Rubiaceae

Family Rubiaceae which is also referred to as the coffee family, madder family and bedstraw family.

Hamelia patens

Firebush, Hamelia patens - Location: Alafua, Samoa

Firebush, Hamelia patens - Location: Alafua, Samoa

Binomial Name: Hamelia patens

Taxonomy: Phylum: Angiosperms– Class: Eudicots –  Unranked: Asterids–  Order: Gentianales – Family: Rubiaceae  – Genus: hamelia  – Species: H. Spatens

Common names: Firebush, Hummingbird Bush, Scarlet Bush, Redhead (English)

Pentas lanceolata

Egyptian Starcluster, Pentas lanceolata - Location: Alafua, Samoa

Egyptian Starcluster, Pentas lanceolata - Location: Alafua, Samoa

Binomial Name: Pentas lanceolata

Taxonomy: Phylum: Angiosperms– Class: Eudicots –  Unranked: Asterids–  Order: Gentianales – Family: Rubiaceae  – Genus: Pentas – Species: P. lanceolata  

Common names: Egyptian Starcluster (English); Millepertuis à grandes fleurs (French); Großkelchige Johanniskraut (German)

Gardenia

Gardenia - Location Orator Hotel, Ululoloa, Samoa

Binomial Name: Gardenia ???

Taxonomy: Phylum: Angiosperms– Class: Eudicots –  Unranked: Asterids–  Order: Gentianales – Family: Rubiaceae – Subfamily: Ixoroideae – Tribe: Gardenieae – Genus: Gardenia – Species: G. (unknown species)

Common names: Common Jasmine, Cape Jasmine, Cape Jasmine (English); name  (French); name (Spanish); name (Italian) TKaapse jasmin (Dutch); Gardenie , Knopflochblume, Blumen-Gardenie (German)

Morinda citrifolia

Flowers of Indian Mulberry, Morinda citrifolia -- Location: Malifa, Samoa



Wattled Honeyeater feeding on nectar in flowers of Indian Mulberry, Morinda citrifolia - Location: Alafua, Samoa



 Cardinal Myzomela on Indian Mulberry, Morinda citrifolia - Location: Alafua, Samoa

Samoan Starling on Indian Mulberry, Morinda citrifolia - Location: Alafua, Samoa

Binomial Name: Morinda citrifolia

Taxonomy: Phylum: Angiosperms– Class: Eudicots –  Unranked: Asterids–  Order: Gentianales – Family: Rubiaceae – Subfamily: Rubioideae – Tribe: Morindeae – Genus: Morinda– Species: M. citrifolia

Common names: Indian Mulberry, Great morinda, Noni, Beach Mulberry, Cheese fruit (English); nonu, Pomme-chien (French); noni, gunábana cimarrona, fruta del diablo o mora de la India (Spanish); Nonu (Samoan); Ayushka, Achuka (Sanskrit), Pongeephal, Ach (Hindi), Achu (Urdu), Mengkudu (Malaysia); Apatot (Philipines)

Ixora coccinea

Ixora coccinea - Location: Alafua, Samoa



Ixora coccinea - Location: Alafua, Samoa

Ixora coccinea - Location: Alafua, Samoa

Binomial Name: Ixora coccinea Taxonomy: Phylum: Angiosperms– Class: Eudicots –  Unranked: Asterids–  Order: Gentianales – Family: Rubiaceae – Subfamily: Ixoroideae – Tribe: Ixoreae –  – Genus: Ixora – Species: I. coccinea Common names: Ixora, West Indian Jasmine, Jungle Flame, Jungle geranium (English); ixora (French); Ixora, cruz de malta, coralillo o Santa Rita (Spanish);  Sugi (Samoan)

Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters Blog by Vincent Albert Vermeulen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

My other blogs

· Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters (on plants, animals as well as gardening, conservation and environmental matters): http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.com/

· The Blood of Souls (language, translation and etymology) : http://thebloodofsouls.blogspot.com/

· Whiskers on Kittens (Life with Kittens and Cats in general) : http://whiskersonkittens-vincent.blogspot.com

Some Birds of Samoa

White tern (Gygis alba)

Binomial Name: Gygis alba

Common names: White tern, Common White Tern, (English) Tava’esina (Samoan) Gygis blanche (French); Feenseeschwalbe (German); Charrán Blanco (Spanish)
Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia - Phylum: Chordata – Class: Aves – Order: Charadriiformes – Family: Sternidae– Genus: Gygis– Species: G. alba

Photographed at Vailima on the Road of Loving Hearts on the way up to Robert Louis Stevenson's tomb.

