Cunjevoi
Encyclopedia
Cunjevoi is a word in Australian English
that refers to three species: two related plants of the family Araceae
and genus Alocasia
, and a marine animal, Pyura stolonifera
.
or sea squirt, Pyura stolonifera
, found around the edge of the low-tide mark that often forms mats over the rocks. It is sometimes covered in green or brown algae and has a tough brown exterior or 'tunic'. It is related to the Sea tulip. It was a common food source for the local Aboriginal people, but is now used mainly as fishing bait. It is a protected species in some parts of Sydney Harbour
.
Australian English
Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
that refers to three species: two related plants of the family Araceae
Araceae
Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe or leaf-like bract. Also known as the Arum family, members are often colloquially...
and genus Alocasia
Alocasia
Alocasia is a genus of broad-leaved rhizomatous or tuberous perennials from the Family Araceae. There are 78 species of Alocasia occurring in Tropical & Subtropical Asia to Eastern Australia and widely cultivated in Oceania and South America. The large cordate or sagittate leaves grow to a length...
, and a marine animal, Pyura stolonifera
Pyura stolonifera
Pyura stolonifera, commonly known in South Africa as red bait or rooi aas and in Australia as cunjevoi, is a sessile ascidian, or sea squirt, that lives in coastal waters.-Distribution:...
.
Plants
Cunjevoi can refer to:- Alocasia brisbanensisAlocasia brisbanensisAlocasia brisbanensis is a species of plant in the family Araceae. Its common name is native lily or cunjevoi . It is native to rainforests of Eastern Australia. This plant has very large, spade shaped leaves on long, fleshy petioles. Alocasia may grow to a height of 1.5 metres...
, a species native to rainforests of eastern AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is also known as Native Lily or Spoon Lily. It is toxic to humans. - Alocasia macrorrhizosAlocasia macrorrhizosAlocasia macrorrhizos is a species of flowering plant in the arum family, Araceae, that it is native to rainforests from Malaysia to Queensland and has long been cultivated on many Pacific islands and elsewhere in the tropics...
, found in the same region as the above species, but also found in the Pacific islands, where it is referred to as "giant taroTaroTaro is a common name for the corms and tubers of several plants in the family Araceae . Of these, Colocasia esculenta is the most widely cultivated, and is the subject of this article. More specifically, this article describes the 'dasheen' form of taro; another variety is called eddoe.Taro is...
" or "elephant ear taro". It is edible if cooked for a long time but is used as a food plant in the Pacific only in times of food shortage.
Marine animal
The Cunjevoi, often known colloquially as "cunjie", is a TunicateTunicate
Tunicates, also known as urochordates, are members of the subphylum Tunicata, previously known as Urochordata, a group of underwater saclike filter feeders with incurrent and excurrent siphons that is classified within the phylum Chordata. While most tunicates live on the ocean floor, others such...
or sea squirt, Pyura stolonifera
Pyura stolonifera
Pyura stolonifera, commonly known in South Africa as red bait or rooi aas and in Australia as cunjevoi, is a sessile ascidian, or sea squirt, that lives in coastal waters.-Distribution:...
, found around the edge of the low-tide mark that often forms mats over the rocks. It is sometimes covered in green or brown algae and has a tough brown exterior or 'tunic'. It is related to the Sea tulip. It was a common food source for the local Aboriginal people, but is now used mainly as fishing bait. It is a protected species in some parts of Sydney Harbour
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
.