Strongylodon macrobotrys A.Gray

Cook Islands, Rarotonga, Tikioki, corner of Ara Metua and Tikioki Road, Akirata

07 Jan 2017

Large old vine with coiled woody stock 10cm in diameter, trained up and over a 3x2x2m steel frame. Usually flowering abundantly with hanging racemes to a metre or more in length during August-September. Not flowering at this time, but one last recently spent raceme collected with 3 of a pile of dropped flowers; faded but originally a striking turquoise blue-green colour. Two fruiting pods photographed on this plant 5 years ago; four present now, one collected. Fruit pale yellow-green, smooth skinned, two-valved, hanging on a 5cm pedicel, 1 cm stalk to a slightly flattened ovoid pod 11x9x7cm. When split in two, 3 large sub-mature seeds found surrounded by thick, dense, creamy-white flesh 20mm thick. Seeds to 47x22x20mm, curved against each other to fill an ovoid space in the flesh.
Specimen: sheet & flowers on a sheet (A); pod in a packet (B)

-21.26708, -159.74414 (± 10 m)
-159.74414, -159.74414 (± 10 m)

29 Sep 2017