Ethnobotanic flora

This page was produced by a copy and paste from an earlier version on another site. Loss of formatting has misplaced and potentially lost some photos. Some local names, particularly at the end of a text block, were split. Clean up work is ongoing.

• Adenanthera

• Bambusa

• Calophyllum

• Davallia

• Elaeocarpus

• Fragraea

• Gardenia

• Haplopteris

• Inocarpus

• Jasminum

• Lantana

• Macaranga

• Nephrolepis

• Ocimum

• Pandanus

• Saccharum

• Terminalia

• Volkameria

• Xanthosoma

Adenanthera pavonina
Use: Scavenging food, decoration, imwen kuk (cook house), jewelry.
Latin: aden (gland) + anthera (anther) + pavonina (peacock)
English: red sandalwood
Kosrae: mwetkwem
Pohnpei: kaikes
Samoan: lopa

Allamanda carthartica
Status: invasive
English: Angel's Trumpet

Alocasia macrorrhizos
Latin: From kolokasia (lotus root)
English: wild taro
Use: covering uhm, umbrella
Kosrae: onak
Pohnpei: wehd, sepwikin, ohd
Chuuk: puna
Yap: la'iy nikan

Asplenium nidus
Latin: nidus (nest)
Use: leaf tips in soup, signifies nopwei performed
English: bird's nest fern
Marshallese: kartōp
Kosrae: mihlihklihk
Pingelapese: sehlik
Mwoakillese: kardoap
Pohnpei: tehnlik, toahnlik
Nukuoran: lau gadaha
Kapinga: lo'goho
Mortlockese: chōōlik, choélúk (Bryan Mwarike spring 2015)
N. Nomenean: nuuk
Faichuukese: nukk (Greta Irons), nnūk (John Rousan Jr.)
Puluwatese: rhēlūkk
Pollapese: rhēlūk
Woleaian: iuliuniug
Ulithian: raegataf (Benhart Mangwechog, Spring 2014, Mogmog). Misidentified as maching (easy to break), a spider lily, due to similarity of leaf shape.
Yap: chaath
Kosraen: mihlihklihk
Pohnpeian: tehnlihk
Kitti: toahnlik
Yapese: chath
Fijian: beluve
Japanese: shima ootani watari
Samoan: laugapapa

Barringtonia asiatica
Use: construction
Kosrae: pucspucs
Pohnpei: wihn sed
Chuuk: kuun, wuáánúúw
Yap: biuol

Barringtonia racemosa
Use: timber, soap
Kosrae: kwenguhl
Pohnpei: wih, wihnmoar pwetepwet
Chuuk: sóón
Yap: wa'thol, waathul

Calophyllum inophyllum
Use: glue for canoes, flowers in mwarmwars
English: beach calophyllum
Kosrae: ituc
Pohnpei: isou
Chuuk: rekich
Yap: biyuuch

Cananga odorata
Latin: odorata (odorous, fragrant)
Use: source of ylang-ylang perfume fragrance, mwarmwars
Kosrae: ilahnglahng
Pohnpei: seir en wai
Chuuk: pwuur, pwanang

Capsicum annuum/Capsicum frutescens
Greek: capsa (box) Latin: annuum (annually)
Use: Flavoring food, treatment of worms, viral colds
English: chili pepper, hot pepper
Kosrae: pepuh
Pohnpei: sele
Chuuk: mwiik
Yap: amuek, t'ebil, tebil

Cheilocostus speciosus
Latin: Costus speciosus
Status: invasive
English: crepe ginger

Chromolaena odorata
Latin: odorata (fragrant)
Status: invasive
English: Siam weed
Pohnpei: wisolmat, wisolmat en rere

Citrus aurantiifolia
Latin: aurantium (orange) folia (leaves)
Use: fruit drink, bark tea for fever with chills, steam bath for colds, hot lime juice undiluted for sore throat
English: key (island) lime
Kosrae: laim
Pohnpei: karer
Chuuk: naymis
Yap: remong

