 cm long, rounded, brown, enclosed in a slippery pulpy jacket. 

Planted fruit tree reported present by Burges in 1933; young tree seen in Topside 

Workshop food gardens in 1987. Ripe fruit eaten; immature fruit cooked as a supplemen- 

tary staple in curries by Indians. A. integrifolia and A. integer are incorrect botanical 

names for the jakfruit and according to Corner (in Gard. Bull. Straits Settlem. 1056-81, 

1939), A. integer refers to a separate species, the champedak which is not present in 

Nauru, and A. integrifolia is an illegitimate name (Smith, 1981). 2,6. 

Artocarpus mariannensis Trec. "Marianas breadfruit" 

damenkamor (N); te mai kora (K); matua mei (T) 

Aboriginal introduction? Micronesia. Occasional. Tree similar to A. altilis; leaves 

smaller, 10 to 30 cm long, half as wide, broadly obovate to broadly elliptic, acute to 

acuminate, entire to variously lobed in the upper part, but cutting usually not more than 

halfway to the midrib, usually less, with some leaves often quite entire, base cuneate, 

glabrous and somewhat shiny above, brown hairs on the veins and midrib beneath; 

petiole, up to 4.5 cm long, usually half this length; male spike, up to about 8 to 10 cm 

long; fruit, rather small, shortly cylindric, usually with several large seeds and somewhat 

scanty pulp. Planted staple fruit tree. Same uses as for A. altilis, but fruit of A. marian- 

nensis eaten raw and cooked. 3(58755), 5, 6, 7. 

Ficus benghalensis L. -- "banyan", "Indian banyan", "east Indian fig", "Vada tree" 

Recent introduction. India. Occasional. Large spreading tree, up to 20 m or 

higher and often several times as wide, with milky latex and massive pillar roots, 

descending from branches, which extend the tree laterally, sometimes almost indefinitely;

leaves, 10 to 30 cm long and 5 to 20 cm wide, elliptic to ovate, obtuse, base usually 

cordate, glabrous (downy when young), leathery, with intercostal venation, the lateral 

nerves in 5 to 7 distinctly spaced pairs, the basal nerves elongate in 2 to 4 pairs; petioles, 

1.5 to 7 cm long, not articulate to lamina; male inflorescences disperse; female inflores- 

cences similar to fig (gall); fruit, a fig about 14 to 25 mm in diameter, axillary, paired, 

sessile or the body pedicellate, depressed-globose, orange-red, edible, the basal bracts 

well-developed, 10 to 14 by 3 to 7 mm; seeds, small, smooth. Planted ornamental tree on 

coastal strip; common on golf course. 3(58749), 5(53), 6, 7. 

Ficus elastica Roxb . "Indian rubber tree", " rubber plant", "Indian rubber fig" 

Recent introduction. India to Nepal and Malaya, perhaps southward to Java. 

Occasional. A large spreading, fast-growing banyan tree, up to 35 m high (usually much 

smaller as an ornamental), with smooth gray bark, copious aerial roots and milky latex; 

leaves, 10 to 40 cm long and 4 to 22 cm wide, elliptic to subobovate, short-acuminate, 

thick, stiff, leathery, glabrous, dark-green and shiny above, paler beneath, primary lateral 

nerves usually in 15 to 22 pairs, the secondary lateral nerves almost as prominent as the 

primary, leaves in bud enclosed in pointed, rolled, rosy, caducous sheaths; petioles, 4 to 

12 cm long, not articulate to lamina; stipules large and conspicuous, pink to red; male 

flowers, disperse; figs, up to 12 by 9 mm, in pairs, short-ellipsoid or oblong, greenish- 

yellow, with a short thick peduncle usually 3 to 5 mm long and 4 to 6 mm thick, the 

basal bracts 3, early caducous. Planted ornamental tree or house plant in its juvenile 

form. 5, 6, 7. 

Ficus prolixa Forst. f. var. carolinensis (Warb.) Fosb. 

eaeo, eyayo, yay 0 (N) 

"native banyan" 

Indigenous. Micronesia. Very abundant. Medium to large tree, 2 to 20 m high, 

with many aerial roots descending from branches; leaves, 8 to 16 cm long and 6 to 8 cm 

wide, alternate elliptic-oblong or oblanceolate, short acuminate, base cordate or subcordate, 

glabrous, primary nerves in 5 to 10 pairs; petioles, 0.8 to 3 cm long; male 

inflorescences ostiolar and disperse; figs, 5 to 10 mm in diameter, axillary, mostly 

solitary, subglobose, ripening white to pink and purple-black, with 3 slightly coherent 

rounded basal bracts, sessile or borne on peduncles up to 3 mm long. Common on 

plateau in areas of unmined forest, in older strip-mined areas, and on the escarpment and 

coastal strip, primarily on coral-limestone pinnacles and outcrops. F. prolixa seems to be 

one of the only species capable of long-term colonization of residual pinnacles in stripmined 

areas and could become dominant in the disclimax vegetation. Berry-like fruit 

(moduru) eaten cooked and mixed with boiled sap (toddy or karawai) from the coconut 

- - - f i o w e r ~ ~ ~ ; r ~ - m a f t : e ~ a a~gFoTdedengan 

~ ~ h o w n which can 

keep for two to four weeks, and, if cooked and dried in the sun, will keep for years if 

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" 

debero (N); te bero (K); felo (T) 

Recent introduction. S. E. Asia to Polynesia and Micronesia. Rare. Small 

dioecious tree, up to 8 m high, commonly with long aerial roots or prop-roots; leaves, 

about 8 to 15 cm long and 5 to 8 cm wide, ovate, with a slightly asymmetric base, dark 

green withering to a bright yellow with purplish veins, lateral nerves in 3 to 9 pairs; 

tepals, white; figs, about 12 mm in diameter, globose, yellowish turning dull reddish, 

borne on peduncles about 10 inm long. Planted food tree in Rev. J. Aigimea's garden. 

Fruit eaten cooked; fruit also cooked and mashed and mixed with boiled coconut syrup 

(kamimra, kamerara) to make a pudding (dedengan). Plant introduced from Kiribati, 

where it is a supplementary staple in many areas and a major staple in the drier islands of 

southern Kiribati. Use learned by some Nauruans from I-Kiribati, but recipe essentially 

the same as used by Nauruans for F. prolixa. 5(104), 6, 7(27808). 

Ficus sp. 

Recent introduction. Planted ornamental. Rare. 5 (197). 

MORINGACEAE (Moringa Family) 

Moringa oleifera Lam. "horseradish tree", "drumstick tree", "saijan", "seijan" (Hindi), 

malunggay (P) 

syns. Guilanrlina moringa L.; M. moringa (L.) Millsp.; M. pterygospenna 

Gaertn. 

Recent introduction. India. Occasional to common. Small soft-wooded tree up to 

10 m high, with thick sterns, corky, gummy bark and pungent roots; leaves, 20 to 60 cm 

long, alternate, bi-tripinnate, the pinnae and leaflets opposite; leaflets, 1 to 3 cm long and 

5 to 18 mm wide, oval to obovate, sometimes faintly notches, somewhat grayish-green; 

inflorescences, shorter than the leaves, axillary, many-flowered, paniculate; calyx, 5- 

lobed, lobes imbricate, subequal, spreading or reflexed, white; corolla, about 1.5 to 2.5 

cm across, 5-petaled, petals imbricate, shortly connate at base, unequal, the lowermost 

the largest, erect, the other reflexed, white, greenish proximally, fragrant; stamens 10, 5 

with yellow anthers, perfect, epipetalous, the filaments free; fruit, 15 to 4 cm long, a 3- 

valved, pendent, podlike capsule, elongated, beaked, subtorulose, the valves thick, 

spongy with 9 blunt ribs; seeds, many, about 10 mm in diameter, 3-angled, winged at- 

angles. Food plant in Indian home gardens on Meneng Terrace and in Filipino Gardens at 

Location. Nutritious leaves, fruit, and flowers cooked as vegetables by resident Filipino 

and Indian families. Very common food tree planted by Indians in Fiji. 5, 6, 7.

MYRTACEAE (Myrtle Family) 

Eucalyptus sp. "eucalyptus", "gum tree" 

Recent introduction. Australia. Rare. Tree with peeling bark; leaves, aromatic; 

flowers, petals absent, with numerous showy stamens; fruit, a woody capsule, opening by 

slits; seeds, small and numerous. Planted ornamental tree in Nauruan houseyard garden. 

6. 

Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. "allspice" 

syn. P. oficinalis Lindl.; Myrtus pimcma L. ; M. dioica L. 

Recent introduction. C. America and W. Indies. Rare. Small to medium tree, 6 to 

12 m high, with nearly smooth silvery-brown bark and brittle wood; leaves, 5 to 20 cm 

long and 2 to 8 cm wide, opposite, narrowly elliptic to elliptic-oblong, bluntly acute, 

obtuse to rounded at base, thick, coriaceous, glabrous, dark green above and paler and 

gland-dotted beneath, pinnately veined, mid-rib impressed above and prominent below, 

highly aromatic; petiolzs, usually 1 to 1.5 cm long; inflorescences, many-flowered, 

subterminal axillary (in axils of the upper leaves) cymose panicles, 5 to 15 cm long; 

pedicels, about 1 cm long, pubescent, with small brownish bracteoles; calyx, 4-sepaled 

campanulate with spreading persistent lobes about 2 mm long; corolla, about 8 to 10 mm 

in diameter, 4-petaled, petals, about 4 inm long, rounded, reflexed, white, spreading, 

caducous; stamens numerous, free; fruit, 5 to 7 mm in diameter, a small subglobose 

berry, dark purple when mature, with sweet pulpy mesocarp; seeds, usually 2, sub- 

globose with a spiral embryo. Planted ornamental seedling in home garden. 6. 

Psidium guajava L. 

kuwawa (N); tekuwawa (K); kuava (T) 

syn. P. pom.iferum L. 

"guava" 

Recent introduction? Trop. America. Common. Shrub or small, shallow-rooted 

tree, 2 to 10 m high, with smooth green, light reddish-brown or copper-colored bark, 

wide-spreading branches, and pubescent 4-angled or -winged young branches, often 

producing suckers from roots near base of trunk; leaves 5 to 15 cm long and 3 to 7 cm 

wide, opposite, ovate-elliptic or oblong-elliptic, acute-acuminate, base obtuse to rounded, 

dull green, pubescent beneath, often rather brittle, lateral veins 7 to 20 per side, slightly 

sunken above: prominent below; petioles, 2 to 10 mm long inflorescences, axillary- 

solitary or in 2- to 3-flowered cymes; peduncle, about 1 to 2 cm long, pubescent; calyx, 

4- to 6-lobed, campanulate, splitting irregularly, lobes 1 to 1.5 cm long, reflexed, 

pubescent, persistent; corolla, about 2.5 to 3 cm across, petals 4 or 5, elliptic to obovate, 

slightly concave, reflexed, white, slightly fragrant, fugaceous; stamens, numerous (about

200 to 250), white, about as long as petals, with yellow anthers; style, 1.5 to 2 cm long, 

filiform, greenish-yellow, exserted above stamens; fruit, 3 to 12 cm long, globose, ovoid 

or pyriform, surmounted with remnants of calyx lobes, shining pale green, whitish 

yellow or faintly pink when ripe, pulpy; pulp, granular-juicy, sweet-sour, light pink to 

reddish-pink or cream-colored, aromatic; seeds, many, 3 to 5 mm long, bony, reniform, 

yellowish to light brown, embedded in pulp. Occasionally planted or protected in home 

gardens; spontaneous on coastal strip and locally abundant in unmined forest on plateau 

and in mined areas. Wood an excellent firewood and makes good fishing poles; leaves 

used to treat diarrhea; ripe fruit eaten and made into jams. 3(58650, 58767), 4(105N), 

5(94), 6, 7, 8. 

Syzygium malaccense (L.) Merr. & Perry "Malay apple", "mountain apple" 

apolo Solomona ("Solomon Is. appleU)(T) 

syns. Eugenia malaccensis L.; Carophyllus malaccensis (L.) Stokes; Jambosa 

malaccensis (L.) DC. 

Recent introduction. S. E. Asia. Rare. Medium tree, 6 to 15 m tall; leaves, 10 to 

38 cm long and 5 to 22 cm wide; opposite, elliptic to oblong-obovate, bluntly acuminate, 

base obtuse to acute, then abruptly decurrent on petiole, glossy, glabrous, paler beneath, 

obscurely punctate, thick-coriaceous, pinnately nerved, lateral nerves submarginally loop- 

connected 4 to 7 mm from margin; petiole, 8 to 15 mm long, stout, in young leaves 

reddish; inflorescences, dense few-flowered cymes, about 5 cm long, on defoliate older 

branches and on trunk; pedicels, 1 cm long or less; calyx tube, 1.5 to 2 cm long, 

turbinate, 4-lobed, lobes rounded, wider than long; corolla, 4 to 7 cm in diameter across 

expanded stamens, petals 4, 8 to 18 mm long, obovate, concave, red, fugaceous; 

stamens, many (about 125), 1 to 3.5 cin long, erect, red to vivid crimson-pink; anthers, 

small yellowish; style, nearly 2 cm long, dark red; fruit, about 6 to 8 cm long, obovoid 

or pyriform, crowned by inflexed calyx-lobes, glossy and slightly waxy in appearance, 

crisp-succulent, light green maturing to red or greenish-white or striped or mottled, 

usually 1-seeded; flesh, white, watery; seeds, about 2 cm across. Planted fruit tree 

seedling in Tuvaluan garden at Location. Common aboriginal introduction throughout 

most of high-island Melanesia and Polynesia, where the fruit is eaten. 5, 6. 

NYMPHAEACEAE (Waterlily Family) 

Nymphaea sp. "water lily" 

Recent introduction. E. and S. Africa and Madagascar. Rare. Aquatic perennial 

herb with submerged rhizomes; leaves, peltate, floating, long-petiolate, arising from the- 

rhizome; flowers, cup-like, solitary, regular, bisexual; calyx, 4-sepaled, the sepals, 

nearly free, intergrading into the petals; corolla, many-petaled, petals, overlapping, 

showy, variously colored from rich blue, pink, yellow to creamy-white; stamens,

numerous, anthers introrse, opening by slits; carpels united into a multilocular ovary 

bearing a flat radiate stigma; seeds, hard, operculate, arillate. Planted ornamental in 

water tanks and in small household fish ponds. 3(58684), 4, 5(251). 

NYCTAGINACEAE (Four-o'clock Family) 

Bougainvillea glabra Choisy "bougainv,illea" , "red bougainvillea" 

tsita, tsitta (N); te akanta (K); akanta (T) 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Stout, woody scrambling or climbing vinelike shrub, 

with spiny, but less thorny than B. specrabilis; leaves, alternate, elliptic, acute at both 

ends, sparsely puberulent on both surfaces; inflorescences, axillary, nearly 2.5 cm long, 

in threes within 3 involucral bracts; bracts, ovate, commonly red, but variable in color, 

persistent; perianth 5-lobed, swollen, 5-angled below constriction, yellow to yellowish- 

white; fruit, 7 to 13 mm long, a glabrous anthocarp. Occasional. Planted ornamental. 

Flowers used by I-Kiribati in garlands. 3(58726), 5, 6, 7. 

Bougainvillea Spectabilis Willd. "bougainvillea", "purple bougainvillea" 

tsita, tsitta (N); te akanta (K) 

Recent introduction. Brazil or Peru. Occasional. Stout, woody scrambling or 

climbing vinelike shrub with stout axillary spines and the young growth finely pubescent; 

leaves, alternate, ovate, acute at both ends, tomentose beneath and often above; inflores- 

cences, axillary, nearly 2.5 cm long, in threes within 3 involucral bracts; bracts, ovate, 

rich purplish-magenta to rosy pink, less comrnonly orange, pale yellow or white, veiny, 

persistent; perianth 5-lobed, tubular, indistinctly angled, yellow to yellowish white; 

stamens usually 8, unequal; fruit, 11 to 14 mm long, a 5-angled anthocarp, densely 

pilose, not sticky. Planted ornamental. Flowers used by I Kiribati in garlands. 5, 6, 7. 

