Bikkia tetrandra

Bikkia tetrandra
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Rubiaceae
Genus:	Bikkia
Species:	B. tetrandra
Binomial name
	Bikkia tetrandra; (L.f.) A.Rich.
Synonyms
	Portlandia tetrandra L.f. ; Cormigonus tetrandus (L.f.) Kuntze ; Bikkia australis var. commersoniana DC. ; Petesia carnosa Hook. & Arn. ; Bikkia hombroniana Brongn. ; Bikkia mariannensis Brongn. ; Cormigonus mariannensis (Brongn.) W.Wight ; Bikkia comptonii S.Moore ; Bikkiopsis comptonii (S.Moore) Baum.-Bod. ;

Bikkia tetrandra (Chamorro: gausåli) is an herbaceous member of the family Rubiaceae, distinguished by its white square-shaped flowers. It is native to Papuasia and islands of the western Pacific, including the Caroline Islands, Fiji, Mariana Islands, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Niue, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Wallis-Futuna Islands. The stems ignite easily and can be used to make torches or candles.

Bikkia tetrandra has become a popular symbol of native ecology on the island of Guam. Legislation was proposed twice on Guam, in 2014 and 2018, to make Bikkia tetrandra the official territorial flower, although both efforts failed. The current territorial flower, the South American Bougainvillea, was introduced to Guam in 1910, and is now considered invasive on Guam.

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