Cocos nucifera
Latin: cocos (Spanish: grinning face due to three holes) nucleus (nut) -fer (bearing, as in bearing nuts)
Use: drink, food, thatching, alcoholic beverage, temporary bridge, sakau scrubber, cup, fire fuel
English: coconut
Kosraean: koacnu
Pohnpei: nih, fruit: uhpw, mwangas
Chuuk: núú
Yap: niiw

Commelina diffusa
Status: invasive

Cordyline fruticosa
Greek: kordyle (club, due to the enlarged underground stems)
Use: skirt, boundary marker, fever absorbing mat
English: Hawaiian ti plant
Kosrae: ingingkal
Pohnpei: dihng
Chuuk: tiin
Yap: riich

Curcuma longa
Latin: kurkum (tumeric) longa (long)
Use: Added to oil, used on skin burns, used in oil for skin, powdered applied to skin for dancing (Yap), spice added to curry. Young leaves cooked with meat for flavoring.
English: tumeric
Kosrae: ang
Pohnpei: oangitik (small leafed variety used in cooking), oangalap (large leafed variety used for medicine), kisinieng, kisinioang. There is a variety with a leaf of intermediate length and a slightly less yellow root that may be used as a layer between banana leaves and food when cooking in an uhm. This variety was reported as being oangen pele. Oangen pele is, however, listed as the name for Zingiber zerumbet in the Pohnpeian dictionary.
Chuuk: áfán, kúchún
Woleaian: yangoshig, yangoshigi
Yap: angorik, guchol

Curcuma petiolata
Latin: petiolata (petiole, leaf stem)
hidden lily ginger

Cyathea nigricans (syn, not currently accepted: Sphaeropteris nigricans)
Greek: kyatheion (little cup, sori shape), Latin: nigricans (black)
Use: material: posts
English: tree fern
Kosrae: po, tukun inut
Pohnpei: katar
Yap: m'oeng ni kan, (Some sources: yibung)

Cyclosorus maemonensis, Thelypteris maemonensis, Sphaerostephanos maemonensis
Latin: cyclo (circle) sorus (sori). Kew PoWO synonymizes to T. maemonensis. PPG I splits Thelypteris hence Sphaerostephanos
Use: Used for washing dishes, cleaning water or filtering water.
Kosrae: fa
Pohnpei: tehn mahrek
Yap: walem (skirt). Also known as tilbug (Sandra You, Rumung, Spring 2014)

Davallia solida var. solida
English: epiphytic fern
Pohnpei: ulungen kieil
Yap: chichoro'ol

Dicranopteris lineaeris
Use: emergency sun hat, decor
Pohnpei: mwedil en mal
Chuuk: anecha
Yap: gana

'

Dioscorea spp.
Use: food, ceremonial offering
Kosrae: muhtah
Pohnpei: kehp
Chuuk: eep, kááp
Yap: dal

Diplazium ponapense
Greek: diplazein (double, twin sori on either side of the vein)
Pohnpei: peipei eni

Elaeocarpus carolinensis
Use: strong wood for canoe hulls
Kosrae: nahnek
Pohnpei: sadak

Eleusine indica
Kosrae: mah
Pohnpei: retakai

Erythrina fusca
Use: tree with strong, light wood
Pohnpei: pahr
Chuuk: paar
Yap: raar

Eugenia uniflora
Latin: eugenia (female of noble birth) uni (one) flora (flower - solitary flower)
Use: fruit
English: Surinam cherry
Pohnpei: teri

Fagraea berteriana var. sair
Use: mwarmwars
Pohnpei: pwuhr
Chuuk: sééwur, péégas

Falcataria moluccana
Latin: falcate (curved)
Use: firewood
English: Moluccan islands albizia
Pohnpei: tuhke karisihn

Ficus prolixa Latin: ficus (fig) prolix (extended, copious, prolific)
Use: leaves added to oil to promote thick, lush hair
English: giant banyan fig tree
Kosrae: kohnyah
Pohnpei: aiau
Chuuk: auu, aw