Mirabilis jalapa L. "four-o'clock", "marvel of Peru", "false jalap" 

teoua, teowa (N); te aoaaua, te awaava (K) 

Recent introduction? Mexico. Occasional. Erect, glabrous, somewhat succulent 

annual herb, up to 1 m tall, with tuberous roots; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long, opposite, 

ovate-lanceolate, apex long attenuate-acuminate, base broadly cordate; petioles up to 2.5 

cm long; inflorescences, bisexual, in terminal clusters; perianth,3.5 to 5 cm long, 5- 

el - -hap%-r-ea;-Pn@e,yellowormwagfa-nTo-p-efling-rn 

in the afternoon; stamens, 5; fruit, 8 mm long, an anthocarp, hard, ribbed, black, not 

prickly or sticky. Planted ornamental; spontaneous in some places on coastal strip. 

Flowers used in garlands. 3(58784), 5, 6, 7.

Pisonia grandis R. Br. 

yangis, yangys, yangits (N); te buka (K); puka, puka vai (T) 

syns. P. alba Span. 

" pisonia" 

Indigenous. Indopacific. Uncommon. Medium to large, soft-wooded tree with a 

stocky trunk and brittle, often wind-broken, branches; leaves, up to 20 cm or longer and 

10 cm wide, opposite, elliptic or ovate, obtuse to acutish, base acute, thin, pale green, 

glabrous, pubescent along the midrib beneath, with numerous lateral veins; petiole, up to 

5 cm or longer; inflorescences, small, in terminal cymose clusters; perianth 4- to 6- 

lobed, fragrant; stamens 5 to 13, unequal; style present; fruit, about 1 cm long, an 

anthocarp, fusiform or short-cylindric, with rows of short spines, glandular, very sticky. 

Tree in unmined plateau forest bordering escarpment above Anibare Bay and on unmined 

residual rocky limestone outcrops. Very brittle wood used in past as an inferior fuel; 

most important roosting habitat for noddy birds which are an important ceremonial food. 

6, 7. 

OLEACEAE (Olive Family) 

Jasminum multiflorum (Bur1n.f.) Andr. "jasmine", "star jasmine" 

rimone (N) 

syns. Nyctanthes multiflora Burm.f.; J. pubescens Willd. 

Recent introduction. India. Rare. Pubescent spreading, sometimes climbing shrub, 

1 to 2 m high, with copiously pilose or tomentose branchlets; leaves, 2 to 6 cm long and 

1.5 to 4 cm wide, opposite, ovate, acute, rounded or truncate to subcordate or cordate at 

base, pubescent on both surfaces or sometimes glabrate above; petiole, short; inflorescen- 

ces, short, compact terminal clusters; calyx, 4- to 8-lobed, lobes, 8 to 18 mm long, 

subulate, densely pubescent with spreading yellowish hairs 8 to 18 mm long; corolla, 

about 2.5 cm across, tube 19 to 28 mm long, 4- to 9- lobed, lobes, 12 to 20 mm long, 

acute, white, tube greenish, fragrant to odorless; fruit, a berry, 2-lobed, 2-locular and 2- 

seeded. Planted ornamental. 5, 6. 

Jasminum sambac (L.) Ait. "jasmine", "Arabian jasmine", "pikake" (Hawaii) 

rimone (N); te bitati (K); pitasi (T); sampagita (P) 

syn. Nyctanthes sambac L. 

-- 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. India. Common. Pubescent, or somewhat downy, 

scrambling or sometimes climbing (scandent) shrub, up to 1 m or higher, with angular 

branchlets; leaves, 2 to 10 cm long and 1.5 to 6 cm wide, opposite, elliptic to ovate, 

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 

few-flowered axillary clusters; calyx, about 2.5 cm across, 4- to 10-lobed, lobes about 6 

to 7 mm long, linear, ciliate or glabrous; corolla, tubular, often double, tube about 15 

mm long, the lobes, oblong to nearly orbicular, obtuse, as long as tube, white, fragrant; 

fruit a berry. Planted ornamental, especially in I-Kiribati and Tuvaluan gardens at 

Location; also in Nauruan gardens. Flowers used in garlands and for scenting oil. 

3(58719), 5(18), 6, 7. 

ONAGRACEAE (Evening Primrose Family) 

Ludwigia octovalvis (Jacq.) Raven "swamp primrose", "willow primrose" 

te mam (K); titania? (T) 

syns. Jussiaea sufruticosa L. ; Oenothern octovalvis Jacq. 

Recent introduction. Pantropical. Rare. Erect, coarse, slender, branching 

perennial herb, 50 cm to 2 m high, with sparingly to densely pubescent and longitudinal- 

ly-grooved stems which are somewhat woody at the base; leaves, 3 to 15 cm long and 

0.5 to 2.8 cm wide, alternate, linear-lanceolate to ovate, acuminate or acute, base cuneate 

to acute, with 11 to 20 pairs of lateral nerves; petioles, up to 1 cm long; inflorescences, 

solitary, axillary, 2.5 to 3 cm across, borne on short pedicels, about 1.2 cm long with 2 

small bracts near top; calyx, 4-lobed, lobes, 6 to 15 mm long and 1 to 7.5 mm wide, 

ovate-lanceolate to linear, persistent, sometimes red-tinged; corolla, 4-petaled, tubular, 

tube linear, about 2 cm long, petals, 5 to 17 mm long and 4 to 17 mm wide, broadly 

obovateor cuneate, emarginate (notched), yellow, caducous; stamens 8, 1 to 4 mm long 

(excluding anthers), alternately unequal; fruit, 1.7 to 6.5 cm long and up to 5 to 7 mm 

wide, a longitudinally 8- to 10-ribbed cylindrical 4-celled capsule with sepals persistent at 

apex, late dehiscent along the sides; seeds, 0.6 to 0.75 mm long, several-rowed in each 

cell, free, not embedded in endocarp. Weed in swampy area bordering mangroves in 

Meneng. 4 (150). 

OXALIDACEAE (Wood Sorrel Family) 

Averrhoa bilimbi L. " belimbi" 

Recent introduction. Malaya to India. Rare. Small tree, 3 to 10 m high; leaves, up 

to 60 cm long, odd-pinnate with 15 to 41 pairs of leaflets; leaflets, 3 to 11 cm long am- 

1.5 to 3 cm wide, oblanceolate, acute-acuminate, a few proximal ones smaller than the 

distal leaflets; inflorescences, cauliflorous or ramiflorous, borne in fascicles on branches 

or trunk; calyx, 5-sepaled, sepals imbricate, yellowish-red to purple; corolla, 5-petaled,

petals, 1 to 2 cm long, dark red, glabrous within, not cohesive; stamens 10, all with 

anthers; fruit, 5 to 10 cm long and 2 to 5 cm across, oblong-cylindric (cucumber- 

shaped), smooth, subterete, faintly 5-angled, yellowish-green, acid, crisp; seeds, 6 to 8 

mm long and 4 to 6 mm across, embedded in pulp, exarillate. Three large trees planted 

near Indian homes on Meneng Terrace. Fruit eaten ripe; green and ripe fruit made into 

pickles by Indian families. 7. 

Oxalis corniculata L. 

syn. 0. repens Thunb. 

"yellow wood-sorrel" , "creeping wood-sorrel" 

Pre-World War I introduction; reported by Schumann & Lauterbach (1901) as 

collected by Finsch. Paleotropical and paleosubtropical; now cosmopolitan. Rare. 

Procumbent, creeping, freely-branching , pubescent perennial herb, ascending to 10 to 20 

cm high or decumbent, with several stems radiating from the main root, the individual 

stems rooting at the nodes and rarely exceeding 50 cm in length; leaves, usually less than 

2.5 cm across, alternate, palmately trifoliate, clover-like, the terminal leaflet much larger 

than the lateral leaflets; leaflets, 4 to 20 mm long and wide, obocordate, deeply notched 

at apex, base obtuse, nearly pubescent; stipules, up to 3 mm long, united to base at 

petiole, inconspicuous; petioles, 1 to 8 cm long; inflorescences, 1- to 6-flowered umbels 

on axillary peduncles, 2 to 7 cm long; pedicels, 4 to 15 mm long, slender; bracts and 

bracteoles, 0.5 to 3 mm long, deltoid-linear; calyx, 5-sepaled, sepals, 2.5 to 6 mm long, 

lanceolate to narrowly ovate; corolla, 5-petaled, petals, 4 to 8 mm long, oblanceolate, 

yellow; stamens 10, in two series; fruit, 5 to 20 mm long and 2 to 4 mm across, an 

oblong, 5-locular, 5-angled, acute-tipped, pubescent capsule, opening by longitudinal 

valves; seeds, 5 to 10 per locule, each about 1.5 mm long, compressed, cross-ridged or 

wrinkled, brown. Weed at MQ 40 Command Ridge. 1, 6(163). 

PASSIFLORACEAE (Passion Flower Family) 

Passiflora coccinea Aubl. "scarlet passion flower" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Climbing, tendril-bearing vine; leaves, 

up to 15 cm or longer, simple, ovate, toothed, woolly beneath; petioles, purplish, with 

no glands or 2 at base; inflorescences with striking scarlet petals, yellowish on reverse, 

with filaments white at proximally, shading through pink to purple distally; fruit, about 5 

cm in diameter, orange or yellow with green lines and spots, edible. Planted ornamental. 

6. 

- - - --. 

--

Passiflora edulis Sims "passionfruit" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Vigorous woody perennial climbing 

vine, up to 15 m long, with glabrous, grooved stems and axillary, spirally coiled tendrils; 

leaves, 10 to 15 cm by 12 to 25 cm, alternate, broadly ovate in outline, deeply palmately 

3-lobed, lobes ovate-oblong, sharply acute to acuminate, sinus rounded, base cordate, 

serrate; petioles, 2 to 5 cm long, usually glabrous, grooved on upper surface, with 2 

conspicuous glands near base of blade; stipules, about 1 cm long, lanceolate; inflorescen- 

ces, axillary, 7 to 10 cm in diameter; peduncle, 2 to 5 cm long, triangular; bracts 3, 1 to 

3 long and 1 to 2 cm wide, near apex of peduncle, leafy, ovate to lanceolate, serrate- 

glandular; calyx, 5-lobed, tubular at base, sepals, 2 to 3 cm long and 1 to 2 cm wide, 

ovate-oblong , spreading, reflexed, white above, yellowish-green below, spongy, fleshy, 

with thorn-like appendage near tip and 0 to 4 glands on margins; corolla, 5-petaled, 

petals, 2.5 to 3 cm long and 0.5 to 1 cm wide, elliptic, free, white, alternating with 

calyx, inserted on throat of calyx; corona of 2 outer rows of wavy, threadlike, radiating 

filaments, 2 to 3 cm long, white distally and purple or pink proximally, with several 

rows of short, purple-tipped papillae; stamens 5, filaments united in a tube around 

gynophore for about 1 cm then widely parted for 1 cm; anthers, 1 to 1.5 cm long, 

versatile, transverse, 2-celled, pale yellow, hanging downwards below level of ovary; 

fruit, 4 to 6 cm long, subglobose or ellipsoid, yellow or purple depending on the variety 

or form, rind hard, endocarp white; seeds, many, about 5 by 3 mm, compressed, testa 

blackish, 3-toothed at base, attached to peg-like funiculi on the ovary wall and sur- 

rounded by yellowish-orange, aromatic pulpy and juicy aril with a tart but pleasing 

flavor; seeds, pulpy aril and juice edible. Two small seedlings in home garden. Sup- 

plementary food plant in many parts of the Pacific and currently or formally an important 

cash crop in Niue, Fiji, W. Samoa, Hawaii and Papua New Guinea. 6. 

Passiflora foetida L. var. hispida (DC.) Killip "stinking passion flower", 

"love-in-a-mist" oatamo, watamo (N); te biku (K) 

syn. P. hispida DC. ex Triana & Planch. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Creeping or climbing 

perennial herbaceous vine, 1.5 to 5 m long, with weak, densely long-hispid, longitudinal- 

ly-grooved stems, axillary coiled tendrils and fetid (bad smelling) foliage; leaves, 4 to 12 

cm long and almost equally wide, simple, ovate or ovate-cordate in outline; palmately 3- 

lobed, the lobing shallow to halfway to the mid-vein, lobe apices acute, base subcordate, 

margins unevenly dentate or entire, both surfaces hispid-hirsute; petioles, 2 to 6 cm long, 

pubescent; stipules, laciniate, the divisions filiform; inflorescences, 2.5 to 5 cm across, 

solitary, axillary; pedicels 2 to 7 cm long; involucral bracts prominently 2- or 3-bipin- 

natifid; calyx, 5-lobed, tubular, sepals oblong, mucronate, inside white; corolla, 5- 

permeEr1.5 to 2.5 cm long, oblong, white; stanGK 3, pale green, surrounded by 

a ring-like corona of filaments, 9 to 15 mm long, white distally and purple to rich-blue 

proximally; fruit, 1.5 to 2.5 cm in diameter, subglobose to ovoid, yellowish-orange to 

red-orange, often with faint greenish vertical lines, leathery, thin-walled, surrounded by

pinnatifid involucral bracts, tardily dehiscent; seeds, many, surrounded by scanty, slimy, 

sweetly-tart yellowish-orange pulpy aril, edible. Weed, generally on plateau, but also on 

escarpment and coastal strip, along roadsides and in ruderal habitats. Scanty pulpy aril 

and seeds eaten by children. 2, 3(58592), 4(l l7N), 5(54), 6, 7, 8(9581). 

Peperomia obtusifolia (L.) A. Dietr. 

syn . Piper obtusifolia L. 

PIPERACEAE (Pepper Family) 

"jade plant", "baby rubber plant" 

Recent introduction. W. Indies and Florida. Rare. Erect or decumbent, spreading, 

branching, succulent perennial herb, up to 20 cm high, with reddish stems; leaves, 3 to 

10 cm long and 2 to 6 cm wide, alternate, oval to inverted-ovate, obtuse, apex sometimes 

notched, base decurrent to cuneate, glabrous, shiny, dark green above pale below, 

succulent; petioles, 1 to 3 cm long, reddish; inflorescences, erect spikes, 5 to 15 cm or 

longer, green, bearing minute sessile flowers; stamens 2. Pot plant. 3(58691), 6, 7. 

Peperomia pellucida (L.) HBK. 

syns. P. pellucidurn L.; P. lineata Miq. ex Yuncker 

" peperomia" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Pale, erect or reclining, fleshy, 

glabrous, weak-stemmed perennial herb, 15 to 30 cm high, with branched stems; leaves, 

1 to 3.5 long, alternate, ovate-cordate, acute to acuminate, base rounded to cordate or 

cordate-truncate, glabrous, shiny above dull beneath; petioles, 3 to 12 mm long; 

inflorescences, slender leaf-opposed or terminal spikes, 2 to 5 cm long, bearing minute, 

well-separated green sessile flowers; calyx and corolla absent; stamens 2; ovary sub- 

tended by a minute bract; fruit, less than 1 inm in diameter, a green globose, rostellate 

(beaked) drupe with longitudinal ribs, containing a single warty seed. Weed of pot plants 

in homes. 5(7), 6, 8. 

Polygala paniculata L. 

POLYGALACEAE (Polygala Family) 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Slender, erect, profusely-branching 

.- 

annuar-herb,--0 cm taii, with giandular-pubescent stems andatuberou~lowstrongly 

aromatic tap-root with the scent of peppermint or wintergreen; leaves, 1 to 2.5 

cm long and 2 to 4 mm wide, linear-lanceolate, in whorls of 5 caducous leaves below 

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, the two inner 

sepals resembling wings and much larger than the others and resembling petals; corolla, 

3-petaled, the upper pair rather narrow, the lower (keel) boat-shaped; petals and inner 

sepals at first white, becoming purplish or pinkish with age; stamens 8; fruit, about 2 to 

3 mm long, oblong, glabrous, not winged; seeds, about 1.5 mm long, oval-oblong, black 

with tiny white hairs and a 2-lobed whitish caruncle. Weed along Topside running track 

and in other waste places. 5, 6(203), 7. 

POLY GONACEAE (Buckwheat Family) 

Antigonon leptopus Hook. & Am. "Mexican creeper", "mountain rose", 

"confederate vine", "chain of love", "love vine", "hearts on a chain", "coral vine" 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Occasional. Perennial herbaceous climbing to 

scrambling vine with slender glabrous stems, axillary tendrils and tuberous roots; leaves, 

5 to 12 cm long, alternate, broadly ovate, cordate, apiculate to acuminate, net-veined, 

wrinkled and wavy-edged; petioles, 1 to 5 cm long; inflorescences, long, slender, loose, 

6- to 15-flowered racemes which end in branched tendrils; pedicels about 1 cm long; 

flowers about 13 mm long; tepals 5, rose pink or white with a darker center, becoming 

membranous, greenish, reticulate-veined; fruit, up to 1.5 cm long, a triangular, brownish 

achene; seed, longitudinally grooved. Planted ornamental and spontaneous in waste places 

and ruderal habitats. 3(58679), 5(59), 6, 7, 8(9562). 

