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Description: The genus Freycinetia was named in honor of the 19th century French Navigator Admiral Louis de Freycinet (1779-1842) an explorer who lead an expedition around the world; on this voyage of discovery for the French Government; Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré (1789-1854), the botanist on this exploratory mission, was the first to collect and describe the genus Freycinetia which he named after Admiral Freycinet. Freycinetia reineckei, is a member of this genus in the Pandanaceae family. Species in this monocot family are typically woody climbing vines known as lianas; these species are also dioecious, which means that the male flowers, including the pollen-bearing anther (male sex organ), and the female flowers, including the pistil (female sex organ), are located on separate plants. Generally, Freycinetia species “are easy to differentiate in a dense forest canopy by their trifarious spiraled leaves” (Costion 2011:143). F. reineckei is a woody, climbing liana that becomes woody at its base with conspicuous red bracts and flowers that botanists recognize as a “first cousin” of Pandanus spp. (also known as “screw pines”). The F. reineckei liana creeps up trees but also can form a thick cover when it spreads out over open ground. The long, tough rootlets of Frecinetia spp., including F. reineckei, become attached to shrubs and trees and allow these lianas to grow up into the forest canopy. The relatively thick leaves are long and linear or elongated lanceolate, with a pointed tip and sheathed at the base; the margins of the leaves at the base and apex have spine-like (toothed) structures. The fruits, produced at the end of branches are integrated into a syncarp (compound fruit, i.e., multiple fruits combined into one unit) with individual carpels developing into fleshy berry-like structure but united in spiraling rows; the seeds are numerous and small (e.g., see Stone 1970). Balick and Cox (1996) and others have pointed out that pollination of F. reineckei flowers relies on “flying foxes” which are bats scientifically belong to the genus Pteropus (e.g., the Mariana Islands flying fox P. mariannus) These bats are attracted to the pollen and large, fleshy bracts of the Freycinetia inflorescenses (also see Cox 1982, 1990); the pollen contains “complete protein” and fleshy bracts are carbohydrate rich; bracts are modified leaf-like structures that are often brightly colored in plant species lacking true petals and are sometimes mistaken for floral petals.
Distribution: There are reportedly three species of Freycinetia in Micronesia, “two of which are endemic,” and the other, F. reineckei, occurs in Samoa as well as in some Micronesian islands (Costion 2011:143). The habitat of Freycinetia reineckei can be found in tropical montane rain forests of Samoa, Yap, the Marianas and Chuuk; for example, F. reineckei is found in ravine and limestone forests in some islands in the Marianas. In such habitats, F. reineckei occurs as an herbaceous liana becoming woody at base and climbing trees; but is also found often as a thick groundcover. Parts of the fruits of this liana are eaten by fruit bats, who are the primary pollinators of F. reineckei; therefore, with the depletion of fruit bats and threat of their extinction in areas such as in Guam and Samoa this plant species also has become threatened (e.g., see Banack 2001:3).
Uses by Island or Island Group: The long and malleable rootlets of Freycinetia spp., including F. reineckei are valuable material which have been woven traditionally into water-resistant fish traps by Pacific Islanders. For example: the people of the Manua Islands (American Samoa) have used the rootlets of F. reineckei lianas to weave fish traps (known as 'enu)because these rootlets are able to resist decay even after repeated submersions in seawater; these Samoan traps have been used to catch a small fish called i'a sina, which migrates to the islands several times a year. Native women in the Samoan Islands have long used the leaves F. reineckei (‘ie‘ie) in the making of mats (e.g., see Lloyd and Aiken 1934:1; also see Abbott 1992 for traditional uses of a closely related Freycinetia species (F. arborea) in the Hawaiian Islands).
Uses in Yap: Based on original data collected on Yap bats suggests that the populations of fruit bats on Yap islands and Ulithi atoll form two subspecies of Pteropus mariannus; and among the plants foods that these animals feed on are the blossoms of Freycinetia [F. reineckei?](see Falanruw 1988:47).
Uses in Mariana Islands: Freycinetia reineckei is known as Fianiti in the Mariana Islands where it may be found in remaining areas of native ravine and limestone forest (see Stone 1970); and R. reineckei was reported as having been common “along the trail to Mt. Lamlam” on Guam (Moore 1981:159). It is presently said to be used for “reforestation, wildlife food, landscape,” and can be planted using cuttings or seeds. Among its plant diet, the Mariana flying fox (Pteropus mariannus) feeds on the conspicuous pinkish or red bracts around the inflorescences of F. reineckei plants; and in the process of this feeding, the bats pollinate the dioeceous F. reineckei liana plants on Guam as they inadvertently move pollen from a male flower on one plant to a female one on another tree. The male plants of F. reineckei produce complete protein in their pollen, and when the native bats land on these lianas to consume the colorful, carbohydrate rich fleshy bracts they also injest (and unintentionally pick up) relatively large quanties of protein rich pollen that has fallen from the male flowers and collected on the flowers’ bracts.
Uses in Chuuk: There appear to be two plants named Nifaach in Chuuk. One, Freycinetia reineckei, is a woody, climbing vine with conspicuous red bracts and flowers that botanists recognize as a "first cousin" of Pandanus spp. (Faach); the Chuukese people have apparently also recognized this resemblance and therefore have given it the name Nifaach which means “Pandanus thing.” The other plant named Nifaach in Chuuk is, according to the botanists, a species of Pandanus (P. comensii). Both of these species named Nifaach are found in upland forests of Chuuk. The long leaves of one (or both?) of these plants are used to make woven mats, hats, and fans.