Pua nako nako
Pua nako nako – Lycium sandwicense
Small shrub with prostrate and drooping stems, up to several meters long. Alternate, fleshy leaves 2 to 3.5 cm long and 0.5 to 1.2 cm wide. Flowers lilac and 3 to 4 mm long. Fruits 1 cm in diameter in the form of fleshy berries, orange to red when ripe with numerous small seeds.
Importance
The fruits were probably consumed just as in Rapa, French Polynesia. It is used for the treatment of pimples.
Propagation
It reproduces by rhizomes, but there is very little wild material available for larger scale propagation and the Mataveri Otai Nursery produces a few specimens each year.
Ecology
It is found on some of the island's sea cliffs, especially on the west coast. Associated species: Paspalum forsterianum, Asplenium obtusatum and Chamaesyce serpens.
Conservation
It is estimated that there are less than 200 individuals in the natural environment. The little natural regeneration and the limited size of its distribution classify it as IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION on Rapa Nui.
Distribution
Hawaii, Tonga, French Polynesia, Pitcairn, Rapa Nui, Juan Fernández. On Rapa Nui, it may have been introduced by migratory birds, which consume its fruits.
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