Gardenia taitensis

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syn. Gardenia weissichii

distribution: (within Polynesia) Fiji: Aiwa, Lakeba, Rotuma, Vanua Balavu Niue Samoa: 'Aunu'u, Fanuatapu, Nu'utele, Savai'i, Tutuila, 'Upolu Tonga Wallis and Futuna: Futuna, Uvea

native name: bigia - Fiji bua - Fiji drega - Fiji meilago - Fiji pua - Samoa pua samoa - Samoa siale - Futuna / Wallis and Futuna siale tafa - Niue siale tonga - Tonga tiale - Niue tiale tafa - Niue tiere - Rotuma / Fiji tiere rotuma - Rotuma / Fiji

Only on Tahiti one can see the beautiful und mysterious flower of the Tiare Tahiti, the Tahitian Gardenia, because only here she grows and prospers. This is what's been told to the tourists on Tahiti, but this is untrue. The Tiare Tahiti is Tahiti's national flower, but her real home is to be found much more westerly in Melanesia and the western part of Polynesia. She originates from Vanuatu and from the Fijian Islands, maybe the other abovementioned islands are also her natural home. In Tahiti she is also a stranger like the beautiful but awfully Miconia (Miconia calvescens). Furthermore one can see the flowers of the Tahitian Gardenia now in the whole tropical Polynesia.

left: Gardenia taitensis Photo: Vicente Garcia http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/moorea/index.html

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