Sea Mango

Trees to 8 m tall. Bark gray-brown; branches whorled, marked with leaf scars. Petiole 2.5-6 cm; leaf blade narrowly ovate, 6-37 X 2.3-7.8 cm, base cuneate, apex acuminate. Peduncle stout, 5-21 cm. Pedicel terete, 1-2 cm. Flowers 4-7 cm wide. Corolla white, pinkish in center; tube 2.5-4 cm, villous inside ; lobes ovate, falcate, 1.5-2.5 cm. Drupes 5-8 X 4-6 cm, smooth. Seeds usually single. Fl. Mar-Oct, fr. Jul-Dec. 2n = 40.

Seashore, tidal river banks. S Guangdong, S Guangxi, Hainan, S Taiwan [Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam; Australia, Pacific Islands]

Cerbera manghas L

Cerbera manghas L., Sp. Pl, 1:208, 1753.—Jardin, Mém. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg, 5:297, 314, 1857.—Jouan, Mém. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg, 11:114, 1865.—F. Brown, Flora, 236, 1935.

Cerbera odolla [sic] sensu Drake, Ill. 233, 1892; Flore, 123–124, 1892 [non C. odollam, Gaertner, Fruct., 2:193, t. 124, 1791].

Small tree, leaves elliptic, tending to be somewhat acuminate, bright, glossy green; inflorescence a corymbiform cyme with rather showy bracts, calyx conspicuous, corollas salverform, about 2.5 cm or more across, white with red “eye;” fruit usually reduced to one drupe, this large, oval, pendent on a cord-like peduncle and pedicel, dull purplish when ripe, obtuse or rounded to somewhat pointed at apex.

A strand plant, but extending onto higher ground, distributed from Indonesia to southeastern Polynesia, north to the Carolines. Often confused with Cerbera odollam, from farther west, in Malaysia and South Asia. The latter differs in having a shorter corolla with yellow eye and a swelling at the middle of the tube.

SPECIMENS SEEN.—Marquesas Islands: “très commun,” Herbier S.F.I.M. 179 (P); Dupetit Thouars 54 (P, 3 sheets, US), 12 (P).

Nukuhiva I.: Hombron in 1841 (P); LeBatard 23 (P, 2 sheets); foothills of N. mt., 2500 ft [600–700 m], Quayle 1304 (BISH, 2 sheets); on ridge facing mts., 1200 ft [300–400 m], Quayle 1326 (BISH, 2 sheets); s.l., 1000 m, Brown 428 (BISH); 800 m, Brown 402 (BISH); 1 mi [2 km] from junction of Tovii trail and Taiohae trail, east part of plateau, Decker 200 (BISH, US, UC, P); Taiohae-Tapuaooa trail, 650 m, Gillett 2204 (US).

Uahuka I.: Quayle 1707 (BISH).

Uapou I.: Quayle 1069 (BISH); 1127 (BISH); Hoho’i Valley, Lavandès 19 (US); Pou Maka, Hallé 2039 (US).

Hivaoa I.: above Atuona, 500 m, PES Ex 3 (BISH); Atuona, above village, Sachet 1328 (US, P, BISH); Pouau, native forest, 500 m, PES 3 (LeB, fragments); between Nahoe and Eiaone, 100–300 ft [30–100 m], Decker 611 (US); above Hanamenu, ridge above Anatuakina cave, 1000–2000 ft [300–600 m] Decker 1247 (US, Fo).

Tahuata I.: Hallé 2158 (US).

ETHNOBOTANY.—The Marquesan name is eva. The fruit is very poisonous and the seed was formerly used to commit suicide or dispatch enemies. The latex (epau) is cooked and used as bird lime (Lavondès 19), and other parts of the plant have medicinal uses.

Neiosperma Rafinesque

Neiosperma Rafinesque, Sylva Tellur. 162, 1838.

Ochrosia Auct. [pro parte, non Jussieu, Gen. Pl., 144, 1789].

Trees or large shrubs with whorled or opposite leaves, cymes terminal, becoming axillary, of rather inconspicuous flowers; corollas salverform, unappendaged; fruit of two oval terete drupes with stones covered by spine-like fibers embedded in thin flesh; seeds flat, imbricate.

A small genus, Indo-Pacific in distribution, by many authors included in Ochrosia Jussieu.

Cerbera manghas L

Cerbera manghas L., Sp. Pl. 1:208. 1753.—G. Forster, Prod. 19. 1786b.—Richard, Sert. Astrolab. 2:8. 1834.—Endlicher, Ann. Wien Mus., 1:174. 1836.—Guillemin, Ann. Sci. Nat., ser. 2, 7:245. 1837.—Jardin, Ess. Marq. 25, 42. 1862.—Nadeaud, Pl. Us. Tahiti. 37. 1864.—Lanessan, Pl. Ut. Col. Fr. 865. 1886.—Reinecke, Bot. Jahrb. 25:668. 1898.—Setchell, Carn. Inst. Dep. Mar. Biol. Bull. 20:59. 1924; Univ. Cal. Pub. Bot. 12:201. 1926.—Wilder, Bish. Mus. Bull. 86:89. 1931.—Christophersen, Bish. Mus. Bull. 128:185. 1935.—F.B.H. Brown, Bish. Mus. Bull. 130:236. 1935.

Galaxa sparsa Parkinson, Journ. Voy. Endeav. 38. 1773 [nomen subnudum, new synonym (genus and species not in Kew Index)].