Coccoloba uvifera (L.) Jacq. 

syn. Polygonurn uvtfira L. 

"sea grape" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Small glabrous tree, up to 8 m or 

higher, with thick branchlets and spreading branches; leaves, 10 to 20 cm across, usually 

broader than long, alternate, suborbicular, cordate, firm, coriaceous, glossy, glabrous, 

the midrib and lateral nerves reddish; inflorescences, erect spike-like racemes, about 15 

cm long; individual flowers with 5 tepals, 8 stamens and 3 styles, greenish-yellow, 

fragrant; fruit, about 1 cm across, a subglobose or pyriform, reddish berry-like drupe, 

sweetish-acidic, astringent, edible. Planted ornamental near Buada Lagoon. 3(58787), 6.

PORTULACACEAE (Purslane Family) 

Portulaca grandiflora Hook. "portulaca", "purslane", "pigface" 

Recent introduction. Brazil. Rare. Decumbent, succulent, annual herb, up to 15 

cm high, with tufts of white silky hairs at the nodes and just below the flowers; leaves, 

12 to 35 mm long and 1 to 4 mm wide, narrowly cylindric or subterete; inflorescences, 

terminal; calyx, 2-lobed, sepals, 5 to 12 mm long, connate; corolla, 2 to 3 cm across, 4- 

to 6-petaled, petals, 12 to 30 mm long, pink, red, yellowish, white or striped; stamens, 

many (40 to 75); fruit, about 5 mm in diameter, a membranous capsule, circumscissile 

(dehiscent by a hemispherical lid). Planted ornamental. 3(58659), 5, 6, 7. 

Portulaca oleracea L. "pig weed", "purslane", "wild purslane" 

debois, doboiy (N); te boi (K); katuli (T) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Europe. Occasional. Prostrate, spreading, fleshy, 

glabrous herb, up to 30 cm high, branching at base with branches sometimes reddish; 

leaves, 4 to 30 mm long and 3 to 12 mm wide, alternate or clustered at branch ends, 

obovate, spathulate or oblong-cuneate, obtuse to slightly notched, base cuneate, fleshy, 

flattened, dull green or reddish, subsessile; inflorescences, terminal, sessile, few- 

flowered; calyx, 2-lobed, sepals connate; corolla, usually 5-petaled, petals yellow, 

withering early; stamens 7 to 15; fruit, about 4 mm long, a membranous capsule, 

circumscissile (dehiscent by a hemispherical lid); seeds, numerous, small, black, slightly 

roughened. Weed in gardens and waste places, especially in sandy, hydroinorphic soils of 

the shores of Buada Lagoon. Cooked leaves and stems eaten after pounding and mixing 

with coconut flower spathe syrup (karnerara); important famine food during World War 

11; plants fed to pigs; leaves and stems boiled with water being used to cure scabies. 

3(58624, 58734), 5(4), 6, 7, 8. 

RHAMNACEAE (Buckthorn Family) 

Colubrina asiatica (L.) Brongn. " soapbush", "hoop withe" 

ewongup (N) 

syns. Cmnothus asiaticus L.; Ceanothus capsularis F0rst.f. 

Indigenous. Paleotropical. Common. Sprawling or climbing, much-branched shrub 

or small tree, 1 to 5 m high; leaves, mostly 4 to 11 cm long and 1 to 6.5 cm wide, 

alternate, ovate, acuminate, base rounded or subcordate, finely crenate-dentate, glossy 

green, nearly glabrous, palmately 3-to 5-nerved, the midrib branched upward; petioles, 1

to 3 cm long; inflorescences, small, axillary short-pedunculate, 3- to 7-flowered, 

compact, cymose clusters; peduncles less than 3 mm long; pedicels, about 3 mm long, 

slender; calyx, 5-sepaled, sepals acute, white to pale or dull yellow; corolla, 5-petaled, 

petals hoodlike, green to yellowish-green or whitish; stamens 5, less than 1 mm long; 

disc, broad, saucer-like, greenish-yellow to yellow-orange; fruit, 6 to 8 mm in diameter, 

depressed-globose, 3-celled, green or brown; seeds 3 (1 per cell), nearly 5 mm long, 

dark brown or black. Found in forests on plateau and on cliffs and slopes and at base of 

escarpment. Rolled leaves used with flowers of other species in garlands. A traditional 

source of soap in other Pacific islands, although not reportedly used for this purpose on 

Nauru. 2, 3(58641), 4(113N), 5(69), 6, 7. 

RHIZOPHORACEAE (Mangrove Family) 

Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) Lam. "brown mangrove" 

etum, etam (N); te tongo, te tongo buangui (K) 

syns. Rhizophora gymnorhiza L.; R. conjugata L.; Bruguiera gymnorhiza 

Savigny; B. rheedii Bl.; B. eriopetala W. & Arn.; B. conjugata (L.) Merr. 

Indigenous. Indopacific. Occasional. Medium tree, 3 to 15 m tall (in Nauru rarely 

over 4 m), with an inconspicuously buttressed trunk, knee-like pneumatophores, dark 

fissured trunk bark, and smooth-barked slightly nodose stems; leaves, 9 to 20 cm long 

and 4 to 9 cm wide, opposite, elliptic-oblong, acute-acuminate at both ends, base 

decurrent, thick-coriaceous, quite glabrous, somewhat glossy dark green; petioles, up to 

4 cm or longer; stipules, to 3.5 cm long, linear-lanceolate, reddish, sheathing the new 

leaves, caducous; inflorescences, solitary, axillary, somewhat nodding, up to 3 or 4.5 cm 

across, on pedicels 1 cm long; calyx, 10- to 14-lobed, firm, glossy red to dull yellow or 

yellow-green, lobes, about 1.5 cm long, slender-subulate or very narrowly-lanceolate, as 

long as tube; corolla, 10- to 14-petaled, petals 3 to 5 cm long, narrowly oblong, notched 

at apex, white fading to brown, each lobe bristly; stamens, many (or as few as 20), about 

1 cm long; anthers, 4 to 5 mm long, linear; pollen dirty white; styles nearly 2 cm long, 

pale green; fruit, 2 cm long and 1.5 cm thick, turbinate, crowned by calyx limb; seed 

germinating on tree to form an elongated, somewhat extruded, cylindric radicle, reaching 

15 to 25 cm long before falling. Localized in system of brackish lakes or lagoons near 

base of escarpment in Meneng, Anabar and Anetan District (lake in Anabar known as 

Araro); reportedly present in Buada Lagoon in the past. Strong wood excellent for house 

construction; pre-germinated seed (fruit) eaten cooked, after scraping, drying in the sun 

and then boiling; the Nauruan delicacy known as etum or etam, is prepared by mixing the 

-gr~e~gerrmnateh~s~xithco.c~ _th- 

afs~-uuUed_t~. - 

prepare a black dye for traditional skirts (ridi). 2, 3(58746), 4(167N), 5(103), 6, 7.

ROSACEAE (Rose Family) 

Filipendula rubra (J. Hill) B.L. Rob. "queen of the prairies" 

Recent introduction. Central U.S. Hardy, clump-forming, perennial herb, up to 60 

cm high; leaves, compound, up to 20 cm or longer; inflorescences, large, feather-like, 

compact, many-flowered, irregular panicles, 15 to 30 cm wide, bearing many small 

peach-pink flowers. Rare. Planted ornamental. 6. 

Rosa damascena Mill. 

dorot ("the roseU)(N); te roti ("the roseW)(K) 

"damask rose" 

Recent introduction. W. Asia. Occasional. Erect, robust, aculeate shrub, up to 2 

m high, with stems bearing numerous prickles or small thorns; leaves, pinnate, with 5 to 

9 leaflets; leaflets, 7 by 5 cm, ovate-oblong, puberulent beneath on the midrib; inflores- 

cences, clustered, 6- to 12-flowered corymbs, with bristly pedicels and receptacles; 

calyx, 5-sepaled, imbricate in bud; corolla, 5-petaled (sometimes more), red or pink, 

fragrant; stamens and ovaries numerous; hypanthium pilose within; fruit, a 1-seeded 

achene included by the fleshy, colored fruitlike hypanthium. Planted ornamental. 5(80), 

6. 

RUBIACEAE (Coffee Family) 

Aidia cochinensis Lour. 

enga, enguh (N) 

syns. Randia cochinchinensis (Lour.) Merr. ; R. racemosa (Cav.) F. -Vill. ; 

Stylocoryna racemosa Cav. ; Randia graeflei Reinecke; Stylocoryna den- 

siflom (Wall.) Miq. ; Randia densiflora (Wall.) Benth. 

Indigenous. Trop. Asia to Pacific Is. Rare, possibly extinct. Small, glabrous tree 

or shrub, 1 to 2 m high, with smooth stems; leaves, 9 to 18 cm long and 3 to 6 cm wide, 

opposite, oblong-lanceolate to elliptic-ovate, acute or acuminate, base acute-decurrent or 

attenuate, thinly coriaceous, rather glossy, pinnately nerved; petioles, 0.5 to 2 cm long, 

ridged by decurrent leaf-blade margins; stipules, small, connate; inflorescences, axillary, 

rather dense, many-flowered, rather richly-branched, short-pedunculate, cymose clusters, 

up to 4 to 6 cm or longer, but not longer than the adjacent leaf, glabrous or minutely 

puberulent; bracts shortly deltoid; calyx, short, 5 (rarely 4-)-toothed; corolla, usually 5- 

-lobed,tube-andlobesabGt equally long,--about 1.5 by 3 mm, creamy-white, throat 

pubescent; stamens 4 to 5 , inserted on corolla tube; anthers, linear, exserted, nearly as 

long as corolla lobes; style, rather thick, exserted, 7.5 mm long; fruit, 5 to 9 mm long, 

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 

by children. 2(K9), 6(l65). 

Gardenia augusta (L.) Merr. "gardenia" 

syns. Varneria augusta L.; Gardenia florida L.; G. jasminoides Ellis; G. 

radicans Thunb. 

Recent introduction. China. Rare. Erect shrub, 1 to 2 m or higher; leaves, 4 to 12 

cm long, and 1 to 4 cm wide, opposite, ovate, oblong-lanceolate or elliptic obovate, 

acute or somewhat acuminate, decurrent at base on short petiole, somewhat glossy, dark 

green; petioles, 1 to 8 mm long, winged by decurrent leaf-blade margins; stipules, often 

split nearly to base with a single unilateral lobe, but sometimes bilobed; inflorescences, 

axillary, solitary; calyx 5- to 7-winged, terminated by linear-lanceolate spurs, 15 to 30 

mm long and 1.5 to 6 mm wide; corolla, 6 to 8 cm across, 6-petaled (double cultivars 

with additional petals), tube 5 to 9 cm long, white aging yellow-brown, very sweetly 

fragrant; stamens 5 to 11; fruit, 2 to 3 cm long, ovoid, 5- to 6- ribbed, crowned by 

calyx, many-seeded. Planted ornamental. 6, 7. 

Gardenia taitensis DC. 

te tiare (K); tiale, siale (T) 

"Tahitian gardenia", tiare Tahiti (Tahiti) 

Recent introduction. Pacific Is. Rare. Large shrub to small tree, up to 5 m tall; 

leaves, 6 to 18 cm long and 3 to 10 cm wide, opposite, elliptic-obovate, obtusely short- 

pointed, base cuneate, somewhat glossy or shiny, bright green, prominently pinnately 

nerved, midrib very prominent; petiole, winged by decurrent leaf-blade margins, the 

petiole bases of leaf-pairs joined together by stipules; petioles, usually less than 5 mm 

long; stipules, connate, bilobed; inflorescences, solitary, in upper leaf axils; calyx, 

prominently 4-lobed, lobes 11 to 30 cm long and 2 to 8 mm wide, lanceolate; corolla, 4 

to 8 cm across, 4- to 8-petaled, petals, up to about 3 or 4 cm long, spreading from a 

tubular base, about equalling tube, bright white, very fragrant; fruit, about 2 to 2.5 cm in 

diameter, globose, longitudinally ridged. Planted ornamental in Tuvaluan garden at 

Location. Fragrant flowers used in garlands and to scent coconut oil. 6, 7. 

Gardenia sp. "Professor Pucci gardenia" 

Recent introduction. Origin. Rare. Planted ornamental. 6.

Guettarda speciosa L. 

iut, yut (N); te uri (K); pua, puapua, uli (T) 

"guettarda" 

Indigenous. Trop. Asia to the Pacific Is. Small spreading tree, 4 to 15 m high, 

with thick branchlets; leaves, 10 to 25 cm long and 6 to 18 cm wide, opposite, broad- 

obovate, acute-subacuminate to obtuse, rounded or emarginate, base obtuse to subcordate, 

rather dark green above, paler and usually puberulent beneath, with 7 to 10 pairs of 

prominent lateral nerves; petioles, 2.5 to 4 cm long, pubescent, leaving large scars on the 

twigs when they fall; stipules, small, ovate, leaf-like, at nodes between leaf-pair petiole 

bases; inflorescences, compact, forked, many-flowered cymose clusters on axillary 

peduncles, 5 to 10 cm long, usually forming after leaf-fall; calyx, about 1 cm long, 

cupulate, truncate, pubescent; corolla, tubular, 2.5 to 5 cm long and 2 to 3 cm across the 

limb, 5- to 6-petaled, dull or yellowish white, fragrant, villous within; flowers dimor- 

phic, some with short styles not reaching the anthers, others with exserted styles; fruit, 2 

to 3 cm in diameter, a woody, depressed-globose, 4- to 9-chambered drupe with a 

circular rim at apex, whitish, pinkish or green when ripe, faintly ribbed, usually 4- to 6- 

seeded. Occasional in woods and thickets on coastal strip, but less common in forest on 

plateau near escarpment; common in regrowth in older strip-mined areas; planted in 

home gardens. Straight pieces of timber make excellent house rafters and used for canoe 

parts and handicrafts; bark scraped and mixed with other plant extracts, eg., Scaevola 

taccada (emet) and Cordia subcordata (eongo) to produce a medicine for beriberi; leaves 

used to parcel food and as plates; flowers used in garlands and decorations, often after 

soalung in coconut oil; flowers considered the best for scenting coconut oil; juice from 

flowers used as a deodorant; flowers and young leaves soaked in water to make a love 

potion, which is drunk by women and which when sweating, makes men go crazy 

(reportedly learned from I-Kiribati); juice of flowers mixed with coconut juice used to 

keep hair healthy. 2, 3(58759), 5(70), 6, 7(27806). 

Hedyotis corymbosa (L.) Lam. 

syn. Oldenlandia corymbosa L. 

Recent introduction. Pantropical. Rare. Much-branched, annual herb, up to 20 cm 

high, with slender ascending or erect, bluntly 4-angled stems; leaves, 1 to 4 cm long and 

1.5 to 8 mm wide, opposite, linear-oblong or narrowly elliptic, acute at both ends, blade 

pale beneath, midrib prominent, chartaceous, subsessile or petiole very short; stipules 

fused to petioles; inflorescences, 2- to 8-flowered axillary cymes which are shorter than 

the leaves; pedicels, 4 to 8 mm long, slender; calyx, about 2 mm long, 4-lobed, not 

exceeding ovary; corolla, about 2 lnln long, white or faintly pinkish-purplish; stamens 

inserted just above the base of the tube; fruit, about 2 mm by 2 mm, a 2-celled capsule, 

cat Q-+wlthm~dehiscent 

by valves at apex. Weed in waste places and ruderal habitats. 4(140N), 5(143), 

6, 8(9560).

Ixora casei Hance "ixora" 

te katuru, te katiru (K); suni (T) 

syns. I. dufJii Baine; I. dufJii T. Moore; I. carolinensis Hosok.; I. confertiflora 

Val. non Merr. ; I. volkensii Hosok. ; I. pulcherrima Volk. 

Recent introduction. Caroline Is. (Southeast Asia?). Occasional. Large shrub, up 

to 3 m or higher; leaves, up to 30 cm long, opposite, narrow-oblong, acute, dark-green 

glossy, glabrous, short-petiolate; stipules, interpetiolar, entire, acuminate; inflorescences, 

many-flowered, terminal cymose clusters, about 20 cm in diameter, not at all fragrant; 

calyx, tiny, 4-toothed; corolla, about 5 cm long, tubular, 4-lobed, lobes, ovate, more or 

less acute, spreading, twisted spirally in bud, deep vermilion-red to scarlet; stamens 4; 

fruit (rare), a 2-seeded, berry-like drupe. Planted ornamental in Nauru, but reportedly 

wild in Palau, Chuuk (Truk) and Pohnpei (Ponape) and Kosrae (Kusaie). 3(58707), 5, 6, 

7. 

