Three main islands, Alo, Sigave, and Uvea, make up the French territory of Wallis and Futuna. The islands were independent kingdoms ruled by minor kings or queens. French missionaries began arriving on the islands in 1837. By 1888, the three kingdoms had signed treaties with France and were reduced to protectorates.
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Medinilla racemosa - The Medinilla genus has about 190 species of flowering plants distributed from Africa, across Southern Asia, and into the Pacific Ocean. They are either in shrub or liana form. Medinilla racemosa grows in the dense rainforest as a fleshy vine with a smooth straw-colored bark. Lianas are vines rooted in the ground near trees and use them as support columns for reaching into the canopy. Lianas strengthen trees by “latching” them together, but they also compete against the trees for food, water, and sunlight.
