Teraina

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left: ISS013-E-7091 Image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center. http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov Teraina Teraina, once named Washington Island, is a ca. 7,8 km² large, raised atoll. In contrats to most other islands of Kiribati Teraina has a very damp climate. This is also reflected by the more diverse flora. The former lagoon is now a freshwater lake with an extent of at least 2 km² and a depth of up to 10 m. In the islands interior are furthermore two swamplands conected with eachother.

Flora of Teraina (almost complete) (green = pictures) Asplenium nidus, Boerhavia tetrandra, Canavalia cathartica, Cassytha filiformis, Cordia subcordata, Cyperus javanicus, Fimbristylis cymosa, Guettarda speciosa, Heliotropium foertherianum, Ipomoea macrantha, Ipomoea pes-caprae ssp. brasiliensis, Laportea ruderalis, Lepidium bidentatum, Lepturus repens, Microsorum grossum, Nephrolepis hirsutula, Pandanus tectorius, Pipturus argenteus var. lanosus, Pisonia grandis, Potamogeton sp., Psilotum nudum, Pycreus polystachyos, Scaevola taccada, Schoenoplectus litoralis, Triumfetta procumbens

References: - Lyndon Wester: Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Northern Line Islands. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Atoll Res. Bull. 287: 1-38. 1985 - Dieter Mueller-Dombois; Francis Raymond Fosberg: Vegetation of the Tropical Pacific Islands. Springer, 1997