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Leucosyke corymbulosa

Rauta‘uri

Leucosyke

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Image:	Leaves and female flowers	58KB
Image:	Leaves and flowers	91KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Leucosyke

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Rauta‘uri (RR); Other Polynesian - ‘Ala‘ala Toa (SAM)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Vanuatu - Samoa - Cooks

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

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Material (Wood)

KEY FEATURES: Unisexual shrub with erect basal branches to 4m. LEAVES alternate, 3 main veins, oval with long tapering tip, to 12x4cm, top dark green, bottom whitish-green. FLOWERS axial, minute, on stalked-knob; female knob forms white sphere. FRUITS minute.

Enlarged Image of 'Leucosyke corymbulosa'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Leucosyke corymbulosa (Wedd.)
SYNONYMS: Missiessya corymbulosa [incl. GW]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); HAMAMELIDAE; Urticales; URTICACEAE

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: Unisexual shrub to 4m with erect basal branches. LEAVES alternate, 3 main veins, ovate, to 12x4cm, teeth many and sharp, tip long and very sharp; top dark green, underside whitish; stalk short, to 8mm. FLOWERS unisexual; very small on a stalked-knob; female knob expands to form a white ball. FRUIT minute.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.2/249 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.296 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.42 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.396h Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.112 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM03a, zD03a

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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