Tanghinia manghas (L.) Don, Gen. Hist. 4:98. 1838.—Cuzent, Etud. Vég. Tahiti 129. 1857; Iles Soc. Tahiti 214. 1860.—Pancher in Cuzent, Iles Soc. Tahiti 235. 1860.—Butteaud, Fl. Tahiti, 59. 1891 [“Taughinia naughas”].

Cerbera odollam senus Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. 5:333. 1862c.—Hemsley, Bot. Chall. 1 (1):19. 1885.—Hillebrand, Fl. Haw. Is. 294. 1888.—Drake del Castillo, Ill. Fl. Ins. Pac. 7:233. 1892; Fl. Polyn. Franc. 123. 1892 [“C. odolta”]—Hemsley, Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 30:184. 1894.—Burkill, Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 35:46. 1901.—Cheeseman, Trans. Linn. Soc. 6:287. 1903.—Gibbs, Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 39:157. 1909 [non J. Gaertner, 1791].

Cerbera forsten Seemann, Fl. Vit. 157. 1866.—Nadeaud, Enum. Pl. Tahiti 55. 1873.—Butteaud, Fl. Tahiti. 59. 1891.

DESCRIPTION.—Tree, 15–20 m high and 60 cm in diameter, glabrous. Sap milky, poisonous. Twigs thick, succulent, with the alternate leaves clustered at the tips. Petioles 2–4 (–7?) cm long. Blades elliptical to oblanceolate, 12–30 × 3–5.5 cm, cuneate at the base, obtuse and slightly attenuate at the tip, chartaceous, green, drying black. Cymes terminal, 5- or more-flowered. Peduncles 4–12 cm long; pedicels 1.5–2.5 cm long. Sepals 5, elliptical, the outer pair 1.8–2.5 cm long, the inner smaller, rounded at the tip, deciduous before anthesis. Flowers fragrant. Corolla salverform, somewhat irregular, 7 cm broad, white, waxy; tube 1.5–2 cm long, enlarged above; lobes elliptical or obovate, 3 cm long, rounded at the tip. Carpels 2, 1-ovuled. Drupes geminate, elliptical, flattened anteriorly, 10 × 7 × 6 cm (Grant 4016) or smaller, green, turning dark red or purple, with spongy-fibrous mesocarp, floating, 1–2-seeded.

The above description is of the Tahitian specimens. F.B.H. Brown's description of the Marque-san material indicates shorter pedicels, broader leaves, longer calyx lobes, pink-centered flowers, and longer corolla-lobes. Christophersen's Samoan specimens have even longer calyx-lobes and corolla-tubes.

RANGE.—Society Islands: Forster in 1773–1774. Mehetia: St. John 14225, Fatia-po, alt. 200 m, 12 May 1934, flower and fruit (BISH).

Tahiti: Bertero and Moerenhout in 1831–1832 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Wiles and Smith (BM, fide Seemann); Vesco in 1847 (P, fide Drake del Castillo) Lépine 204 in 1847 (P, fide Drake del Castillo); Setchell and Parks 324, Papenoo, 9 June 1922, fruit (UC); Setchell and Parks 353, Punaauia, Punaruu, 9 June 1932, flower (UC); Adam-son 28, Papenoo, alt. 500 m, 30 October 1928, sterile (BISH); Grant 4016, Teahupoo, Taaeha, alt. 75 m (250 ft), Hibiscus-Cerbera forest, 8 August 1930, flower, fruit (BISH, MIN); Grant 4077, Papenoo, Ana Pua, alt. 370 m (1220 ft), Cerbera-Pandanus forest, 6 September 1930 (BISH, MIN).

Raiatea: Moore 420, south of Faaroa, alt. 50 m, 11 December 1926, flower and fruit (BISH, MIN).

Borabora: Lesson (P, fide Drake del Castillo). A common tree of the lower forests, extending far into the interior at low elevations. It is certainly indigenous, in spite of Gray's statement to the contrary.

Also in the Marquesas (!) Pitcairn, Gambiers, Samoa (!), Tonga (!), Fiji (!), Uvea (!), and west to Malesia. Cultivated in Hawaii. In Rarotonga it was considered indigenous by Cheeseman, but Wilder says, “… introduced … seen about dwellings.”

ETHNOBOTANY.—Tahitian and Rarotongan: reva, which is the name throughout all of Polynesia, becoming by regular consonant shift eva in the Marquesas, leva in Samoa, and rewa in Fiji. Alternative Tahitian names are given by Parkinson (deva, an obvious error), Nadeaud (hutureva, the hutu being Barringtonia), and Setchell (metua-reva and reva-reva). Also ava in Rarotongan (Cheeseman) and vasa in Fijian (Seemann). It becomes ereva in Rurutu (Stokes ex F.B.H. Brown), and ria in Yap (Volkens). The latex contains a violent poison, and eating the fruits used to be a favorite method of committing suicide. Jardin records the same custom in the Marquesas. The plant, either bark (Nadeaud) or root (Seemann), was used as a purgative, and the latex for various medications, such as a liniment for rheumatism (Cheeseman). The wood was used for drums (Parkinson).

Cerbera manghas, the sea mango, is a small evergreen coastal tree growing up to 12 metres (39 ft) tall. It is native to coastal areas in Africa, Asia, Australasia, and the Pacific islands. It is classified as one of the three species in the genus Cerbera that constitute mangroves.