Molau yalewa (Fijian: Molau yalewa)Phyllanthus cordata (Phyllanthaceae) Characteristics Evergreen shrub or tree, 3-7 m tall, spreading crown. Grows in dry forests, ridge forests, pastures and along roadsides, at elevations up to 900 meters. The plant flowers and produces fruits all year round. Distribution Endemic to Fiji. Natural Medical Properties No known. Did you know?…
BougainvilleaBougainvillea sp. (Nyctaginaceae) Characteristics The genera Bougainvillea contains 18 different species, all of them thorny ornamental vines, shrubs or trees. The flower-like inflorescence consists of large, colourful, sepal-like bracts (special leaves) which surround three simple waxy flowers. Leaves alternate. Bougainvillea is frost-sensitive and drought-tolerant, making it ideal for warm climates. Its high salt tolerance makes…
Hanging lobster clawHeliconia cf. rostrata (Heliconiaceae) Characteristics Evergreen, perennial herb, up to 2 m tall. Leaves large, banana-like, leathery, dark green. In spring and summer, showy flower clusters (inflorescence) hang from the stem. Each inflorescence is made up of bright red bracts, each tipped with yellow and green, with yellowish-white flowers inside. The inflorescences last…
False Kava (Fijian: Yaqoyaqona)Macropiper timothianum (Piperaceae) Characteristics Shrub, 1.5-3 m tall. White flowers and red fruits. Distribution Grows in Pacific islands like Fiji and Samoa Natural Medical Properties No known. Did you know? Close related (same subfamily) to Kava (Piper methysticum) and Black Pepper (Piper nigrum). Further reading: Here Literature World Flora Online WorldChecklist of…
Screw pines (Fijian: Vadra, Voivoi)Pandanus sp. (Pandanaceae) Characteristics Tropical shrubs (1 m) or trees (up to 20 m) with candelabra-like branching and spiny adventitious roots. Leaves and fruit resemble those of the pineapple plant, although they are not closely related. Pandanus are dioecious (male and female flowers produced on different plants). Distribution Native to Old…
Breadfruit (Fijian: Buco ni viti, Uto buco)Artocarpus altilis (Moraceae) Characteristics Breadfruit is a species of flowering tree, up to 25 m tall. The large and thick leaves are deeply cut into pinnate lobes. The fruits are 0.25-6 kg and very important in standard diet of Pacific islands. All parts of the tree yield latex, which…
Island Musk (Fijian: Uci)Euodia hortensis (Rutaceae) Characteristics Shrub or small tree, up to 4 m. Leaves aromatic (essential oils). It flowers and produces fruits all year round. Distribution Native to Australasia and Southwest Pacific Islands. Natural Medical Properties The leaves are anti-inflammatory, emmenagogue, febrifuge and laxative. They are chewed as a remedy for toothache or…
Red Bean (Fijian: Tarawau)Dysoxylum cf. mollissimum (Meliaceae) Characteristics Large tree, up to 35 m. Usually buttressed. White flowers. Fruit is a brown capsule, bird attracting. The tree produces a well-regarded mahogany timber, suited to cabinet work, carving and boat building. Distribution It occurs in tropical, sub-tropical and littoral rainforests in Eastern Australia as well as…
Red Ginger Alpinia purpurata (Zingiberaceae) Characteristics Pseudostems, usually about 3 m tall, composed of overlapping leaf-sheaths. Thick rhizoms. Alpinia is the largest genus in the ginger family (Zingiberaceae) with about 230 species. Red Ginger can be grown in regions like South Florida since, in general, those regions do not fall below freezing temperatures. Distribution Native…
Coconut palm (Fijian: Niadamu)Cocos nucifera (Arecaceae) Characteristics Stems up to 20 m tall, erected or leaning, smooth. Trunk usually somewhat swollen at the base (80 cm), upper diameter about 40 cm. Leaves up to 5 m long. Immature fruits green, yellow or bronzy red. Mature fruits brown. Distribution Attributed to Asiatic tropics but now spontaneous…