Galeola ponapensis
Pohnpei: lamawahken wel

Gardenia jasminoides (G. Augusta)
Latin: gardenia (named by Carl Linnaeus and John Ellis after Dr. Alexander Garden [1730-1791], a Scottish-born American naturalist)
English: Cape jasmine
Kosrae: gardenia
Pohnpei: iosep

Gardenia taitensis
English: Tahitian gardenia

Glochidion marianum
Pohnpei: liwekidenlol

Glochidion ramiflorum
Latin: ramiflorum (flowering on the branches)
Use: terminal buds for appetite, firewood, four leaves chewed and fed (pwurak: spit out, regurgitate) to six month old baby to induce appetite for food
Pohnpei: mwehk
Chuuk: afór
Yap: ngumol

Haplopteris elongata (Sw.). Syn. Vittaria elongata.
Use: Used with local oil to strengthen hair (K), or with water (P, Y)
Mwoakillese: Two varieties are distinguished. A longer, wider variety known as pisen moang and a thinner variety known as mojul or minipinip (Lilina Etson spring 2015). This may be a distinction between Haplopteris angustifolia (Vittaria angustifolia) and Haploteris elongata (Vittaria elongata).
Pohnpeian: alis en kewelik, alis en Nahnsou sed (honorific for heron), mwosou
Kitti: alis en koawoalik, alis en nahnsoau sed
Mortlockese: ishish
Pollapese: olen maluk
Puluwatese: olan maluk
Yapese: rob (beard), lem nu arrow (Sandra You, Rumung, Spring 2014)

Heritiera littoralis
Use: timber, axe handles
Kosrae: [lum?]
Pohnpei: mworop en sed
Chuuk: cheepwéch
Yap: rung

Heterotis rotundifolia (Dissotis rotundifolia)
Status: invasive
English: Spanish shawl

i

Hibiscus tiliaceus
English: tree hibiscus
Kosrae: lo
Pohnpei: keleu

Hippobroma longiflora
Greek: ippos (horse) bromos (poison, stench) Latin: longus (long) flora (flower)
Use: invasive
English: star of Bethlehe

m

Histiopteris incisa
Greek: histion pteris (netted veins of the leaves) Latin: incisa (incised or cut in two)
English: bat wing fern
Pohnpei: peipei aramas

Horsfieldia nunu
Genus: Dr. Thomas Horsfield (1773–1859), an American botanist
Kosrae: nunu. (endemic, photographed above Piyuul, Malem, Kosrae. Sahp Kap ac Kain in acn Kosrae reports H. nunu is not found elsewhere)
Pohnpei: Horsfieldia iryu as photographed by David Lorence

l

Inocarpus fagifer Latin: ino (of the), Greek: karpos, Latin: carpus (wrist), Latin: fagus (beech tree) from Greek phegos (oak)

Use: roasted nut is eaten
English: Tahitian chestnut
Kosrae: kihrak
Pohnpei: mworopw, mwoaroapw
Chuuk: kihrak
Yap: bu'o

g

Ipomoea littoralis
Latin: ip (worm, intertwining like a worm) littoralis (pertaining to the seashore)
Kosrae: oa
Mwoakilloa: soan oahp
Pingalap: oahp
Pohnpei: omp
Chuuk: ruke, rukuruk
Namoluk: rokurok, imwen uut
Etal: imwan úút
Puluwat: rhaiwal
Namonweito: rheiwal
Woleai: shaiuweoliu, shaiwel
Yap: giliy, paa

n

Ipomoea pes-caprae
Kosrae: owopuk
Pohnpei: sonsol
Chuuk: Öönuk (Greda Irons, August 2019)

Ischaemum polystachyum
Use: invasive
English: paddle grass
Pohnpei: reh padil

Ixora casei
Use: Land boundary marker, dokia percussion stick, mwarmwar
English: flame of the forest
Kosrae: kalsruh
Pohnpei: ketieu
Chuuk: achiou, áchiiyu
Yap: waish, gachio

u

Jasminum sambac
Use: material: mwaramwar, perfume
English: Jasmine
Kosrae: jasmin
Pohnpei: sampakihda

