Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)

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Aristolochia littoralis
Parodi, Aristolochiaceae
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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Reject, score: 13 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Aristolochia elegans Masters

Common name(s): [more details]

English: calico flower, Dutchman's pipe

Maori (Cook Islands): mokorā

Tongan: fue paipa holani

Habit:  vine

Description:  Climber to 3 m; "leaf blade usually broader than long, somewhat cordate deltoid, rounded; flower greenish, the utricle inflated, the upper part yellow and purple, maculate, about 7 cm long." (Stone, 1970)

"Vigorous lianas. Leaves green on upper surface, lower surface glaucous, cordate-reniform, 7-9 cm long, 6-10 cm wide, pseudostipules ariculate, amplexicaul. Flowers solitary in the leaf axils, greenish yellow and dark blackish purple, the tube bent, ca 3 cm long, the limb unlobed, disk-shaped, ca 10 cm in diameter, abruptly spreading from the tube; gynostemium 8 mm high, 5 mm wide. Capsules cylindrical, 4.5 cm long, 2.5 cm in diameter. Seeds flat, ca 6 mm long" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 237-238).

Habitat/ecology:  Prefers fertile, moist soils (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 95). In Hawai‘i, "cultivated, occasionally escaping, and now sparingly naturalized in the Pearl Harbor area" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 237-238). In New Caledonia, "liane peu cultivée mais largement naturalisée; localement abondante dans des ravins boisés sur calcaires dans le Nord-Ouest" (MacKee, 1994; p. 19).

Propagation:  Seed or cuttings.

Native range:  Brazil and Argentina, now widely cultivated throughout the tropics.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
Cook Islands
Southern Cook Islands
Mangaia Island introduced
invasive
Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 84)
Federated States of Micronesia
Chuuk Islands
Weno (Moen) Island introduced
cultivated
Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Mazawa, Thomas R. (2000) (p. 25)
Species not confirmed.
Fiji
Fiji Islands
Viti Levu Island introduced
cultivated
Smith, Albert C. (1981) (pp. 55-56)
Voucher cited: DA 16727
Fiji
Fiji Islands
Viti Levu Island   Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1969) (voucher ID: BISH 33717)
Taxon name on voucher: Aristolochia littoralis Parodi
French Polynesia
Gambier Islands
Mangareva (Gambier) Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Florence, J. (2004) (p. 84)
Aristolochia elegans M.T. Masters
French Polynesia
Society Islands
Taha‘a Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 14)
French Polynesia
Society Islands
Tahiti Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Florence, J. (2004) (p. 84)
Aristolochia elegans M.T. Masters
French Polynesia
Society Islands
Tahiti Island   Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1930) (voucher ID: BISH 36461)
Taxon name on voucher: Aristolochia elegans
Guam
Guam Island
Guam Island introduced
cultivated
Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 262)
Guam
Guam Island
Guam Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 66)
Voucher cited: Merrill 79
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
Kaua‘i Island introduced
invasive
Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2000) (p. 10)
Voucher cited: C. Imdada, W. Char & C. Morden 99-5 (BISH)
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
Maui Island introduced
invasive
Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. (2003) (p. 25)
East Maui. Voucher cited: Starr & Martz 001121-3 (BISH)
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
Maui Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Oppenheimer, Hank (2007) (p. 19)
West Maui. Voucher cited: Oppenheimer, Duvall & Sherrill H120651 (PTBG)
State of Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
O‘ahu Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 237-238)
Sparingly naturalized.
New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia Islands introduced
invasive
Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 99)
As A. elegans
New Caledonia
New Caledonia Archipelago
Île Grande Terre introduced
invasive
cultivated
MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 19)
Vouchers cited: Däniker 2830 (Z), Schmid 769, MacKee 16066, MacKee 16974, MacKee 22377, MacKee 34946
New Caledonia
New Caledonia Archipelago
Île Nou introduced
invasive
cultivated
MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 19)
Voucher cited: Suprin in MacKee 42389
Niue
Niue
Niue Island introduced
cultivated
Sykes, W. R. (1970) (p. 48)
Voucher cited: CHR 168880
Niue
Niue
Niue Island introduced
cultivated
Yuncker, T. G. (1943) (p. 50)
Vouchers cited: Yuncker 9740 (BISH), Yuncker 10200 (BISH)
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands introduced
cultivated
Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 48)
Tonga
Tongatapu Group
‘Eua Island introduced
invasive
Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (p. 58)
Tonga
Tongatapu Group
‘Eua Island introduced
invasive
Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (p. 106)
Voucher cited: Yuncker 15616
Vanuatu
New Hebrides Islands
Tanna Island   Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1981) (voucher ID: BISH 432673)
Taxon name on voucher: Aristolochia littoralis Parodi
Vanuatu
New Hebrides Islands
Tanna Island   Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1980) (voucher ID: BISH 618519)
Taxon name on voucher: Aristolochia littoralis Parodi
Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
Australia
Australia (continental)
New South Wales introduced
invasive
cultivated
Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 95)
Australia
Australia (continental)
Queensland introduced
invasive
cultivated
Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 95)
Colombia
Colombia
Colombia (Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Ecuador (Mainland)
Ecuador
Ecuador (Republic of) (continental) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Perú
Perú
Perú (Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands)
Christmas Island Group
Christmas Island introduced
invasive
cultivated
Swarbrick, J. T. (1997) (p. 104)
Naturalized

