Common Name: Mountain Rush

General Information

Freycinetia baueriana is an evergreen shrub with straggling stems that can climb into the surrounding vegetation. The stems can grow up to 30 metres long[]
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.
Freycinetia baueriana is endemic to the palm forest in the Norfolk Islands, where it is mainly found within the Norfolk Islands National Park in the Mount Bates and Mount Pitts area with some plants at Balls Bay nature reserve and on private land. Due to the large reduction in area of native forest on the island (90%) since European's settlement the plant is suspected to have had an historic population size reduction. The current population trend is suspected to be decreasing due to rats eating the flowers and fruits and the lack of observed young plants in the last ten years. The plant is classified as 'Critically Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Pacific - Norfolk Island

Habitat

Found mainly in sheltered mountain gullies and upper slopes of mountains, mainly at elevations up to 250 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Critically Endangered
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Climber
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. Fleshy[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The leaves are used for thatching and are also woven and plaited to make hats, baskets etc[].

Propagation

Seed -

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