Lantana camara
Use: decorative
English: lantana
Pohnpei: randana

Lemmaphyllum accedens syn. Weatherbya accedens
Pohnpei: sahl duwehte kideu

Leucaena leucophala
Use: invasive
Pohnpei: dangandangan

Lumnitzera littorea
Use: mangrove wood
Kosrae: oi
Pohnpei: wihn ngal, weingal
Chuuk: weey

Lycopodiella cernua
Use: decor
Kosrae: mah in twefuroh
Pohnpei: kidien mal, kidim en mal. Luelen/Glassman: limpar
Chuuk: unen katu
Yap: gama, la'law nu ted

Macaranga carolinensis
Use: material: firewood, fishnet frames, yellow leaf juice prevents flu in babies, bark stops diarrhea
Kosrae: lo iacp
Pohnpei: apwid
Chuuk: tuupw, kúrúwén
Yap: bid, biid, bi

as

Mangifera indica
Latin: mang- (mango) ferre (bringer of, carrying) indica (India)
Use: food: fruit
English: mango
Kosrae: macngo
Pohnpei: kehngid
Chuuk: mangko
Yap: manga

Manihot esculenta
Latin: esculenta (edible)
Use: food: root
English: cassava, tapioca, manioc
Kosrae: tapioca
Pohnpei: dapiohka
Yap: thiyoogaang

Manilkara hoshinoi
Pohnpei: kohre

Melastoma malabathricum var. marianum
Use: medicine: fruit for gastrointestinal reflux disease
Pohnpei: pisetikimei. Luelen: kisetikmai
Yap: ramluw ni ted, churg

ur

Merremia peltata, Decalobanthus peltatus
Latin: peltata (shield shape) also peltate petiole, attached as a handle on the back of a shield
Use: medicinal
Kosrae: puhlah
Pohnpei: ioll
Chuuk: fitaw
Yap: wachatal [north] wangachth

ng

Microsorum scolopendria Syn: Phymatosorus scolopendria
Latin: phyma (swelling) sorus (heap: small heap sori) scolopendria (centipede-like)
Use: spirit fence mwarmwar for dancing, new three point leaf for diarrhea
Kosrae: sra kwem kwem
Pingelapese: pweh, kideu
Mwoakillese: kamkam, kamakam
Pohnpei: kideu
Kapinga: gideu, gidewe
Chuuk: chiichi
Mortlockese: amāāra, amááre, shi shi
Noumenean: chiichi
Unk C: wénnúmey, sichon
Puluwatese: rhiirhi, riiri
Pollapese: rhirhi
Satawalese: rhirhi
Ulithian: chichi
Woleaian: shishi
Yap: gob (drier place), gob u la'ey (swampy plac

e)

Mimosa pudica
Use: invasive
English: sensitive plant

Morinda citrifolia
Latin: morinda (mulberry) citri (citron-like, a citrus plant) folia (leaves: citron-like leaves)
Use: general health tonic, steam bath with leaves, all parts have healing uses
English: noni
Kosrae: ii
Pohnpei: weipwul or kirikai
Chuuk: nopwur
Yap: mangal'w

ag

Musa spp
Possibly from Arabic mawzah (banana).
Use: food
English: banana
Kosrae: usr
Pohnpei: uht
Chuuk: wuuch
Yap: dinaey (banana tree)

Musa fe'hi
Use: food
English: banana
Kosrae: usr kuhlahsr
Pohnpei: karat

Musa spp. AAA Cavendish red
Use: food
English: banana
Kosrae: usr lakuhtan srusra
Pohnpei: akadahn weitahta