Ixora coccinea L. 

syn. I. fraseri Hort. ex Grant 

"ixora", "flame of the woods" 

Recent introduction. Southeast Asia. Occasional. Small shrub, up to 2.5 m high; 

leaves, 3 to 10 cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide, opposite, oblong-obovate or subcordate and 

slightly amplexicaul, obtuse, coriaceous, sessile; inflorescences, dense terminal corym- 

bose clusters; calyx, 4-toothed, puberulent; corolla, up to 5 cm long, tubular, 4-lobed, 

lobes 10 to 15 mm long, ovate-lanceolate, acute, red, orange-pink or yellow; stigmas, 3 

to 4 mm long, red; fruit, a 2-seeded berry-like drupe. Planted ornamental. 5, 6(202). 

Ixora sp. "ixora" 

Recent introduction. Rare. Planted ornamental. 5, 6(l96). 

Morinda citrifolia L. var. citrifolia "beach mulberry", "Indian mulberry" 

deneno (N); te non (K); nonu (T) 

syn. M. indica L. 

Indigenous. Trop. Asia and Australia to S.E. Polynesia. Common. Shrub or small 

tree, up to 6 m or higher, with quadrangular branchlets; leaves, 15 to 30 cm long and 6 

to 18 cm wide, opposite, broadly elliptic or slightly obovate, acute or obtuse, dark green, 

glossy, pubescent when young; petioles, 1 to 2 cm long, narrowly ridged by decurrent 

leat- blade m a r g i ~ ~ i - ~ s t r e a t h i + ~ ) - . A 

bifid; inflorescences, axillary, solitary, fleshy, headlike clusters, up to 2.5 cm long, 

irregularly subglobose on peduncles, 2 to 3 cm long; calyx, truncate; corolla, about 1 cm 

long, pilose in the throat, usually with 5 acute lobes about 5 mm long, pure white; 

anthers 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 

waxy, shiny, creamy to yellowish-white; flesh, strongly fetid and gelatinous, but edible 

when ripe; seed, bony. Common to abundant on coastal strip, often protected or planted 

around homes and in waste areas; occasional in plateau forest and in older strip-mined 

areas. Plants kept around homes to ward off evil spirits; small pieces cut up and rubbed 

on hands, face, etc., to ward off evil spirits; roots ground to provide a yellow dye; ripe 

fruit eaten raw, but far more common eaten in the past; fruit cooked and mixed with 

coconut syrup to make pudding (dedangan); fruit and branches cooked to eliminate evil 

smells, especially after war; roots and branches crushed and squeezed to cure rashes, 

fruit and roots ground and cooked to cure headaches, tender leaves heated up with 

coconut oil and used as a poultice to suck puss out of boils (ibir, ibur), raw fruit ground 

and drank as a cure for diabetes, and fruit cooked and used as a cure for dysentery. Plant 

also a very important medicinal and multi-use plant in Kiribati and Tuvalu. In Kiribati, 

where there have been recent outbreaks of vitamin A-deficiency-induced nightblindness 

among young children, programs encouraging mothers to feed children the cooked leaves 

of vitamin A-rich M. citrifolia have reportedly improved the situation. 2, 3(58754), 

5(98), 6, 7(27807). 

Mussaenda erythrophylla Schum. & Thonn. "red mussaenda" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Africa. Rare. Shrub or liana, 2 to 4 m high, often with 

drooping or climbing branches and copiously pilose branchlets; leaves, 5 to 12 cm long 

and 3 to 8 cm wide, oval-ovate to almost cordate (when young), acuminate, base obtuse 

to slightly decurrent, copiously pilose, prominently veined; petioles, 1 to 6 cm long; 

stipules, interpetiolar; inflorescences, terminal, several-flowered, branched, corymbose 

cymes; calyx, 5-lobed, one of the lobes (rarely 2) enlarged, petal-like, up to 9 cm long 

and 6.5 cm wide, ovate-lanceolate, lax-pendant, bright red above and somewhat paler 

beneath, palmately veined, pubescent, the other lobes, up to about 1 cm long and 2 mm 

wide, narrowly linear-lanceolate, caducous, bright red, calyx tube reddish-pubescent; 

corolla, about 2.5 cin long, tubular, 5-lobed, red-pubescent outside with tube white or 

pale-yellow within distally; stamens 5, included; fruit, a berry with numerous minute 

seeds; Planted ornamental. 6(l95). 

Mussaenda frondosa L. 

syn. M. sericea B1. 

"mussaenda" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Africa and Madagascar to S. Asia. Rare. Erect shrub, 

up to 4 m or higher, with drooping or rambling branches; leaves, 5 to 18 cm long and 3 

to 7 cm wide, opposite. ovate to lanceolate, acuminate. base obtuse, rounded or decur- 

rent, puberulent; petioles, 1 to 3 cm long; stipules, concealing a band of hairs, caducous; 

inflorescences, terminal corymbose cymes; bracts and bracteoles caducous; calyx 5-lobed, 

one of the lobes (rarely more) enlarged, petal-like, foliaceous, colored, white or pink; 

corolla, mostly 2 to 3 cm long, tubular, 5-lobed, dark-yellow to orange; stamens 5,

-- --- 

included, anthers normal but always devoid of pollen in "female", long-styled flowers; 

fruit, 1 to 1.5 cm long, a berry, ellipsoid, truncate at base, black when ripe, seeds, 

numerous, reticulate. Planted ornamental. 6(248). 

Pentas bussei K. Kr. "red pentas", "red star cluster" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Africa? Rare. Planted ornamental. 3(58675), 6. 

Pentas lanceolata (Forssk.) K. Schum. "pentas", "Lady Fletcher", "Egyptian star cluster" 

syns. Ophiorrhiza. lanceolata Forsk. ; Pentas carnea Benth . 

Recent introduction. Trop. Africa, Madagascar, Comorro Islands and Arabian 

Peninsula. Occasional. Erect, pubescent, sometimes straggling, perennial herb or sub- 

shrub, up to 80 cm high; leaves, 2.5 to 15 crn long, opposite, ovate, acute to acuminate, 

pubescent; inflorescences, up to 7.5 cm across, terminal, open, headlike, corymbose 

clusters; corolla, long-tubular, commonly 5-lobed, lobes, acute, mauve or rich purple to 

pink and white, with a white-bearded throat; fruit, about 4 mm long, obovoid, capsular 

with minute seeds. Planted ornamental. 3(58689), 5, 6(233,166), 7. 

Spermacoce assurgens R. & P. "buttonweed" 

syns. S. suflrutescens Jacq.; Borreria. laevis sensu auct. plur. non (Lam.) Griseb. 

Recent introduction. S. Asia. Uncommon. Decumbent or ascending, perennial 

herb, up to 40 cm high, with slender, wiry, somewhat angled stems and slightly woody 

and branching near the base; leaves, 2 to 6 cm long and about 0.5 to 2 cm wide, elliptic- 

lanceolate, sharply acuminate, base cuneate, pinnately nerved, nerves prominent, scabrid 

near margin but otherwise glabrous, subsessile; stipules, connate, with filamentous 

processes, interpetiolar, fused to the leaf-stalks; inflorescences, in axillary verticillate 

headlike clusters; calyx, small, 4-lobed, lobes ovate; corolla, 1.5 to 3.5 mm long, 

infundibular, 4-lobed, lobes, spreading, white or pink-tinged; stamens 4, exserted from 

the corolla, with white filaments and pale blue or bluish-tinged anthers; style, pink and 

white-tinged; fruit, 1 to 4 mrn long, 2-seeded, enclosed in calyx, finally splitting; seeds, 

1.5 to 2 mm long, oblong, brown, transversely ridged, still clasped by the half-calyx 

with part of the septum. Weed in waste places and houseyard gardens. 5(2), 6. 

Tarenna sambucina (F0rst.f.) Dur. ex Drake 

exme 

uJ1l... ~ _ s m b u c i n (F0rst.f.) a A. Gray; 

Tarenna glubra Merr. 

Indigenous? New Caledonia to 

glabrous or minutely puberulent shrub 

S . E. Polynesia and Micronesia. Extinct? Small 

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 

or ovate-elliptic, acute at both ends, attenuate to petiole, membranaceous or thin- 

coriaceous, lateral nerves usually 7 or 8 pairs; petioles, 1 to 4 cm long; stipules, 

interpetiolar, deltoid, entire, persistent; inflorescences, terminal, many-flowered corym- 

bose cymes; calyx, about 2 cm long, 5-lobed; corolla, 6 mm long, funnelform, creamy- 

white turning yellowish, villous within, fragrant; stamens 5; style exserted 3.5 mm long, 

anthers white, the style greenish to white; fruit, 5 to 6 mm in diameter, a globose berry, 

green turning purplish-black; seeds, about 8, each 2 mm long, 4-sided. Reported present 

by Burges in 1935, but not collected since. 2. 

RUTACEAE (Rue Family) 

Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle 

derem, deraim (N); te raim (K); laim, tipolo (T) 

syn. Limonia aurantifolia Christm. 

"lime" 

Pre-World War 11 introduction. Malesia. Occasional. Small, much-branched tree, 

2 to 6 m high, with copious short, stiff, sharp spines; leaves, 4 to 10 cm long and 4 to 6 

cm wide, alternate, usually ovate-elliptic but variable in different cultivars, margins 

somewhat crenulate; petioles, 5 to 18 mm long and 1.5 to 6 mm wide, spathulate, 

narrowly-winged, leaflike, articulate with leaf blades; inflorescences, axillary , 1- to 7- 

flowered, produced over an extended period, 2 to 2.5 cm in diameter; corolla, small, 4- 

to 5-parted, 8 to 12 mm long and 2.5 to 4 mm wide, white to pale pink; stamens 20 to 

25; ovary 9- to 12-locular; fruit, 2.5 to 6 cm in diameter, ovoid to subglobose, green to 

yellowish when ripe depending on the cultivar; peel, thin, 1 to 3 mm thick, glandular, 

adherent; pulp greenish, juicy , very acid but pleasantly fragrant in some cultivars; seeds, 

small, oval, flattened angular, pale yellow or whitish. Planted fruit tree. Juice of fruit 

used to marinate raw fish and to make drinks. 3(58695), 5, 6(221), 7. 

Citrus limon (L.) Burm.f. "lemon " 

te remen, te remon (K); moli, lairn (T 

syns. C. medica var. lhon L.; C. limonum Risso; C. limonia Osbeck 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. E. Asia. Rare. Small tree or shrub, 2 to 9 m high, 

with stout, stiff spines; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long and 3 to 6 cm wide, alternate, long- 

ovate, acute, serrate; petioles, 0.5 to 1 cm long, very narrowly winged or margined, 

- p+ 

to 5 cm in diameter; corolla, usually 5-parted, petals white within but pinkish or 

purplish-tinged outside and when in bud; stamens 20 to 40; ovary 8- to 10-locular; fruits, 

5 to 12 cm long, ovoid or ellipsoid, 8- to 10-locular, with a broad apical papilla or 

nipple; peel, about 5 mm thick, adherent, prominently gland-dotted, slightly rough, green

to bright yellow when ripe depending on the cultivar; pulp, pale yellow, juicy, sour; 

seeds, ovoid, white. Planted fruit tree. Reportedly more abundant in the past. Juice used 

to marinate raw fish and to make drinks. 5, 6, 7. 

Citrus reticulata Blanco "tangerine", "mandarin orange" 

syns. C. deliciosa Ten.; C. nobilis Lour. var. 

Recent introduction. Rare. E. Asia. Small, usually spiny tree, 3 to 8 m high; 

leaves, 4 to 8 cm long and 1.5 to 4.5 cm long, alternate, ovate or elliptic to lanceolate, 

usually crenate, dark shining green above, yellowish-green beneath; petioles, 5 to 15 mm 

long and 1.5 to 3 mm wide, alternate, narrowly winged or margined, 1.5 to 3 mm wide 

across the wings, clearly articulate with leaf blades; inflorescences, axillary, small 1.5 to 

2.5 cm in diameter; corolla, usually 5-parted, petals, white; stamens about 20; ovary 10- 

to 15-locular; fruit, 5 to 8 cm in diameter, depressed-globose to subglobose, greenish 

with yellowish patches to bright orange; peel, thin, loose, separating easily from the 

segments; pulp, orange, sweet, juicy; seeds, small. Immature planted fruit tree. 5, 6. 

Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck 

te aoranti (K) 

syn. C. aurantium var. sinensis L. 

"orange", "sweet orange" 

Recent introduction. S. Asia. Rare. Small to medium tree, 4 to 12 m high, often 

with stout spines; leaves, 5 to 15 cm long and 2 to 8 cm wide, alternate, ovate to oval- 

elliptic, glabrous, dark green above, sometimes slightly serrate; petioles, 1 to 2.5 cm 

long and 3 to 5 mm wide, winged, clearly articulate with leaf blades; inflorescences, 

axillary, solitary or in small racemes, 2 to 3 cm in diameter; corolla, usually 5-parted, 

petals white, fragrant; stamens 20 to 25, united into groups; ovary 10-to 14- locular; 

style slender with globose stigma, soon deciduous; fruit, 4 to 12 cm in diameter, 

subglobose, greenish-yellow or orange, juicy, edible; peel up to 5 mm thick, tightly 

adherent to segments; pulp, yellow-orange to dark orange, juicy, slightly acidic, sweet; 

seeds, none to many, obovoid, white. I~nmature planted fruit tree; reportedly more 

common in past and planted by the Japanese during World War 11. 6, 7. 

Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack "mock orange", " orange jessamine", "orange jasmine" 

syns. Chalcas paniculara L. ; Murraya. exotica L. 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia, Malesia and Australia. Rare. A shrub to small 

tree, 1 to 8 m w u t usually kept under my-prmrirr-Am -- 

leaflets, 3 to 7, usually 5, 3 to 10 cm long and 2 to 4 cm wide, ovate to subobovate, 

glossy, thin-coriaceous, nitid; petiolules, very short; inflorescences, 1 - to 8-flowered, 

compact paniculate clusters; calyx, 5-parted, deeply-lobed, sepals basally somewhat 

united; corolla, 5-parted, petals, usually 10 to 15 mm long and 3 to 6 mm wide,

imbricate, pure white, fragrant; stamens 10, the filaments 6 to 12 mm long, the style 5 to 

9 mm long; ovary 2-locular, styles with capitate stigma; fruit, 1 to 1.3 cm long, an ovoid 

to ellipsoid reddish-orange berry; seeds, 1 to 2, villous. Planted ornamental and pot plant 

at Location. 6(184), 7. 

Dodonaea viscosa (L.) Jacq. 

eteweo, eteweau (N) 

syns. Ptelea viscosa L. 

SAPINDACEAE (Soapberry Family) 

"native hop bush" 

Indigenous. Pantropical. Common. Shrub or small tree, 0.5 to 6 m high, with 

angular branchlets and slightly sticky resinous exudate; leaves, 5 to 12 cm long and 1 to 

3 cm wide, alternate, narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, acute at both ends, long- 

attenuate at base, margins somewhat wavy, firm to somewhat coriaceous, olive green 

above, paler beneath, somewhat viscid appearing varnished, subsessile; petioles, 1 to 2 

mm long, winged; inflorescences, in short, lax terminal or axillary panicles about half as 

long as the leaves, individual flowers about 4 mm across, greenish-yellow; calyx, 5- 

parted; petals none; disk, small or obsolete; stamens, usually 8, distinct; fruit, 15 to 20 

mm in diameter, inflated, papery, reddish or orange to brown, 2- to 4-winged (lobed) 

capsule, the wings membranous, veiny, glabrous; seeds, 1 or 2 per lobe, black, with a 

spiral embryo. Common in scrub and occasional in plateau forest; occasional in revege- 

tated older mined areas. Strong but flexible trunks and branches used for fishing rods and 

for frames for flying-fish and noddy nets; leaves occasionally used to scent coconut oil. 

2, 3(58598, 58637), 5(73), 6, 7, 8(9578). 

