Cyrtosperma chamissonis (Araceae) : Ecology, distribution, and economic importance in the South Pacific

The edible aroids, Alocasia macrorrhiza, Amorphophallus paeoniifotius, Colocasia esculenta, and Cyrtosperma chamissonis, are important subsistence plants throughout the Pacific. A survey of floras, ethnographies, and other works indicated significant differences in the distributions and importance of these plants in the three cultural regions of the Pacific. Colocasia esculenta is the major aroid in Polynesia and Melanesia while Cy. chamissonis is the major aroid in Micronesia. Alocasia macrorrhiza is important on only a few islands in western Polynesia and Am. paeoniifolius is nowhere the major aroid. Although the distributions of Co. esculenta and Cy. chamissonis correspond to cultural regions, they are probably determined by ecological factors rather than by the cultural preferences of the people cultivating the plants. The importance of Cy. chamissonis on the low islands and atolls of Micronesia is due to its ability to withstand brackish water and outcompete Co. esculenta under such conditions.