Musa tikap, Musa textilis
Pohnpei: tikahp

Myristica fragrans
Greek: myron (ointment, balm) Latin: fragrans (fragrant, smells good)
Use: seasoning, spice
English: nutm

eg

Myristica hypargyraea subsp insularis
Pohnpei: karara

Nephrolepis hirsutula
Greek nephros (kidney) Latin lepis (flake, scale as in fish scale) shape of the sori
hairy or fuzzy rachis, sori separate at at pinna margin. N. biserrata has sori halfway between pinna margin and pinna midrib. N. acutifolia is pendulous up to 8 meters long with sori in a continous band on the pinna margin.
Use: medicinal fiddleheads, anti-cockroach
English: sword fern
Kosrae: (probably lost, one source: ka)
Pohnpei: rehdil
Chuuk: ámááre
Yap: alaw' (Wo: gemara

g)

Nypa fruticans
Latin: nypa (latinized nipah, Philippines name for plant) fruticans (shrubby, not a tree)
Use: thatch [Kosrae]
English: nipa palm
Kosrae: fahsuc
Pohnpei: parem
Chuuk: kiyá, kúwé
Yap: aian, aye

ng

Nymphaea spp.
Status: invasive
Latin: a female demi-god, mythical spirit of a place or location, young, from Greek nymphe, a root of nuptials hence the connotation of a young bride or unwed young woman, particularly water nymphs
English: water li

ly

Ocimum tenuiflorum (Ocimum sanctum)
Greek: ozo (to smell) Latin: tenuis (thin, fine, small) sanctum (holy, sanctified)
Use: seasoning, steam bath for congestion, protection (evil cannot pass between two plants planted on either side of a path)
English: holy basil
Kosrae: aring
Pohnpei: kadiring
Chuuk: warung
Ulithi: warong
Yap: lamar
Hindi: tul

si

Ophioglossum pendulum
Greek: ophi snake, glossa: tongue. Forked tongue.
Hawaiian: puapuamoa
Pohnpeian: tehnlikinsapw

Palaquium karrak
Pohnpei: kalak

Pandanus cominsii
English: screwpine
Pohnpei: mwatal

Pandanus patina
Pohnpei: piht

Pandanus tectorius
Use: fruit, thatch, woven mats
English: pandanus
Kosrae: mweng
Pohnpei: kipar or deipw
Chuuk: faach
Yap: choi'

Parinari laurina
Kosrae: ahset
Pohnpei: ais
Chuuk: ayis

Paspalum obiculare
Pohnpei: rehnta

Passiflora foetida L.
Latin: Passiflora: passion flower. Foetida: stinking because leaves when crushed emit an odor
English: Mossy passion flower, running pop, love-in-a-

mist.

Pennisetum purpureum (Pennisetum polystachion?)
Status: invasive
English: elephant grass

Peperomia pellucida
Use: edible, medicinal. Yapese: treatment of gout, hypertension
Pohnpei: sakauenleng, sekewenleng. Luelen: Possibly sakauen Na.
Yap: feoiul boong (Austin Yaimengtil, 

2020)

Phragmites karka
Kosrae: loa
Pohnpei: lirau

Phyllanthus amarus
Pohnpei: Limeirpwong

Pilea microhylla
Latin: pilea (cap, hat) microphylla (small leaf)
Use: topical treatment of cuts, bruises
Pingelap: re
Pohnpei: limwin tuhke
Satawal: s

eling

Piper betel
Use: used with betelnut
English: betel leaf
Pohnpei: kapwohi
Yap: (Woleai: gaabi)

Piper methysticum
English: sakau, kava
Kosrae: seka, suhka
Pohnpei: sakau

Piper nigrum
Latin: piper (pepper) nigrum (black)
Use: spice
English: black pepper

Piper ponapense
Use: staunching blood flow from cut, treating toothache
English: Pohnpei pepper
Pohnpei: konok

Pittosporum ferrugineum
Pohnpei: kamal

Plectranthus scutellarioides
Use: leaf is used to bring a skin boil to a head
English: coleus
Pohnpei: koramahd

Plumeria obtusa
Use: decorative
English: Plumeria
Pohnpei: pwohmaria
Chuuk: sééwúr

Plumeria rubra
English: plumeria

Ponapea ledermanniana
Kosrae: kitacr (previously identified as Ptychosperma kusaiensis)
Pohnpei: kedei

