General Information

COMMON NAMES: Blue Sage, Wild Mint, West Indian Sage TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mauku ‘Aunga-kino (MK), ‘Aunga Kino (MT); COMMENT: ‘Aunga-kino means 'bad smell', a reference to the leaf odour. GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE tropical America COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent (pre-1900), Naturalised; S.Group only (most islands - often very common); Land, lowlands SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Weed - minor KEY FEATURES: Slender herb to 1m. Leaves opposite, oval, 6x3cm, few hair, toothed; unpleasant smell. Flowers in long terminal cluster; sepals/calyx 3mm; petals/corolla blue, tube 3mm, upper lip 2mm.

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P	++++	-	+	++++		-		-

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Salvia occidentalis Sw.
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ASTERIDAE; Lamiales; LAMIACEAE

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Weed - minor. Comments: Minor weed in waste places, sometimes very common.

IDENTIFICATION: Annual or short-lived herb, ascending, to 1m. STEMS hairy. LEAVES opposite, oval to rhomboid, to 6x3cm, surfaces slightly hairy, marginal teeth; stalk to 1.5cm. FLOWERS terminal long-cluster; small; bract 3mm; sepals/calyx 3mm; petals/corolla blue, tube 3mm, upper lip 2mm, lower lip large; stamens not obviously protruding.

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.829 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.736 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.291 R* Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.95 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.359b Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03b, zD02

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