Nephelium litchi Camb. 

syn . Litchi chinensis Sonn 

"lychee" , "lychee nut" 

Recent introduction. S. China. Rare. Small to medium tree, up to 10 m high, with 

a heavy trunk, spreading crown and thick foliage; leaves, paripinnate with 2 to 4 pairs of 

leaflets; leaflets, 8 to 15 cm long and 3 to 4 cm wide, elliptic-oblong, coriaceous, glossy; 

inflorescences, large terminal panicles; individual flowers, small, pale greenish-yellow; 

calyx, 5-parted; petals none; disk, annular; stamens 6 to 10; fruit, 3 to 3.5 cm in 

diameter, pendent in loose clusters, covered with small pyramidal tubercles, usually 

bright red to purplish when ripe; pulp-like aril, white, translucent, fleshy, somewhat 

*bqw~-~-edihle,\Kith-a=elike consistency; seed, dark brown, 

covered by aril. Planted fruit tree seedling. 6.

SAPOTACEAE (Sapodilla Family) 

Chrysophyllum cainito L. "star apple", "cainito" 

Recent introduction. W. Indies. Rare. Medium tree, 5 to 12 m high, with 

puberulent, golden-brown young branchlets and white latex; leaves, 8 to 20 cm long and 

3 to 9 cm wide, alternate, 2-ranked, elliptic to elliptic-oblong, sharply acute or obtuse, 

base acute, coriaceous, pinnately nerved, lateral veins very slender, shiny, dark-green 

above, densely silky-pubescent and golden-brown beneath; petiole, 1 to 2 cm long; 

inflorescences, axillary, often many-flowered, pedicellate to sessile clusters; calyx, 5 (4 

to 6)-parted, spirally arranged; corolla, usually exserted from calyx, 3 to 5 mm long, 

tubular, 5 (4 to 11)-lobed, lobes equal to or longer than tube, purplish-white; stamens, as 

many as corolla lobes, inserted; fruit, 5 to 12 cm in diameter, subglobose to ovoid, 

smooth, with light green to purple skin; pulp, white, sweet, often juicy, edible; seeds, 4 

to 8, hard, obliquely obovoid, compressed, with a broad lateral scar, glossy, brown, 

embedded in a star-like arrangement in the pulp. Planted fruit tree seedling. 6. 

SAXIFRAGACEAE (Saxifrage Family) 

Saxifraga sarmentosum L.f.'mother of millions", "mother of thousands", "roving sailor", 

"strawberry geranium" 

syn. S. stolon.$era ?? authority 

Recent introduction. E. Asia. Rare. Tufted perennial herb, up to 30 cm high, with 

many slender, strawberry-like, branching red runners upon which numerous new plants 

are formed; leaves, 2.5 to 10 cm in diameter, rounded, cordate, scalloped or dentate, 

softly-pubescent, green and white- or silvery-veined or variegated above and pale green, 

suffused with red or pink beneath; inflorescences, erect, loose, long-stalked, spikelike 

clusters, up to 15 to 50 cm high; corolla, 5-petaled, star-like, 2 petals about 12 mm long 

which far exceed the other 3, irregularly-shaped, white to flesh-pink; stamens 10. Pot 

plant. 4 (144). 

SCROPHULARIACEAE (Snapdragon Family) 

. . .4- h-- "an-a", "monkey face" 

syns. A. gardneri auct. non Hook.; A. salicarifolia auct. non H. & B. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Erect perennial herb, up to about 

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 

subentire, sessile or subsessile; inflorescences, axillary, solitary or paired, slender- 

pedicellate; calyx, deeply 5-lobed; corolla, 1.5 to 2 cm across, short-tubular, 2-lipped, 

the limb widely cupuliform, about 2 cm across, short-spurred, 5-lobed, 4 broad and flat, 

the lower one cupuliform in the lower half, the throat broadened into a sac-like cup, blue 

or purplish; stamens 4, borne on the dorsal side of the cupuliform part of the corolla, the 

filaments short, thick; fruit, a globose or ellipsoid, 2-valved capsule, rarely indehiscent. 

Planted ornamental. 3(58723), 5, 7. 

Angelonia biflora Benth. "angelonia" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect perennial herb, up to 1 m high; 

very similar to A. angustijblia, except that it is slightly taller and has a slightly larger and 

paler, often white, corolla. According to Smith (1991), it is questionable whether these 

two taxa constitute separate species. 6(256). Planted ornamental 

Bacopa procumbens (Mill.) Greenm. 

syns. Erinus procumbens Mill.); Herpestris chamaedryoides HBK.; Bacopa 

chamaedryoides (HBK.) Wettst. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Suberect, perennial herb, with quadrangular 

glabrous stems, rooting at the nodes; leaves, 1 to 2.5 cm long and 6 to 12 mm wide, 

opposite, elliptic or shortly ovate-elliptic, crenulate-serrulate; inflorescences, axillary, 

usually solitary; pedicels, 4 to 6 mm long, extending in fruit to 18 mm; calyx 5-parted, 

upper segment broadest; corolla, slightly longer than the calyx, subregular, cylindric- 

tubular, 5-lobed, yellow; stamens, 5; fruit, a 2-valved capsule, enclosed by the calyx. 

Weed in lawns and disturbed places. 2 (58813). 

Russelia equisetiformis Schlecht. & Cham. "firecracker flower", "coral plant" 

dokaibangi, dugaibangi, dogaibwangi (N); te kaibaun (K) 

syn. R. juncea Zucc. 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Occasional. Shrub or subshrub, up to 1.5 m high, 

with long, straggling, longitudinally-ridged, whorled or drooping green branches or 

stems; leaves, up to 2 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, ovate, dentate, whorled in groups of 5 

to 8 on main stem, but more often, reduced to minute, opposite, linear, awl-shaped scales 

on branches; inflorescences, narrow, terminal, loose, drooping paniculate cymes; pedicels 

Amut 1 w a l y x 5-prkd~orolla~ 1.5 to 2.5 cm lone, lonn-tubular, with a small_ 

5-lobed limb, lobes about 3 mm long, bright red, nodding; stamens 4, inserted; fruit, 

about 5 mm long, globose or broadly ellipsoid, 4-valved, rostrate; seeds, many, oblong. 

Planted ornamental. 3(58678), 4(157N), 5, 6(213), 7.

Russelia sarmentosa Jacq. 

Recent introduction. Mexico. Rare. Shrub or subshrub, up to 1.5 m high; leaves, 

ovate to triangular, in whorls; inflorescences, in clusters of 30 to 40 individual flowers; 

calyx 5-parted nearly to base; corolla, tubular, 5-lobed, scarlet; stamens 4, inserted; 

fruit, globose or broadly ellipsoid, 4-valved, rostrate; seeds, many, oblong. Planted 

ornamental. 3 (58795). 

Scoparia dulcis L. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Branched, subligneous, perennial herb, 

20 to 80 cm high, with wiry, angular-ribbed stems; leaves, 3 to 4 cm long and 1 to 1.5 

cm wide, opposite or whorled in threes, narrowly elliptic, oblong-obovate or oblan- 

ceolate, subsessile, distally serrulate or serrate, gland-dotted beneath; inflorescences, 

axillary, solitary, pedicellate; calyx 4-lobed nearly to base, lobes, imbricate; corolla, 5 to 

8 mm across, 4-lobed nearly to base, the lobes spreading, subequal, obtuse, white to pale 

blue or pale purple with a darker center, pubescent within; stamens 4, subequal, 

greenish; stigma, slender; ovary green; fruit, an ovoid or subglobose, 2-valved capsule; 

seeds, many, tuberculate or scrobiculate. Weed of waste places. 6(159), 8(9557). 

SOLANACEAE (Nightshade Family) 

Capsicum annuum L. var. annuum "chilli pepper", "red pepper" 

epeba (N); te beneka (K); tili, polo feuu (T) 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Erect, glabrous, annual or short-lived, much- 

branched perennial herb or subshrub, up about 1 m high; leaves, 1.5 to 12 cm long and 

0.5 to 7.5 cm wide, alternate, broadly lanceolate to ovate-elliptic or acute-acuminate, 

base cuneate or acute, thin, subglabrous; petioles, 0.5 to 2.5 cm long; inflorescences, 

usually solitary or paired, terminal, pendulous, but because of the form of branching 

appear somewhat axillary; pedicels, up to 1 or 1.5 cm long, usually 1 per node after first 

flowering; calyx, about 2 mm long, campanulate, shortly 5-dentate, 10-ribbed, persistent, 

usually enlarging to enclose the base of the fruit; corolla, 0.8 to 2 cm in diameter, rotate- 

campanulate with a very short tube, deeply 5- to 6-parted, white, sometimes with a 

greenish or bluish tinge; stamens, 5 to 6, inserted near base of corolla, anthers bluish or 

purplish drying green, dehiscing longitudinally, style simple, white or purple; fruit, 3 to 

AdlonPandt.0 to ccm \aride-&lang_ttowhglabromewhat irregularly shaped, ... _ 

wrinkled or twisted, a many-seeded pendent berry, with a leathery skin, green turning 

bright red when ripe, indehiscent, hot-spicy, pungent; seeds, 2 to 4 mm long, subor- 

bicular, compressed, pale yellow. Planted spice plant in expatriate garden at Meneng 

Terrace. Fruit used to spice food. 6, 7.

Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum (L.) Sendtn. "bell pepper", "sweet pepper", 

"sweet capsicum", "paprika", "pimento" PePa (TI 

syn. C. grossum L.; C. duke Hort. ex Dun. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Similar to C. annuum L. var. annuum, 

but bearing a larger, oblong to linear, almost quadrangular, or sometimes broadly 

ellipsoid-acuminate fruit, 6 to 14 cm long and 5 to 10 cm across, green to bright red or 

occasionally yellow, partially hollow, usually sweet and non-pungent. Food plant in 

Topside workshop gardens. Fruit eaten raw in salads and cooked as a green vegetable. 5, 

6. 

Capsicum frutescens L. " tabasco", "bird chilli", "perennial chilli" 

epeba (N); te beneka (K); tili, polo feuu (T) 

C. minimum Roxb. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Coarse, perennial, 

suffrutescent, much-branched subshrub, 0.6 to 2 m high, leaves, 2 to 9 cm long and 1 to 

4 cm wide, alternate, ovate-elliptical to ovate-lanceolate, acute-acuminate, base acute or 

obtuse, entire or slightly undulate, glabrous or slightly pubescent; petioles 1 to 3 cm 

long; inflorescences, terminal and axillary, commonly paired, sometimes more, long- 

pedicellate; pedicels, 1 to 2.5 cm long, 2 (rarely 3) per node after first flowering; calyx, 

2.5 to 3 mm long, tubular, shortly 5-dentate, persistent, usually enlarging to enclose the 

base of the fruit; corolla, 1 to 1.5 cm in diameter, deeply 5-lobed, white to greenish- 

white or purplish-white; stamens 5, anthers purple; fruit, 1 to 1.5 cm long and about 5 

mm across, ellipsoid-lanceolate, ellipsoid-ovoid or subconic, an erect, many-seeded 

berry, with a leathery skin, green or greenish-yellow turning bright red when ripe, 

indehiscent, hot-spicy, pungent; seeds, 2 to 3 mm long, suborbicular, compressed, pale 

yellow. Planted or protected in Tuvaluan garden at Location and in Topside Workshop 

gardens. Reportedly much more common in the past. Fruit used to spice foods. 6. 

Cestrum nocturnum L. "night cestrum" , "night flowering cestrum" , "night-flowering 

or night-blooming jasmine", "lady of the night" fafine o te po (T) 

Recent introduction. W. Indies. Rare. Erect, glabrous shrub, 2 to 5 m high; 

leaves, 7 to 20 cm long, spiralled, ovate-oblong to lanceolate-elliptic, petiolate; inflores- 

cences, cymose racemes longer than petioles; calyx, about one-third as long as the 

corolla, 5-toothed, green, persistent; corolla, 1.5 to 2.5 cm long, tubular, 5-lobed, 

narrowed at throat, widened at apex, with a small spreading limb, lobes, 5 to 6 mm long, 

- w A X t € % f C , ~ i ~ ~ ~ e ~ e r t f f ! - W 

extremely fragrant, mostly at night; stamens 5, included, puberulent at base; fruit, 6 to 

10 mm long, a subglobose berry, white, 1- to 3-seeded. Planted ornamental. 5(15), 6.

Datura metel L. 

syn. D. fastuosa L. 

"datura" , "cornucopia", "jimson weed" 

Recent introduction. S.E. Asia. Rare. Erect herb or subshrub, 1 to 2 m high; 

leaves, 4 to 25 cm long and 2 to 20 cm wide, narrowly ovate to angular-ovate, acute, 

base oblique, sinuate-repand to sinuately-lobed, major lobes 2 or 3 per side, glabrous to 

slightly puberulent; petiole, 1 to 16 cm long; inflorescences, solitary, terminal, single or 

double (or triple); pedicels, 8 to 15 min long, erect or nodding; calyx, 3 to 9 cm long, 

tubular, with 5 (-9) conspicuous longitudinal veins, usually 5-lobed, lobes 8 to 25 mm 

long, circumscissile after the anthesis; corolla, commonly 12 to 18 cm long, often double 

or triple, tubular, trumpet-like, 5-lobed, the lobes with acumens 1 to 2.5 cm long, purple 

without, pale lavender to white within; stamens 5, at apex of tube, anthers 1 to 2 cm 

long; style, 10 to 14 mm long; fruit, 3 to 4 cm in diameter, a capsule, deflexed, 

subglobose, prickly or spiny with 100 to 200 conical tubercules, each 2 to 5 mm long, 

irregularly dehiscent; seeds, 4 to 5 lnin long, many, compressed, yellow-brown. Planted 


Nicotiana tabacum L. 

te kaibake (K) 

"tobacco " 

Pre-World War I introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Coarse, erect herb up to 2 

m or higher; leaves, 30 to 60 cm long, spiralled, the lowest ones forming a rosette, 

oblong-ovate to lanceolate, acute, sometimes shortly-decurrent on stem, surfaces 

pubescent, subsessile; inflorescences in terminal racemose panicles, pubescent; calyx, 1 

to 2 cm long, tubular-campanulate, 5-lobed, accrescent, puberulent; corolla, 3 to 5 cm 

long, tubular, 5-lobed, lobes, ovate, puberulent, pink to red; stamens 5, included or 

slightly exserted, filaments puberulent at base; ovary glabrous; fruit, 15 to 17 mm long, a 

brown capsule with persistent calyx at base; seeds, numerous, minute, subreniform, 

tuberculate. Planted in home gardens; reportedly more common in the past. Leaves dried 

and cured for smoking. 3, 5, 6. 

Physalis angulata L. "cape gooseberry", "bladderberry", "ground cherry" 

watamo, oatamo (N); te baraki (K); pini (T) 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Common. Erect, nearly glabrous, 

branching annual herb, up to 80 cm or higher, with hollow angular-ribbed stems; leaves, 

3 to 14 cm long and 2.5 to 9 cm wide, alternate, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, acute- 

acuminate to obtuse, base obtuse or acute (somewhat asymmetrical), irregularly toothed 

or sinuate-entire, very short-puberulent on both sides; petioles, 2 to 11 cm long; 

i ~ ~ e n c e ~ ~ ~ c e l s , ~ E ~ q + k n r l P 

2.5 cm in fruit; calyx, 3 to 6 mm long, enlarging to 2 to 4 cm long in fruit, short- 

puberulent; corolla, 0.6 to 1 cin long, pale-yellow , yellowish-green near base, partly 

puberulent externally; stamens 5, 2.5 to 4 mm long, capitate; anthers, 1 to 2.5 mm long, 

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 

apical opening; seeds, about 1.7 mm long, flat, reniform, yellowish. Weed in low ground 

near Buada Lagoon, on road fill in currently mined areas, and in disturbed soil and 

dumps on coastal strip. Ripe fruit eaten by children. 2, 3(58645, 58768), 4(130N), 5(14), 

6, 7(2232l), 8(9541). 

Physalis lagascae R. & S. "ground cherry", "wild cape gooseberry", "bubble fruit" 

watamo, oatamo (N); te baraki(K); pini (T) 

syn. P. minima L. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Low, much-branched, somewhat 

sprawling annual herb; leaves, 1.5 to 6 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide, mostly alternate, 

oval-ovate, acute at both ends, margin entire or somewhat wavy, spreading pilose on both 

surfaces; petioles, 0.5 to 3 cm long, slender; inflorescences, solitary, axillary; pedicels, 2 

to 5 mm long, enlarging to 9 mm in fruit; calyx, short-spreading-pilose without, 

glabrescent, green, inflated, enclosing but free from fruit; corolla, 4 to 6 mm across, 

yellow, with a darker center with 5 very distinct brownish blotches; fruits, 5 to 7 mm in 

diameter, berrylike, sessile, enclosed in a papery, inflated, bag-like calyx, 12 to 25 mm 

long, ovoid acuminate, prominently 5-angled. Weed in low ground near Buada Lagoon. 

