White flowers help distinguish miki miki from the yellow-flowered ‘o‘uru. Both are at home on exposed, salty shores.
- Local names
- Miki Miki (Tuamotu Islands, Gambier Islands, Austral Islands) ‘A’ie (Society Islands, Tuamotu Islands, Austral Islands)
- Habitat
- Motu and shore
- Family
- Lythraceae
- Biogeographical status
- Native
- Life form
- Shrub
- Abundance
- Common
- Ecosystem
- Beach
About this species
This large shrub grows along the sea, beside hoa, and on the ocean-facing edges of motu. Its small white flowers attract bees on Tetiaroa. They distinguish it from the often-confused ‘o‘uru, Suriana maritima, whose flowers are yellow.
Floating seeds provide dispersal by water, or hydrochory. The source records the species as absent from the Marquesas.
The plant tolerates salt, and its dense, resistant wood has been used for spears, hooks, clubs, and other small implements.