Comments:  Reported to be moderately invasive in New Caledonia (Meyer, 2000; p. 99).

Additional information:  Report (PDF format) from US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Haleakala Field Station, Hawaii "Plants of Hawaii".

Additional online information about Aristolochia littoralis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Aristolochia littoralis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1930. Voucher specimen #BISH 36461 (Grant, M.L. 3628).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1969. Voucher specimen #BISH 33717 (Smith, A.C. 16727).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1980. Voucher specimen #BISH 618519 (Krauss, N. 1687).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1981. Voucher specimen #BISH 432673 (Krauss, N.L.H. 1699).

Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. 1998. Potential environmental weeds in Australia: Candidate species for preventative control. Canberra, Australia. Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia. 208 pp.

Florence, J. 2004. Flore de la Polynésie française, Vol. 2. Paris. IRE Editions, Publications Scientifiques, Collection Faune et Flore Tropicales 41. 503 pp.

Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2000. New Hawaiian plant records for 1999. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1999. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 63:9-16.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2007. Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage. On-line database.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2000. Preliminary review of the invasive plants in the Pacific islands (SPREP Member Countries). In: Sherley, G. (tech. ed.). Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Samoa. 190 pp.

Oppenheimer, Hank. 2007. New plant records from Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i for 2006. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2006. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 96:17-34.

Smith, Albert C. 1981. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 2. 810 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2001. Report to the Kingdom of Tonga on invasive plant species of environmental concern.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 78 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of the Cook Islands on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 146 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Mazawa, Thomas R. 2000. Invasive plant species in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 41 pp.

Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. 2003. New plant records from the Hawaiian Archipelago. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2001-2002. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 74:23-34.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

Swarbrick, J. T. 1997. Environmental weeds and exotic plants on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: a report to Parks Australia. 101 pp. plus appendix.

Sykes, W. R. 1970. Contributions to the flora of Niue. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 200, Wellington. 321 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Yuncker, T. G. 1943. The flora of Niue Island. Bishop Mus. Bull. 178. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 126 pp.

Yuncker, T. G. 1959. Plants of Tonga. Bishop Museum Bull. 220. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 343 pp.


Need more info? Have questions? Comments? Information to contribute? Contact PIER! (pier@hear.org)

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This page was created on 1 JAN 1999 and was last updated on 10 OCT 2006.