3 (5 8646). 

Solanum lycopersicum L. var. lycopersicum "tomato" 

te tomato (K); tomato (T) 

syns. Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.; L. lycopersicum (L.) Karst. 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect, pilose, glandular 

herb, 0.5 to 2 m high, with capitate hairs on the younger parts, slightly succulent, solid 

green stems, which sometimes becoming prostrate and spreading, a strong tap-root, and a 

distinctive strong odor; leaves, 10 to 30 cm long and 6 to 20 cm wide, spirally arranged, 

pinnate or bipinnate, with a terminal leaflet and equal or unequal smaller lateral leaflets 

alternating with larger leaflets; petiole, 3 to 6 cm long; larger leaflets (major pinnae) 7 to 

9, 5 to 10 cm long, opposite and/or alternate, usually irregularly toothed or incised, 

sometimes pinnatifid, puberulent; inflorescences, extra axillary (opposite or between the 

leaf axils), 4- to 12-flowered racemes, the individual flowers, about 2 cm in diameter, 

pendent; pedicels, 1 to 2 cm long; calyx, 5- to 8-lobed, sepals, about 1 cm long, slender, 

persistent, enlarging in fruit; corolla, about 1 cm long, rotate, 5- to 8-lobed, lobes, 

lanceolate, stellate, later reflexed, yellow; stamens, 5 to 8 or 10; anthers, 5 mm long, 

apical appendage 2 mm; ovary glabrous; fruit, 2 to 12 cm in diameter, subglobose, 

-- usually depressed at both ends, a 3 to 12-celled berry, bright red or yellowish when ripe, 

-- 

juicy, edible; seeds, many, 3 to 5 mm long and 2 to 4 mm wide, reniform, compressed, 

silvery-pubescen t, light brown or yellowish. Food plant at Location and in expatriate 

home gardens; spontaneous in waste heaps. 5, .

Solanum melongena L. "egg plant", "aubergine", "brinjal" 

Recent introduction. S. Asia. Rare. Erect, stellate-tomentose, weakly-perennial, 

branching herb or subshrub, 0.5 to 1.5 m high, the stems sometimes prickly and all parts 

covered with a gray tomentum; leaves, 6 to 25 cm long and 4 to 15 cm wide, alternate, 

ovate to elliptic oblong, obtuse to acute, base obtuse to subcordate, usually shallowly 

sinuately 2- to 4-lobed, both surfaces densely or sparingly stellate-tomentose; petioles, 1 

to 10 cm long; inflorescences, solitary or 2- to 5-flowered cymes, opposite to subopposite 

the leaf axils, the lower flowers bisexual the upper ones male; pedicels, 1 to 3 cm long, 

elongating and enlarging in fruit; calyx, about 2 cm long, narrowly 5- to 7-lobed, lobes, 

1 to 1.5 cm long, acuminate, enlarging and sometimes splitting in fruit, stellate-hairy, 

persistent; corolla, 3 to 5 cm in diameter, 5- to 6-lobed, campanulate, lobes about the 

length of the tube, broadly-triangular, incuwed, hairy beneath, glabrous within, pale 

violet to purplish-violet; stamens, 5 to 6, about 1 cm long, free erect, yellow, with short 

filaments; anthers, 5 to 8 mm long, yellow; fruit, 5 to 30 cm long and 3 to 8 cm across, 

pendent, highly variable in shape depending on the cultivar, subglobose, oblong, 

cylindric or obovoid or pyriform, a fleshy berry with leathery skin, smooth, shiny, 

purple-black to purple, white, yellowish or striped; seeds, many, compressed, pale 

yellow or light brown, Food plant in home gardens. 5, 6. 

Solanum tuberosum L. "potato", "Irish potato" 

Recent introduction. S. America-Andes Mts. Rare. Branched, sprawling annual 

herb, up to 1 m high, with a mass of fine, fibrous, adventitious roots and swollen stem 

tubers borne on underground stolons; leaves, 10 to 25 cm long, pinnate, with small 

interjected leaflets between larger leaflets (main pinnae); larger leaflets, 5 to 9, ovate; 

inflorescences, leaf-opposed, few-flowered cymose panicles; peduncles, 5 to 10 cm long; 

calyx lobes, 5 to 8 mm long, lanceolate; corolla, about 2 cm in diameter, subrotate, 

white or pale violet to purple or bluish; fruit, 1.5 to 2 cm in diameter, subglobose, a 

small inedible berry; seeds, suborbicular to subreniform, green or yellowish. Immature 

food plant at Location. 5, 6, 7. 

STERCULIACEAE (Cocoa Family) 

Waltheria indica L. 

syns. W. americana L. ; W. elliptica Cav. 

" waltheria" 

Recent introduction. Pantropical. Occasional. Downy perennial subshrub, 0.3 to 1 

- -- - 

m high, with erect, branched tomentose Gems and woody near base; leaves, 1 to 6 cm 

long Hnd 0.5 to 3 cm wide, alternate, ovate-oblong, crenate or serrate, velvety-pubescent 

with mixed stellate and simple hairs, prominently veined; petioles, about 1 to 1.5 cm 

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; 

corolla, slightly longer than calyx, 5-lobed, clawed, yellowish-orange to yellow, 

persistent; stamens 5, connate at base; ovary, 1-celled, sessile; fruit, a 2-valved capsule; 

seeds 1, rarely 2, exalate. Weed in waste places, vacant lots and ruderal habitats on 

coastal strip. 3(58668), 4(112N), 5(5, 109a), 6, 7(22301), 8(9599). 

Suriana maritirna L. 

gie" , gie cool? (T) 

SURIANACEAE 

Indigenous. Pantropical. Rare. Shrub or small tree with pubescent young growth, 

1 to 4 m high, often dwarfed and wind-trimmed when exposed to salt spray; leaves, 1.5 

to 3 cm long and 2 to 6 mm wide, alternate, crowded, narrowly obovate-oblong or 

linear-spathulate, acute, base decurrent, very short-petiolate; inflorescences, axillary 

racemose clusters; bracts, green, persistent; calyx, 5-lobed, persistent; corolla, 5-lobed, 

petals, about 8 mm long, imbricate, yellow; stamens 10; fruit, a 5-parted, 5-angled 

capsule, pubescent, brownish, enclosed in persistent calyx, Rare coastal plant. 7(27820) 

Muntingia calabura L. 

bin (bean)(N) 

TILIACEAE (Linden Family) 

"Panama cherry", "Panama berry" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Small pubescent tree, 3 to 12 m 

high, with tiered, slightly drooping branches; leaves, 5 to 10 cm long and 2 to 3.5 cm 

wide, alternate, crowded, oblong-acuminate, obliquely subcordate, strongly asymmetrical, 

thin, serrulate, sticky-pubescent, soon wilting; stipules, about 5 mm long, linear, paired, 

unequal, caducous; inflorescences, supra-axillary, 1 or few-flowered clusters; pedicels, 

about 2 to 3 cm long; calyx, 5 (rarely 6 or 7)-parted, sepals, about 1 cm long, lan- 

ceolate-caudate, tomentose-hirsute; corolla, 5-parted, petals about 12 to 13 mm long, 

broadly spathulate-deltoid, white or pink-tinged; stamens about 75, yellow; filaments, 

about 6 mm long, slender, distinct, white; anthers, small, rounded, yellow; fruit, 1 to 1.5 

cm in diameter, subglobose, berry-like (baccate), 5-celled, light-red to yellowish, sweet, 