 

Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio)

Binomial Name: Porphyrio porphyrio

Common names: Purple Swamphen (English) Manualii (Samoan); Taléve sultane (French); Purpurhuhn (German); Calamón Común (Spanish); Pūkeko (Māori)
Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia - Phylum: Chordata – Class: Aves – Order: Gruiformes – Family: Rallidae– Genus: Porphyrio– Species: P. porphyrio

Photographed past Aleisa on the road going up to the Power Station

Wattled Honeyeater (Foulehaio carunculatus)

 

Binomial Name: Foulehaio carunculatus

Common names: Wattled honeyeater, Carunculated Wattled Honeyeater, Samoan Wattled Honeyeater, Viti levu Honeyeater (English) I’ao (Samoan) Schuppenkopf-Honigfresser (German); Mielero Foulehaio (Spanish); Méliphage foulehaio (French0
Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia - Phylum: Chordata – Class: Aves – Order: Passeriformes – Family: Meliphagidae– Genus: Fouehaio – Species: F. carunculatus

Photographed in Mango tree at Alafua

 

Cardinal Myzomela (Myzomela cardinalis)

Binomial Name: Myzomela cardinalis

Common names: Myzomela cardinalis, Cardinal Honeyeater, Black-bellied Honeysucker, Samoan Cardinal Myzomela (English) Segaseagamau’u (Samoan); Myzoméle cardinal (French); Kardinalhonigfresser (German); Mielero Cardenal (Spanish)

Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia - Phylum: Chordata – Class: Aves – Order: Passeriformes – Family: Meliphagidae– Genus: Myzomela – Species: M. cardinalis

Photographed after Cyclone Evan on fallen Nuno tree at Alafua.

 

A Many Coloured Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus perousii)

Binomial Name: Ptilinopus perousii

Common names: Many coloured fruit dove (English) Manuma (Samoan) v
Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia - Phylum: Chordata – Class: Aves – Order: Columbiformes – Family: Columbidae– Genus: Ptilinopus– Species: P. perousii

Photographed on a tree in the Vailima Botanical Garden right near the entrance to the garden. 

On-line References and Links:

Please note: I will adding book references when I am able to access some suitable ones.

Gygis alba

The Guardian, “Mystery bird: white tern, Gygis alba” LINK

Birdlife International Entry for Common White Tern Gygis alba LINK

Internet Bird Collection: LINK

IUCU Red List of Threatened Species, Entry for Gygis alba LINK

Wikipedia Entry for White Tern LINK

Porphyrio porphyrio

Birdlife International Entry for (Porphyrio porphyrio) LINK

Internet Bird Collection entry for Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) LINK

IUCU Red List of Threatened Species, Entry for Porphyrio porphyria LINK

Wikipedia Entry for Purple Swamphen LINK

 

Foulehaio carunculatus

Birdlife International entry for Wattled Honeyeater Foulehaio carunculatus LINK

Internet Bird Collection entry for Wattled Honeyeater (Foulehaio carunculatus) LINK

IUCU Red List of Threatened Species, Entry for Foulehaio carunculatus LINK

Wikipedia Entry for Wattled Honeyeater LINK

Myzomela cardinalis

Birdlife International entry for LINK

Internet Bird Collection entry for Myzomela cardinalis (Cardinal Myzomela) LINK

IUCU Red List of Threatened Species, Entry for Myzomela cardinalis (Cardinal Myzomela) LINK

Wikipedia entry for cardinal Myzomela LINK

Ptilinopus perosii

Birdlife International Entry for Many-Coloured fruit-dove Ptilinopus perousii LINK
Internet Bird Collection: LINK
IUCU Red List of Threatened Species, Entry for Ptilinopus perosii (Has not yet been assessed for the IUCN Red List)
Wikipedia Entry for Many-coloured Fruit-dove LINK

IMPORTANT
Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters Blog by Vincent Albert Vermeulen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

My current blogs:

· Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters (on plants, animals as well as gardening, conservation and environmental matters): http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.com/

· The Blood of Souls (language, translation and etymology) : http://thebloodofsouls.blogspot.com/

· Whiskers on Kittens (Life with Kittens and Cats in general) : http://whiskersonkittens-vincent.blogspot.com/

Serendipity at Papapapaitai Falls

On the same day that I saw an unexpected bird at the Vailima Botanical Garden I went up to Tiavi and over to the Papapapaitai Falls lookout and was taking some photos when I caught sight of a Cardinal Myzomela, Myzomela cardinalis feeding of some Firecracker Hibiscus, Malvaviscus penduliflorus.



Cardinal Myzomela, Myzomela cardinalis feeding of some Firecracker Hibiscus, Malvaviscus penduliflorus



Cardinal Myzomela, Myzomela cardinalis feeding of some Firecracker Hibiscus, Malvaviscus penduliflorus

Additional Information:

Binomial Name: Phylum: Chordata – Class: Aves – Order: Passerformes – Familt: Meliphagidae – Genus: Myzomela – Species: M. cardinalis

Common names: Cardinal Myzomela (English) Segaseagmau’u(Samoan)

Binomial Name: Malvaviscus penduliflorus

Common names: Firecracker Hibiscus,  Turk's Cap Mallow, Wax Mallow, Sleeping Hibiscus, Mazapan(English)

Taxonomy

• Phylum: Chordata – Class: Aves – Order: Passeriformes – Family: Meliphagidae – Genus: Myzomela – Species: M. cardinalis
• Order: Malvaceae – Family Malvaceae – Subfamily: Malvoideae – Tribe: Hibisceae – Genus: Malvaviscus - Species: M. arboreus

Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters Blog by Vincent Albert Vermeulen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.be/.

My other blogs

· Flora and Fauna - Plants and Critters (on plants, animals as well as gardening, conservation and environmental matters): http://plantsandcritters.blogspot.com/

· The Blood of Souls (language, translation and etymology) : http://thebloodofsouls.blogspot.com/

· Whiskers on Kittens (Life with Kittens and Cats in general) : http://whiskersonkittens-vincent.blogspot.com/