Premna obtusifolia
Use: black fruit is a topical treatment of chickenpox blisters, green and black fruit to treat kihl sarawi
Kosrae: fienkack
Pohnpei: topwuk
Nukuoran: valo valo
Chuuk: niyóór
Ya

p: ar

Premna serratifolia
Use: steam bath
Pohnpei: oahr
Samoan: aloalo

Procris pendunculata
Pohnpei: pwaked
Chuuk: kimwitt
Yap: abas

Psidium guajava
Use: fruit, new leaves for diarrhea
English: guava
Kosrae: kuhfahfah
Pohnpei: kuapa
Chuuk: kuafa
Yap: tamlanai

Psilotum complanatum
Woleai: tiig
Yapese: tilbug, d

ilbug

Psilotum nudum

Psychotria hombroniana
Use: alternate source of dokia percussion stick
Pohnpei: kempenial
Chuuk: chimei

Pteris tripartita
Pohnpei: peipei eni

Pterocarpus indicus
English: New Guinea rosewood, narra
Yap: arau

Saccharum officinarum
Latin: saccharum (sugar) officinarum (officinal, [officially] used in medicine)
Use: food
English: sugar cane
Kosrae: tuh
Pohnpei: sehu
Chuuk: woow, sápúk
Yap: maki'il

Saccharum spontaneum
Latin: saccharum (sugar) sponaneum (spontaneous, wild)
Use: fafa basket
English: wild cane
Kosrae: ac
Pohnpei: ahlek

Scaevola taccada (Kew only). Some sources: Scaevola sericea, Scaevola taccada subsp. sericea
Greek: scaevus (left-handed, flower is hand like) sericea (silky, some forms have fine hairs on the leaves) taccada (Latinized form of the local name for the plant in Sri Lankan language Singhalese)
Use: white fruit treats pink eye
English: fan flower
Hawaiian: naupaka kahakai
Marshallese: kōņņat
Kosrae: kusrohsr
Pohnpei: remek
Nukuoran: manu gabaasanga
Chuuk: nnét
Woleaian: remag
Yap: noth, thoth, thoeth, nath
Singhalese: ta

kkada

Selaginella kanehirae
English: selaginella
Pohnpei: Luelen/Glassman: kidien mal

Senna alata
Use: fungal skin disorders
Kosrae: sra kihto
Pohnpei: tuhke en kilin wai
Chuuk: arakak
Yap: sabow

Spathodea campanulata
Use: invasive
English: African tulip tree

Spathoglottis micronesiaca
English: Micronesian ground orchid

Spathoglottis plicata
Use: mwarmwar, decor
English: Philippine ground orchid

Syzygium spp.
English: water apple

Tacca leontopetaloides
English: Polynesian arrowroot
Kosrae: mokmok
Pohnpei: mwekimwek
Chuuk: mwéék
Yap: chabchab

Terminalia carolinensis
Kosrae: ka
Pohnpei: kehma

Terminalia catappa
Use: almond nuts as forage food
English: seaside almond
Kosrae: srifacf
Pohnpei: dipwoapw
Chuuk: asas, aas
Yap

: kel

Urena lobata
English: Caesar weed
Pohnpei: koropw

Vigna marina
English: beach pea
Kosrae: srohtacl
Pohnpei: tesilite, nge
Chuuk: wénuká, choonchón
Yap: lakudalip

Volkameria inermis (syn. Clerodendrum inerme var. oceanicum)
Latin: Genus name orginates from one of three German botanists named Volckamer. inermis (unarmed, without spines)
Use: steam bath for cold, flu. Steam wash for pregnancy. Leaf tea for cough. Leaf juice for pink eye.
Kosrae: kwacwak
Pohnpei: ilau
Kapinga: lau hia
Mortlockese: ulo
Chuuk: apuoch, apwech
Chuukese (other): etiu, pucherik
Namonweito: ula
Woleaian: gabiy, gabiya
Yap: l'ruch
Samoan: aloal