juicy, edible; seeds, many, about 0.5 mm long, elliptic, grayish-yellow, embedded in 

~~~ o r r t ~ h i t t ~ ~ ~ ~ - e 

interior Baiti District. Ripe fruit eaten as a snack food, primarily by children. 3(58752), 

4(139N), 5(91), 6, 7.

Triumfetta procumbens F0rst.f. "beach burr" 

ikiau, ikiow, igiau, giau (B)(N); te kiaou (K); tolotolo, kiaou (T) 

syn. T. fabreona Gaud. 

Indigenous. Paleotropics. Rare. Pubescent prostrate subshrub with long-trailing, 

densely-stellate pubescent branches up to 3 m long; leaves, 1.5 to 6 cm long and nearly 

as wide, alternate, broadly ovate to suborbicular or shallowly 3-lobed, rounded to obtuse, 

base rounded to subcordate, crenate-serrate, densely stellate-woolly beneath, palmately 5- 

to 7-nerved; petioles, up to 6 cin long; inflorescences, axillary, pedunculate, subumbel- 

late clusters; calyx, 5-lobed, with a cornate protuberance at tip; corolla, 10 to 12 mm 

across, 5-parted, petals bright yellow; stamens, numerous and distinct; fruit, 6 to 12 mm 

in diameter, subglobose, spiny, burr-like, stellate-pubescent. Growing along coastal strip 

and in open areas in coastal thickets. Probably incorrectly reported as T. semitriloba 

Jacq. by Burgess in 1935. Juice from crushed leaves used medicinally to cure filariasis 

and fever, to retard hair from falling out, and for a gelatinous post-natal medicine which 

is drunk by mothers to help rid them of afterbirth; crushed leaves and stems also mixed 

with toddy (kera.wa.i) and used as poultices on boils. 1, 2, 4(11 IN), 5(109), 6, 7(27803). 

URTICACEAE (Nettle Family) 

Laportea ruderalis (F0rst.f.) Chew 

luna, aluna, pakisikisi (T) 

syns. Urtica ruderalis Forst. f. ; Fleurya. ruderalis (Forst. f.) Gaud. ex Wedd. ; 

Schykowskya. rudera.1i.s (Forst. f.) Endl. ; Boehmeria paniculata Gaud. ; 

Fleurya. panicu1a.ta Gaud. 

Indigenous. Malayo-Pacific. Rare. Erect, un- or few-branched, slightly fleshy, 

glabrous herb, up to 40 cm high; leaves, 1.5 to 8 cm long and 1 to 4 cm long, alternate, 

obtuse, obtuse or acute, base truncate or subcordate, coarsely crenate; petiole, as long as 

blade; inflorescences, axillary, pedicellate, in open paniculate clusters, shorter than 

petiole; male flowers, 4-rarely, 3- or 5-merous; female flowers, 4-merous, perianth with 

unequal lobes; fruit, obliquely ovate, an achene partly enclosed in the persistent perianth. 

Growing in shady areas near caves and in moist habitats at the base of the limestone 

escarpment. 5(99), 6, 7(27809). 

Pellionia sp. 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia. Small, creeping, succulent, perennial herb; 

leaves, 2.5 to 7 cm long, oval, attractive, variegated with combinations of purple, light 

green, bronzy-green or gray depending on the species and cultivar; inflorescences, 

inconspicuous, greenish. Pot plant. 6.

Pilea cardieri Gagn. & Guill. "aluminum plant" 

Recent introduction. Vietnam. Occasional. Erect, branching, somewhat succulent 

when young, perennial herb, up to 40 cm high, with somewhat 4-angled stems and 

swollen internodes; leaves, up to 9 cm long and 5 cm wide, ovate, paired, dentate near 

apex, dark-green with silvery blotches above, light green beneath; petioles, 2 to 3 cm 

long; inflorescences, axillary, long-pedicellate, globose clusters; perianth segments, dull 

white or slightly pink-tinged. Pot plant. 5, 6. 

Pilea microphylla (L.) Liebm. "artillery plant" 

syns. Parietaria nzicrophylla L. ; Pilea muscosa Lindl. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Occasional. Low, delicate, much-branched, 

succulent, glabrous, perennial herb, up to 30 cm high, with tender greenish or purplish 

stems; leaves, 3 to 6 lnm long and 1 to 2 mm wide, opposite, 2-ranked, crowded, elliptic 

to spathulate or obovate; inflorescences, axillary, cymose clusters; individual flowers, 

minute, unisexual, minute, greenish, sometimes red-tinged; female flowers, 3-tepaled, 

tepals, unequal; stamens, opening explosively. Weed in pot plants and under planted 

ornamentals. 3(58713), 5(8), 6, 7. 

Pilea nurnmularifolia (Sw.) Wedd. "creeping Charlie" 

Recent introduction. Tropical America. Occasional. Creeping perennial herb, up 

to 20 cm high, rooting at the nodes; leaves, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, oval, crenate, 

succulent, pubescent, 3-veined from base; inflorescences, rose-red. Pot plant; ground 

cover in shaded areas. 5, 6. 

VERBENACEAE (Verbena Family) 

Clerodendrum inerme L. var. oceanicuni A. Gray "beach privet" 

eamwiye, eamwije, eyamwiye, eyamwije (N); te inato (K); inato (T) 

syns. Volkumeria intv-mis L. ; Clerodendrum nereifolium Wal. ; C. commersonii 

(Poir.) Spreng. 

Indigenous. Indomalaysia, Australia and the Pacific Is. Common. Erect, trailing 

or scrambling, sometimes shrubby, glabrous perennial, up to S m high; leaves, 3 to 13 

cm long and 1 to 7 cm wide, opposite, or sometimes in whorls of 3, elliptic to obovate 

or narrowly lanceolate, short-acuminate or cuspidate to somewhat blunt, base acute, 

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; 

inflorescences, axillary, supra-axillary or pseudoterminal, 3- to 12-flowered cymose 

clusters; peduncle, 1 to 4 cm long, slender, subglabrate; pedicels, 3 to 6 mm long; 

bracteoles, small, few; calyx, 4 to 6 mm long, campanulate, subtruncate and minutely 5- 

denticulate, enlarging somewhat as fruit matures; corolla, up to 3.5 cm long, hypocrateri- 

form or slender-tubular, 5-lobed, lobes, 5 to 8 mm long, ovate, subequal, somewhat 

expanded distally, bluntly acute at apex, glabrous white or pinkish along tube, fragrant; 

stamens 4, 1 cm long, exserted, inrolled in bud, filaments red, purple or pinkish; 

anthers, yellow; style, exserted to 20 mm, purple to rich pink distally, paler proximally; 

fruit, about 1 to 1.5 cm in diameter, obovoid, drupaceous, separating into four 1-seeded 

nutlets, yellow-green to dark-brown, turning black at maturity, subtended by a indurate, 

striate-venose calyx; seeds, oblong. Abundant on limestone cliffs and pinnacles, forming 

luxuriant curtains near edge of escarpment and on parts of coastal strip in Anetan 

District; occasionally a planted ornamental. Fragrant flowers used in garlands; leaves 

reportedly pounded and used as a cure for leprosy in the past (cure reportedly received in 

a dream). 2, 3(58664), 4(103N, 166N), 5, 6, 7(27817). 

Clerodendrum ,paniculatum L. "pagoda flower" 

Recent introduction. E. Trop. Asia. Rare. Perennial shrub, up to 1 to 2 m high, 

with medullose to hollow, bluntly quadrangular branchlets, the nodes with a broad band 

of hairs; leaves, 4 to 15 (-40) by 7 to 20 (-38) cm, opposite, broadly ovate, prominently 

3 to-7-lobed or the uppermost ones entire, base cordate, the lobes acute to short-acu- 

minate and remotely dentate to crenate or entire, thin chartaceous to membranaceous, 

minutely strigillose to glabrous above, squatnose with peltate scales beneath; inflorescen- 

ces, axillary or terminal, many-flowered panicles, up to 45 cm long and broad; pedicels, 

4 to 15 mm long, filifortn, reddish; calyx, 3 to 5 mm long, campanulate, deeply-divided, 

red to orange-red; corolla, hypocrateriform or narrow-tubular, the tube, up to 2 cm long, 

slender, the limb spreading to 1 cm across, orange-red to vivid scarlet (rarely white), 

puberulent; stamens and style exserted 2.5 to 3.5 cm beyond corolla throat; fruit, 

drupaceous, greenish-blue to black at maturity. Planted ornamental. 5, 6(235), 7. 

Clerodendrum thomsoniae Balf. f. "bleeding heart" 

Recent introduction. W. Africa. Rare. Perennial shrub or climbing vine, up to 3 

m or higher, with slender, distally 4-angled and terete proximal branchlets and twining 

older branches; leaves, 5 to 15 cm long and 2.5 to 7 cm wide, elliptic to elliptic-ovate, 

acute to short-acuminate, base subcordate to subacute or rounded, glabrate on both 

surfaces or puberulent on venation; petioles, 8 to 30 mm long; inflorescences, terminal or 

--disra~aXlllary,cymo~usters, to i2--by i 3 cm-uncies, 2.StoE5TICij5 

slender; pedicels, 7 to 16 mm long, slender; calyx, 2 to 2.7 cm long, deeply 4- to 5- 

lobed, lobes sharply acute, pale yellow-green, becoming white or pinkish in flower, redviolet 

in fruit, prominently veined; corolla, 2.2 cm long, hypocrateriform or tubular, the

tube, 1.5 to 2.5 cm long, slender, greenish-red, 5-lobed, lobes up to 1 cm long, deep red 

to scarlet or crimson distally, the limb spreading or reflexed, to 2 cm broad; stamens and 

style, long-exserted, pale green; fruit, a drupe, glossy, black, with a brilliant red aril 

uniting the 4 pyrenes; seeds, 4, nutlets. Planted ornamental. 3(58794), 5, 6, 7(27817). 

Duranta repens L. "golden dewdrops", "golden eardrops" 

D. erecta L. ; D. plumieri Jacq. 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Erect perennial shrub or small tree, up 

to 4 m or higher, with slender, arching, drooping or trailing branchlets and sometimes 

bearing axillary or suppressed spines; leaves, 1.5 to 7 cm long and 0.5 to 4 cm wide, 

opposite or in whorls of 3, elliptic or ovate, rarely elliptic-obovate, obtuse to acute to 

acuminate or apiculate, base cuneate, entire or distally serrate, usually thin-textured, 

glabrate on both surfaces; petioles, 1 to 8 mm long, slender; inflorescences, axillary or 

terminal, erect or recurved, loose, many-flowered paniculate clusters or racemes, 5 to 30 

cm long; pedicels, 1 to 5 mm long; bracteoles, minute or occasionally subfoliaceous; 

calyx, 3 to 4.5 mm long at anthesis, tubular, angular, minutely toothed or subulate; 

corolla, about 8 mm long, surpassing calyx by about 2 to 5 mm, tubular, 5-lobed, 7 to 

14 mm across the limb, pale purple to bluish-purple, 2 slightly smaller lobes with a 

purple stripe and 3 slightly larger plain lobes, fragrant, puberulent on both surfaces; 

stamens 4; fruit, 6 to 12 mm in diameter, a globose, 8-seeded drupe, juicy, yellow to 

orange, enclosed by the enlarged, curved-beaked, yellowish calyx. Planted ornamental. 5, 

6, 7. 

Lantana camara L. var. aculeata (L.) Mold. 

magiroa (N); te kai buaka (K); kaipuaka (T) 

"lantana" 

- _ 

Pre-World War I1 introduction . Trop. America. Occasional. Erect or rambling, 

more or less pungent-odorous, perennial shrub, 1 to 5 m high, the stems and branches 

usually armed with short, recurved prickles; leaves, 2 to 12 cm long and 2 to 6 cm wide, 

opposite, decussate or whorled, ovate to oblong-ovate, acute to short-acuminate, base 

abruptly rounded and cuneate, crenate-serrate, stiff chartaceous, reticulate-rugose and 

scabrous above, downy or hispid,below, pinnately nerved, spicy pungent if rubbed; 

petioles 0.7 to 2 cm long; inflorescences, axillary, crowded, hemispherical, manyflowered, 

corymbose heads, 2 to 4 cm across; peduncle, 2 to 9 cm long, slender; 

bracteoles, 4 to 9 mm long and 1 to 1.5 cm wide, oblong to lanceolate, acute to subulate 

at apex; calyx, about 3 mm long, 2-lobed, inconspicuous; corolla, 10 to 12 mm long, 

tubular or hypocrateriform, 4 to 5-lobed, 5 to 8 mm across the limb, pubescent internally 

_)-) white pink, orange and red with a darker ey-e, the youngest flowers central, pale, the--_older 

flowers orange, the oldest ones red (or white); stamens 4; fruit, 3 to 4 mm in 

diameter, a fleshy, slightly juicy drupe, purple-black; seeds 1, a 2-celled pyrene with an 

air cavity between the cells. Planted ornamental; naturalized in ruderal sites and in 

unmined open plateau forest; occasional in older revegetated strip-mined sites. Flowers

-- 

used in garlands. The first Nauruan to plant lantana was reportedly a woman by the name 

of Magiroa who stole it from a garden of an expatriate British Phosphate Company 

employee, hence the Nauruan name. 2, 3(58599, 58798), 4(101N), 5(42), 6, 7, 8(9563). 

Lantana camara L. var. "drap d'or" "cloth of gold lantana" 

Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Cultivar with single-colored yellow 

flowers. Planted ornamental. 3, 6. 

Premna serratifolia L. "premna" 

idibiner, idibinerr (N); te ango (K); aloalo, valovalo, te ango (T) 

syns. P. obtusifolia R. Br.; P. gaudichaudii Schauer; P. mariannarum Gaud. ex 

Schauer; P. in.regrifolia L.; P. tairensis Schauer; P. corymbosa (Burm.f.) 

Rottl. & Willd. ; P. alba Lam. ; P. an.gustifolia Lam. ; P. paulobarbata 

Lam. 

Indigenous. Indopacific. Common. Small, nearly glabrous shrub or small tree, up 

to 5 m or higher, with minutely puberulent youngest branches; leaves, 2 to 15 cm long 

and 1 to 9 cm wide, opposite, elliptic to oblong-ovate or suborbicular, subacuminate to 

blunt, sometimes short-mucronate, base rounded or obtuse to subcordate, chartaceous, 

shiny, usually ventrally concave, glabrate or minutely puberulent dorsally on nerves, 4 to 

7 pairs of lateral nerves; petioles 0.5 to 6 cm long; inflorescences, terminal, sometimes 

also axillary, richly-branched, many-flowered, corymbose clusters, 3 to 10 cm or more 

across; peduncles, up to 2 cm long; pedicels, up to 1 mm long; bracts, to 5 mm long, 

paired at each node, subulate to narrowly lanceolate, persistent; calyx, 1.5 to 2 mm long 

at anthesis, cupular, bilabiate, minutely 4- to 5-toothed or subtruncate, minutely puberu- 

lent on both surfaces; corolla, 2.5 to 4 mm long, tubular or short-hypocrateriform to 

subrotate, tube up to 2.5 cm long, 4- to 5-lobed, somewhat bilabiate, the longest lobe to 

1.5 cm long, greenish; stamens 4 or rarely 5, 1.2 to 2.4 mm long, 2 longer, 2 shorter, 

very slightly exserted or included; fruit, 2 to 4 mm across, subglobose, glabrous, green 

turning purple-black at maturity. Common tree on coastal strip and in escarpment forest; 

common in home gardens. Timber used for house rafters in the past; wood considered to 

be among the best firewood for cooking pandanus; leaves boiled with coconut oil to scent 

it; flowers used in garlands; young leaves used as poultices to help wounds heal. 1(49.R), 

2(8.5), 3(58597, 58633), 5, 6, 7(27810). 

Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl "Jamaica vervain", "blue rat's tail" 

edidubai, edidubaiy (N); te uti ("lice")(K) 

syns. Verbena jamaicensis L. ; Stachytarpheta indica (L.) Vahl 

Pre-World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Extinct? Erect, sparsely- 

branching perennial subshrub, up to about 1 in high; leaves, 4 to 11 cm long and 2.5 to 5

- 

cm wide, opposite, elliptic-oblong, acute or subobtuse, distally crenate-serrate, decurrent 

on the petiole, flat, pale, somewhat glossy, silvery- or irridescent-green, lateral nerves 

not prominent dorsally; inflorescences, erect, elongated purplish spikes, 15 to 40 cm 

long; individual flowers, axillary to a bract, a few opening at a time, evanescent and 

soon caducous, sessile; bracts, 4 to 5 mm long, with a scarious margin; calyx, dorsally 

compressed, 4- to 5-toothed; corolla, 5 to 10 mm long and 4 to 12 mm wide tubular, 5- 

lobed, pubescent internally, pale violet to purple or whitish; fertile stamens 2, included; 

fruit, 4 to 5 lnln long, 2-segmented, enclosed in the calyx. Weed reported present by 

Burges in 1935, but not reported since. 2. 

Stachytarpheta urticifolia Sims "blue rat tail", "false verbena" 

edidubai, edidubaiy (N) ; te uti ("liceW)(K) 

syn. C)lmburus urticifolius Salisb. 

Pre World War I1 introduction. Trop. America. Common. Erect, sparsely- 

branching perennial subshrub, 0.5 to 1.5 m high; leaves, 4 to 12 cm long and 2 to 7.5 

cm wide, opposite, decussate, ovate-elliptic or ovate, acute or subobtuse, base cuneate- 

decurrent, distally crenate-serrate, leaf teeth ciliate, rich green, subglossy, pinnately 

nerved, lateral nerves prominent dorsally, bullate (convex between the veins); inflores- 

cences, erect, elongated, greenish spikes, 14 to 50 cm long, bearing numerous flowers in 

groove-like depressions on the rachis; peduncle up to 3 cm long; individual flowers, 

axillary to a bract, a few opening at a time, evanescent and soon caducous, sessile; 

bracts, 4 to 7 lnln long, erect, lanceolate, aristate at apex; calyx, 5 to 7 mm long, 

dorsally compressed, 4- to 5-toothed; corolla, up to 8 mm long, tubular, 5-lobed, 

pubescent internally, medium violet to dark blue-violet; fertile stamens 2, included, 

white; style, white; fruit, 2-segmented pyrene, enclosed in a persistent calyx. Common 

weed in waste places and ruderal habitats, especially along roadsides. Mature dried black 

fruits reportedly eaten by some children. 3(58632), 4(109N), 5(12), 6, 7, 8(9543). 

Vitex negundo L. var. bicolor (Willd.) H.J. Lam 

dagaidu, dogaidu (N); te kaitu? (K) 

syn. V. trifolia. L. var. bicolor (Willd.) Mold. 

"blue vitex" 

Indigenous. E. Africa to the Pacific Is. Occasional. Erect, aromatic, freely- 

branching shrub or small tree, 1.5 to 8 m high, with 4-angled puberulent branches; 

leaves, opposite, 3- to 5- (rarely 7-) foliate; leaflets, oblong-elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 

acute to subacuminate, the central one longest, up to 11 cm and 3 cm wide, with 

petiolules up to 1 to 2 cm long, the other leaflets smaller on shorter petiolules, pinnately 

nerved, dark above, densely white-tornentose beneath, aromatic; petioles, 2.5 to 6 cm 

ry, rrdrrmv, brarrctrmg, 

clusters; calyx, about 3 lnln long, 5-toothed, gray-puberulent; corolla, about 4 mm long, 

bilabiate, 5-lobed, blue-violet, puberulent; filaments and style blue to purple; fruit, 5 to 6 

mm long, subglobose drupe, 1-seeded, black. Occasional in some forest stands on coastal

strip in low-lying areas near base of escarpment and in some home gardens. Branches 

used for fishing rods for small fish; flowers and leaves used in garlands and other body 

ornamentation; seeds used to make garlands; young leaves and meristem crushed with 

coconut oil as a cure for fever blisters; juice of fruit drunk as a cure for fits and 

convulsion. 2, 3(58635), 4(119N), 5(19, 56), 6, 7, 8(9584). 

VITACEAE (Grape Family) 

Cissus sp. "cissus" 

Recent introduction. Trop. Asia? Rare. Thick-stemmed vine; leaves, cordate; 

flowers not seen. Planted ornamental. 6. 

Vitis vinifera L. "grape" 

Recent introduction. S . E. Europe to India. Rare. Tendril-bearing, woody vine; 

leaves, 5 to 10 cm across, subcordate in outline, usually palmately lobed, usually serrate, 

more or less glabrate above, white- or reddish-tomentose beneath; inflorescences, leaf- 

opposed panicles; flowers bisexual and male, 5-merous; calyx, subtruncate; corolla, 5- 

parted, petals coherent distally, the calyptra caducous before full anthesis; fruit, 1 to 2 

