Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Geophila repens

To‘etupu

Geophila

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Fruit and leaves	52KB
Image:	Flower, fruit and leaves	40KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Geophila

TRADITIONAL NAMES: To‘etupu (RR), To‘etupou (AT), Po‘epo‘e Tai (MK); Other Polynesian - Tono (TON), Togo / Tono? (SAM)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group only - widespread; Land, lowlands - mid-mountains (++++)

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine

KEY FEATURES: Creeping herb, rooting at nodes. LEAVES opposite, round to kidney-like; stalk long. FLOWERS terminal, 1-3, white, lobes sharp. FRUIT red, round, with 2 seeds.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
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

Geophila repens Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Geophila herbacea [incl. GW]; Geophila reniformis [incl. TC]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Rubiales; RUBIACEAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.4/249 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.283 I Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.101 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.406c Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

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

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.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List