Medinilla waterhousei

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Tagimaucia

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Melastomataceae
Genus:	Medinilla
Species:	M. waterhousei
Binomial name
*Medinilla waterhousei* Seem.

Medinilla waterhousei, commonly known as tagimaucia or tagimoucia ([ˈtaŋimouðia], tahng-ee-mow-theea), is a species of flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae which is endemic to the highland rainforest of the Fijian island of Taveuni. It is a liana bearing crimson and white flowers in 30 cm-long hanging clusters. It only grows at altitudes of over 600 m, flowering from October to December. The flower is the floral emblem of Fiji.^[1]^[2] The flower is now represented on the Fiji $50 note replacing the queen.

Legend

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A local romantic legend attached to the flower has it representing the tears of a young girl forbidden by her father to marry the boy of her dreams so as she wept her tears became the flower^[3] hence from the phrase tagi me uci ‘ea ("cry to be like her"). The girl was said to be the daughter of a chief either Tui Cakau or Tui Lekutu.^[4] This is immortalized in a popular Fijian folk song by Percy Bucknell titled Tagimoucia ga ("Such is the Tagimoucia").^[4]

Etymology

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Medinilla is named for José de Medinilla y Pineda, who was governor of Mauritius (then known as the Marianne Islands) in 1820.^[5]

References

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^ Dunn, Elton. "Tagimaucia". Tropical Plants in Fiji. gardenguides.com. Retrieved 2011-04-28.
^ Stanley, David (2004). Moon Handbooks South Pacific. Author. p. 788. ISBN 1-56691-411-6.
^ "Fiji Facts". Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2011-07-14.
^ ^a ^b Hao-Li Lin (2015). Vanua as Environment: Conservation, Farming, and Development in Waitabu, Fiji (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Pittsburgh. pp. 137–9.
^ Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521866453 (hardback), ISBN 9780521685535 (paperback). pp 253

External links

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A journey to Earth's most remote flower – BBC Travel

Taxon identifiers
Medinilla waterhousei	Wikidata: Q6806966 Wikispecies: Medinilla waterhousei CoL: 3YPDQ GBIF: 3864043 iNaturalist: 785628 IPNI: 570520-1 Open Tree of Life: 6121260 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:570520-1

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