cm in diameter, and ovoid to suglobose, 2- to 4-seeded berry, juicy, edible; seeds, 

rostrate at base, light brown. Single immature plant at Location. 5, 6.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

- -- 

Alkire, W. H. 1974. ~umbers ofplant, iniEEidlandblrdspecies-m1.ilmeteerrremoteislands 

in the southern hemisphere. Journal of the Linnaean Society: Biology 

6: 143-152. 

Bellwood, P. 1978. Man's con,quest of the Pacific: The prehistory of southeast Asia and 

Oceania. William Collins, Auckland. 

Bryan, E.H. Jr. 1972. Lijie in the Marshall Islands. Pacific Science Information Center, 

Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu. 

Carter, J. (ed.). 198 1. Pacific islands yearbook (14th edition). Pacific Publications, 

Sydney. 

- . 1984. Pacific islands yearbook (1 5th edition). Pacific Publications, Sydney. 

Catala, R. L. A. 1957. Report on the Gilbert Islands: Some aspects of human ecology. 

Atoll Research Bulletin No. 59: 1 - 187. 

Christophersen, E. 1927. Vegetation of Paczfic equatorial islands. Bulletin 44. Bernice P. 

Bishop Museum, Honolulu. 

Coyne, T. (J. Badcock, and R. Taylor, eds.) 1984. The effect of urbanization and 

western diet on the health of Pacific isla-nd populations. Technical paper no. 186. 

South Pacific Commission, Noumea. 

Dahl, A.L. 1980. Regional ecosystems survey of the south PaciJic area. Technical paper 

no. 179. South Pacific Commission, Noumea. 

Douglas, Norman and Ngaire Douglas. 1989. PaciJic islands yearbook (16th edition). 

Angus and Robertson, North Ryde, Australia. 

Fosberg, F.R. 1952. Vegetation of central Pacific atolls, a brief summary. Atoll Research 

Bulletin 23: 1-25. 

- . 1960. The vegetation qf Micron.esia. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural 

History 1 l9(l): 1-75. 

- 

. 1965. The island ecosystem. In Fosberg, F.R. (ed.), Man's place in the island 

ecosystem: A symposium. Bernice P. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. Pp. 1-6. 

- - 

.-

. c. 1972. Phytogeography of Micronesian mangroves. Smithsonian Institution, 

Washington, D.C. 

. - --- . . . .- - -. - -- - 

- . 1988. Vegetation of Bikini Atoll. Atoll Research Bulletin 3 15: 1-28. 

Fosberg, F.R., and M. Evans. 1969. A collection of plants from Fais, Caroline Islands. 

Atoll Research Bulletin 133 : 1 - 15. 

Fosberg, F.R., D. Otobed, M.-H. Sachet, R.L. Oliver, D.A. Powell, and J.E. Canfield, 

1980. Vascular plants of Palau with vernacular names. Department of Botany, 

Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. 

Fosberg, F.R., G. Paulay, T. Spencer, and R. Oliver. 1989. New collection and notes on 

the plants of Henderson, Pitcairn, Oeno, and Ducie Islands. Atoll Research 

Bulletin 329: 1- 18. 

Fosberg, F.R., and M.-H. Sachet. 1987 Flora of the Gilberts, checklist. Atoll Research 

Bulletin No. 29: 1-30. 

Fosberg, F.R., M.-H. Sachet, and R. Oliver. 1979. A geographical list of the Micro- 

nesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15(1-2):4 1-295. 

. 1982. Geographical checklist of the Micronesian Pteridophyta and gymnosperms. 

Micronesica 18(1):23-82. 

. 1987. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian Monocotyledonae. Micronesica 

20(1-2): 19-130. 

Fosberg, F.R., M.-H. Sachet, and D.R. Stoddart. 1983. Henderson Island (South eastern 

Polynesia): Summary of current knowledge. Atoll Research Bulletin 272: 1-47. 

Good, R. 1947. The geography qfflowering plants. Longman, Green and Co., London. 

Griffiths, T. 1923. Report of the Administration of Nauru during the year 1922. Govern- 

ment Printer, Melbourne. 

Guerin, M, 1982. The flora of the atolls of French Polynesia. In Lambert, M. (ed.), 

Regional technica.1 meeting on atoll cultivation, Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia, 

14-19 April 1980: Collected papers. Technical paper no. 180. South Pacific 

Commission, Noumea. Pp. 77-89. 

Haselwood, E.L. and G.G. Motter (eds.). 1976. Handbook of Hawaiian weeds. Lyon 

Arboretum Association, Honolulu.

Hay, R., F.R. McQuown, G. Beckett, and K. Beckett. 1974. The dictionary of indoor 

plants in colour. Peerage Books, London. 

.- . -- -. . - 

Henderson, C.P. and I.R. Hancock. 1989. A guide to the usefil plants of Solomon 

Islandrs. Research Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 

Henty, E.E. and G.S. Pritchard. 1973. Weeds of New Guinea and their control. Botany 

Bulletin No. 7. Division of Botany, Department of Forests, Lae, Papua New 

Guinea. 

Herklots, G.A.C. 1972. Vegetables in South-east Asia. George Allen and Unwin, 

London. 

Kanehira, R. 1933. Flora Micronesica. Southseas Bureau Under the Japanese Mandate, 

Tokyo. 

Luomala, K. 1953. Ethnobotany of the Gilbert Islands. Bulletin 213. Bernice P. Bishop 

Museum, Honolulu. 

Macoboy, S. 1969. Whatflower is that? Summit Books, Sydney. 

- . 1979. What tree is that? Ure Smith, Sydney. 

Manner, H. I. 1987. Atoll flora and vegetation. Alafia Agricultural Bulletin 12 (3): 67-80. 

Manner, H.I., R.R. Thaman, and D.H. Hassall. 1984. Phosphate-mining induced 

vegetation changes on Nauru Island. Ecology 65(5): 1454-1465. 

- . 1985. Plant succession after phosphate mining on Nauru. Australian Geographer 

16: 185-195. 

Massal, E. and J. Barrau. 1956. Food plants of the south sea islands. Technical paper 

no. 94. South Pacific Commission, Noumea. 

Merrill, E.D. 1945. Plant lve of the Pacij7c world. Macmillan, New York. 

Morrison, R.J. 1987a. Chemistry and classification of Pacific low atoll soils. Alafia 

Agricultuml Bulletin 12 (3):25-30. 

- 

. 1987b. Comments on the soils of Nauru. Unpublished paper prepared for the 

Commission of Inquiry into Rehabilitation of the Worked-out Phosphate Lands in 

Nauru. Institute of Natural Resources, University of the South Pacific, Suva.

Mueller-Dombois, D. 1975. Some aspects of island ecosystem analysis. In Golley, P.B. 

and E. Medina (eds.), Coastal ecological systems -trends in aquatic and terrestrial 

- -refeattcF,. VO!. ! . G&legtGal- 

'~-a-Cnt;no er- . 

Verlag, New York. Pp. 353-366. 

Neal, M.C. 1965. In gardens of Hawaii. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication 

50. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 

Overy, R., I. Polunin, and D.W Wimblett. 1982. Some plants of Kiribati: An illustrated 

list. National Library and Archives, Tarawa. 

Parham, B.E.V. 1971. The vegetation of the Tokelau Islands with special reference to 

the plants of Nukunonu Atoll. New Zealand Journal of Botany 9(4):576-609. 

. 1972. Plants of Samoa. Information series No. 85. Botany Division, Department of 

Scientific and Industrial Research, Wellington. 

Parham, J.W. 1972. Plants of the Fiji Islands (revised edition). Government Printer, 

Suva. 

Paulay, G., and T. Spencer. 1989. Vegetation of Henderson Island. Atoll Research 

Bulletin 328: 1 - 13. 

Purseglove, J. W. 1972. Tropical crops: Monocotyledons (Volumes I and 2 combined). 

English Language Book Society and Longman, Harlow. 

. 1974. Tropical crops: Dicotyledons (Volumes I and 2 combined). English Language 

Book Society and Longman, Harlow. 

Rotar, P.P. 1968. Grasses of Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. 

St. John, H. 1973. List and summary of the flowering plants in the Hawaiian Islands. 

Memoir number 1. Pacific Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai. 

St. John, H., and W.R. Philipson. 1962. An account of the flora of Henderson Island, 

South Pacific Ocean. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zeuland: Botany 

l(14): 175-194. 

Small, C.A. 1972. Atoll agriculture in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Department of 

Agriculture, Tarawa. 

Smith, A.C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: A new flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only). Vol. 

1. Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii.

- . 1981. Flora Vitiensis nova: A new flora of Fiji (spermatophytes only). Vol. 2. 

Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. 

- -- .- - -- .- -. . .- 







Speake, J.D., T. W. Cutress, and M.E. Ball. 1979. The Prevalence of dental caries and 

the concentration of fluoride in enamel of children in Paczfic Islands. Technical 

paper 178. South Pacific Commission, Noumea. 

Stemmermann, L. 1981. A guide to Pacific wetland plants. U. S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, Honolulu. 

Stone, B. C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6 (complete): 1-659. 

Sykes, W.R. 1970. Contributions to the flora of Niue. Bulletin 200. New Zealand 

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Wellington. 

Taylor, R.J. 1983. Nauruan mortality, 1976-1981 and a review of previous mortality. 

South Pacific Commission, Noumea. 

Thaman, R.R. 1982. Deterioration of traditional food systems, increasing malnutrition 

and food dependency in the Pacific islands. Journal of Food and Nutrition 

39(3): 109-121. 

- . 1983. Food for urbanizing Polynesian peoples. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 

of New Zealand 8:26-37. 

- . 1985. Pacific islands health and nutrition: Trends and areas for action. In Development 

and Change: Issue Papers. (Pacific Islands Conference, Rarotonga, Cook 

Islands, August 1985). Pacific Islands Development Programme (PIDP), East- 

West Centre, Honolulu. Pp. 111 1-27. 

- . 1987a. Urban agroforestry: The Pacific Islands and beyond. Unasylva 39(155):2-13. 

- 

. 1987b. Plants of Kiribati: A listing and analysis of vernacular names. Atoll Re- 

search Bulletin 296: 1-42.

- . 1988a. Health and Nutrition in the Pacific Islands: Development or Underdevelopment. 

GeoJournal 16(2):211-227. 

. 1988b. By the people and for the people: Home gardening and national develop- 

ment in the Pacific Islands. In Hurst, J., Overton, J., Allen, B. and Byron, Y. 

(eds.), Small scale agriculture. Commonwealth Geographical Bureau, London and 

Department of Human Geography, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian 

National University, Canberra. Pp. 167- 182. 

. 1992. Vegetation of Nauru and the Gilbert Islands: Case studies of poverty, 

degradation, disturbance, and displacement. Pacijk Science 46(2): 128- 158. 

Thaman, R.R., H.I. Manner, and D.C. Hassall. 1985. Nauruan plant names. Environ- 

mental studies report no. 21. Institute of Natural Resources, The University of the 

South Pacific, Suva. 

Turbot, J. 1954. Portulaca, a speciality in the diet of the Gilbertese in the Phoenix 

Islands. Journal of the Polynesian Society 63(1). 

Tyrer, T.G. 1963. Nauru and Ocean Islands story. New Zealand Dairy Exporter, 

Wellington. 

Viviani, N. 1970. Nauru: Phosphate and'political progress. Australian National Univer- 

sity Press, Canberra. 

Wedgewood, C.H. 1936. Report on research work in Nauru Island. Oceania 7(1): 1-62. 

Wester, L. 1985. Checklist of the vascular plants of the northern Line Islands. Atoll 

Research Bulletin 287: 1-38. 

Whistler, A.W. 1980. Coastal flowers of the tropical Pacijk. The Pacific Tropical 

Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. 

- . 1983. Weed handbook of Western Polynesia. German Agency for Technical 

Cooperation (GTZ) , Eschborn. 

- . 1991. Polynesian plant introductions. In Cox, P.A. and Banack, S.A. (eds.), 

Islands, plants and Polynesians: An introduction to Polynesian ethnobotany. 

Dioscorides Press, Portland, Oregon. Pp. 4 1-66. 

- . 1992. Flowers of the Pacijk Island seashore: A guide to the littoral plants of 

Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Fiji and Micronesia. National 

Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. 

Wiens, H.J. 1962. Atoll environment and ecology. Yale University Press, New Haven.

Wilder, G.P. 1934. l2e flora of Makatea. Bulletin 120. Bernice P. Bishop Museum, 

Honolulu. 

-- -- .- 

Woodroffe, C. 199 1. Vegetation of Tuvalu. South Pacific Journal of Science 1 1 : 82- 128. 

Wright, M., S. Minter, and B. Carter. 1984. l2e complete handbook of garden plants. 

Michael JosephIRainbow, London. 

Yuncker, T.G. 1959. Plants of Tonga. Bulletin 220. Bernice P. Bishop Museum, 

Honolulu. 

Zimmet, P.Z., P. Taft, A. Guinea, W. Guthrie, and K. Thoma. 1977. The high preva- 

lence of Diabetes Mellitus on a central Pacific island. Diabetologia 13: 1 1 1-1 15. 

Zimmet, P.Z., M. Arblaster, and K. Thoma. 1978. The effect of westernisation on 

native populations. Studies on a Micronesian community with a high diabetes 

prevalence. Ausrralian and New Zealand Medical Journal 8(2): 141-146.

216 

Appendix I. Class, subclass, family and antiquity status of the vascular flora of Nauru. 

- -efassm*-- 

.- 

- ~ i - 

Family genous ginal 


Aspleniaceae 1 

Davalliaceae 2 

Ophioglossaceae 1 

Pol ypodiaceae 2 

Psilotaceae 1 

Pteridaceae 1 

Subtotal 8 

GYMNOSPERMAE 

Araucariaceae 

C ycadaceae 

Subtotal - 

ANGIOSPERMAE (Flowering Plants) 

MONOCOTYLEDONS 

Araceae 

Arecaceae 

Bromeliaceae 

Cannaceae 

Commelinaceae 

C yperaceae 

Dioscoreaceae 

Iridaceae 

Liliaceae 

Marantaceae 

Musaceae 

Orchidaceae 

Pandanaceae 

Poaceae 

Pon tederiaceae 

~ecent '~'ota! 

-

S trelitziaceae - 

Taccaceae - 

. -- m- 

Subtotal 

DICOTYLEDONS 

Acanthaceae 

Amaranthaceae 

Anacardiaceae 

Annonaceae 

Apiaceae 

Apocynaceae 

Aquifoliaceae 

Araliaceae 

Aclepiadaceae 

A steraceae 

Balsaminaceae 

Basellaceae 

Begoniaceae 

Bignonicaceae 

Bombacaceae 

Boraginaceae 

Brassicaceae 

Cacataceae 

Capparidaceae 

Caricaceae 

Casuarinaceae 

Chenopodiaceae 

Clusiaceae 

Combretaceae 

Convolvulaceae 

Crassulaceae 

Cucurbitaceae 

Ericaceae 

Euphorbiaceae 

Fabaceae 

Gen tianaceae 

Geraniaceae 

Gesneriaceae 

Goodeniaceae 

Hernandiaceae 

Lamiaceae 

..

Lauraceae 1 - 1 2 

Lecythidaceae 1 - - 1 

. - 1 1 . 

Malpighiaceae 

Malvaceae 

Meliaceae 

Moraceae 

Moringaceae 

M yrtaceae 

Nymphaeaceae 

Nyctaginaceae 

Oleaceae 

Onagraceae 

Oxalidaceae 

Passifloraceae 

Piperaceae 

Pol ygalaceae 

Pol ygonaceae 

Portulacaceae 

Rhamnaceae 

Rhizophoraceae 

Rosaceae 

Rubiaceae 

Rutaceae 

Sapindaceae 

Sapotaceae 

Saxifragaceae 

Scrophulariaceae 

Solanaceae 

S terculiaceae 

Surianaceae 

Tiliaceae 

Urticaceae 

Verbenaceae 

Vi taceae 

Subtotal 

GRAND TOTAL 59 5 429 493

- Appendix 11. Nature and ecological and cultural (ethnobotanical) importance of coastal .- - 

plant species of the tropical Pacific Ocean (Notes: 1) Under "Habitat", 0 = outpost 

strand zone, I = inner littoral zone, M = mangrove habitats, W = coastal wetland or 

marshes; N = also found naturalized or wild in non-coastal habitats, and C = cultivated 

or planted; 2) Under "Origin", I = indigenous, A = aboriginal introduction, R = recent 

post-European contact introduction, and ? = status unsure; 3) Under "Importance", 

"Eco" = ecological importance in coastal plant communities and "Cult" = cultural 

importance in terms of a species' range throughout the Pacific islands or its overwhel- 

ming importance in some localities, with + + + = very important in most island groups, 

with multiple usage in terms of cultural importance, + + = of considerable importance 

in some island groups or some important uses locally, + = present in some island 

groups or of some use in restricted localities, and - = of minor ecological importance or 

no cultural uses reported from Melanesia, Polynesia, or Micronesia). 

Latin Name Habitat Origin Importance 

Eco Cult 

FERNS 

Acrostichum aureum 

Asplenium nidus 

Davallia solida 

Nephrolepis spp. 

Polypodium scolopendria 

Pteris spp. 

Pyrrosia adnascens 

Stenochlaena palustris 

Tectaria spp. 

Thelypteris spp. 

HERBS 

Achyranthes spp. 

Boerhavia spp . 

Crinum asiaticum 

Dendrobiurn spp. 

Hedyotis spp. 

Heliotropiurn spp. 

Hymenocallis littoralis 

Laportea spp.

Lepidiwn bidentatum 

Peperomia spp. - 

Portulaca australis 

Portulaca pilosa 

Procris pedunculata 

Sesuvium portalucastrurn 

Tacca leontopetaloides 

Taeniophyllwn fasicola 

Triwnfetta procumbens 

GRASSES AND SEDGES 

Cyperus javanicus 

Cyperus laevigatus 

Cyperus polystachyos 

Digitaria setigera 

Eleocharis spp. 

Fimbristy lis cymosa 

Ischaemum spp. 

Lepturus repens 

Paspalum spp. 

Sporobolus spp. 

Stenotaphmm spp . 

Thuarea involuta 

VINES AND LIANAS 

Abrus precatorius 

Canavalia cathartics 

Canavalia rosea 

Canavalia sericea 

Cassytha jilifomis 

Derris tnyoliata 

Entada phaseoloides 

Epipremnwn pinnatum 

Hoya australis 

Ipomoea littoralis 

Ipomoea macrantha 

Ipomoea pes-caprae 

Mucuna gigantea 

Vigna marina

SHRUBS 

Abutilon spp. 

Acanthus ebracteatus 

Allophylus timoriensis 

Bikkia tetrandra 

Caesalpinia bonrluc 

Canthiurn spp . 

Capparis spp. 

Clerodendnun inerme 

Colubrina asiatica 

Desmodium umbellatum 

Dalbergia candenatensis 

Dodonaea viscosa 

Euphorbia chamissonis 

Gardenia taitensis 

Geniostoma spp. 

Jossinia reinwardtiana 

Nypa fruticans 

Pemphis acidula 


Sida fallax 

Sophora tomen.tosa 

Suriana maritima 

Timonius spp. 

Tephrosia purpurea 

Wollastonia bzjlora 

Wikstroemia spp. 

Ximenia americana 

TREES 

Acacia simplex 

Aidia cochinchin,ensis 

A vicennia maritima 


Barringtonia racem.osa 


Calophyllum inophyllum 

Casuarina equisaijXia 

Cerbera manghas 

Ceriops tagal 

Cocos nucijka

222 


Qcas circinalis 

o,I,c 

I,N,C 

I,A 

I,A?,R 

+++++ 

+ ++ 

--4rt-- 

Diospyros spp. 

Dolichandrone spathacea 

Erythrina fusca 

Erythrina variegata 

Ekcoecaria agallocha 

Ficus obliqua 

Ficus prolixa 

Ficus scabra 

Ficus storkii 

Ficus tinctoria 

Glochidion spp. 

Grewia crenata 

Guettarda speciosa 

Gyrocapus americanus 

Heritiera littoralis 

Hernandia sonora 


Inocarpus fagijier 

Intsia bijuga 

Leucaena insularum 

Lumnitzera littorea 

Mammea odorata 

Manilkara spp. 

Metroxylon spp. 


Neisospenna oppositijiolia 


Phaleria dispema 

Pipturus argenteus 

Pisonia grandis 

Pittosporum arborescens 

Planchonella costata 

Polyscias spp . 

Pongamia pinnata 

Premna serratijiolia 

Rhizophora spp. 

Santalum spp . 

Serianthes spp. 

Sonneratia alba 

Soulamea amara 

SYV~~W SPP- 

1vi , C t t 

1 T - -

Terminalia catappa 0717N7C 17A7R ++++++ 

Terminalia littoralis 0.I.C I + -+ -- - - - 

Thespesia populnea 071 I ++ +++ 

Toumefortia argentea 0717c I ++++++ 

Vavaea amicorum 17N I + + 

Vita spp. 0717N7P I ++ ++ 

Xylocalpus spp. M71 I + ++ 

Sources: An extensive review of the available literature and personal records and 

observations by the author; for full listing of sources, see Thaman, 1992.

atoll research bulletin no. 392 the flora of - Smithsonian Institution ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?