| *Hange [Proto Polynesian] |
Hangehange |
Geniostoma ligustrifolium (Loganiaceae); also an alternative name for hīnau, Elaeocarpus dentatus (Elaeocarpaceae) |
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Alternative names: whangewhange, hengahenga, pāhengahenga, pāpāhenga (variants of hangehange); pāpā, pāpāuma (local origin) |
ETYMOLOGY:
From Proto Rarotongan/Māori *Hange Geniostoma spp. (Loganiaceae).
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Watch this space!
(Plant photograph to come)
Watch this space!
(Plant photograph to come)
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COGNATE WORDS IN SOME OTHER POLYNESIAN LANGUAGES
Rarotongan: 'angi (Geniostoma spp., Loganiaceae)
Rapa (Austral Islands): Ange (Geniostoma sp.)
Rurutu (Austral Islands) : Ange (Geniostoma rupestre)
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Note: See the other linked pages (highlighted at the top of this page) for more information about the ancestral name, its modern descendents, and the plants they denote. |
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NOTE - THIS PROTO-PAGE IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION!
The hangehange is a shiny-leaved, much-branched shrub growing to about 4 metres tall. The bark and sap of this tree are reputed to have some medicinal value, and were employed in treating itches of the skin. The hangehange is found throughout the North Island, and in the northern part of the South Island. Like the other Geniostoma, it bears small sprays of miniature flowers with a characteristic 5-pointed star shape from the leaf axils. In Aotearoa hangehange flowers in summer.
Why this name is also occasionally applied to the hīnau (Elaeocarpus dentatus) must remain, for now, a mystery. Possibly it is because the bark of both is reputed to have properties for the effective treatment of skin diseases. The trees are very different in size and form, but glanced at from afar there may be a vague resemblance when they are in flower - but not one that would stand any kind of careful scrutiny!
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Further Information:
There is some information about the medicinal properties of hangehange in Tony Foster's Plant Heritage New Zealand (see Bibliography). The NZ Plant Conservation Network site has the essential botanical descriptions of the three subspecies of Geniostoma ligustrifolium and interesting photographs.
Photographs: Ā te wā, ko puta atu ētahi whakaahua!
Watch this space!
(Reserved for a different picture!)
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Watch this space!
(Reserved for a different picture!) |
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