Common Name:
Mussaenda

Indigenous Names:
Monomono 'a hina - Tonga
Aloalo vao - Samoa
Bovov - Fiji

Classification:

Mussaenda raiateensis J. W. Moore
Kingdom: Plantae - Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta - Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta - Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Rubiales
Family: Rubiaceae - Madder family
Genus: Mussaenda L.
Species: Mussaenda raiateensis J. W. Moore
(USDA National Plant Database 2006)
(Smith, A. C. 1988. Flora Vitiensis Nova Vol. 4)

They are often softly pubescent (covered with short, fine hairs) and prominently veined (ribbed). The flowers are small and tubular and borne in terminal clusters (cymes or panicles). The corolla is five-lobed, spreading and bright yellow. The surrounding calyx has five lobes, with one lobe of some flowers conspicuously enlarged, leaf-like and white in color. In many of the cultivars all five sepals are enlarged. The fruit is a small, fleshy, somewhat elongated berry containing many tiny seeds.
(McLaughlin, John and Garofalo, Joe. Mussaendas for South Florida Landscapes)

There are more than 200 known species of Mussaenda worldwide, of which about ten are found in cultivation, with three of these being widely used for landscaping.
(Smith, A. C. 1988. Flora Vitiensis Nova Vol. 4)
(McLaughlin, John and Garofalo, Joe. Mussaendas for South Florida Landscapes)

(McLaughlin, John and Garofalo, Joe. Mussaendas for South Florida Landscapes)

(McLaughlin, John and Garofalo, Joe. Mussaendas for South Florida Landscapes)


** The information provided above is not intended to be used as a guide for treatment of medical conditions using plants.