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Polyscias lallanii

R.Kr.Singh & Sanjeet Kumar (2010)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Apiales Family: Araliaceae Genus: Polyscias

munroidendron

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees up to ca. 7 m tall, with a straight trunk and spreading branches, bark gray, smooth, secretory canals present in most parts.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound (pinnate). Alternate. Blades 15–30 cm long; leaflets ovate to elliptic, 8–17 cm long, 4–10(–12) cm wide. Apex broadly acute to obtuse or emarginate. Base cordate (obliquely so on lateral leaflets). Margins entire. Sessile or with a short petiolule up to 5 mm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. Pedicels alternate to subverticillate, 4–6 mm long. Calyx a truncate rim. Petals pale yellowish, lanceolate, 8–10 mm long, upper surface glabrous, lower surface whitish stellate–furfuraceous. Stamens 10–15 in a single whorl; filaments yellowish, ascending, 56–7 mm long; anthers dark yellow, versatile, 4.5–5 mm long. Ovary inferior stellate–furfuraceous, surmounted by a flat–topped, glabrous, dark red disk.

Fruit: Drupes (and ovary) stellate–furfuraceous; surmounted by a flat–topped; glabrous; dark red disk. Seeds 1 per pyrene; embryo small.

Ploidy: 2n = 48

Habitat: Occurring in mesic forest on Kaua‘i; and known to occur naturally in only 3 areas: Nounou Mountain; cliffs along the Nāpali Coast; and Hā‘upu Ridge near Nāwiliwili Bay.

Elevation Range: 120–400 m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

PROPAGATION/CULTIVATION

  • According to Obata, flowering season for Munroidendron racemosum is variable having been observed in both spring and fall. Fruits mature in about 75 days.
  • The seeds of Munroidendron racemosum are contained in a pulpy fruit. NTBG recommends removing the pulp by washing the fruits through a strainer. The seeds will germinate without removal of the pulp, but there are less insect and disease problems if the seeds are cleaned. After discarding the pulp, soak the seeds in cold water for 24 hours. Discard any floating seeds and dry the rest. Plant the dried seeds in a mixture of 3 parts perlite to 1 part peat or cinder.
  • Ragone reported a 52% germination rate within 36 days for fresh seed with no pretreatment. However, seed viability rapidly declined when stored at 80 degress F and 25% relative humidity. After 10 months of storage, the germination percentage had dropped to 1% or less. Using a 24 hour cold water soak pretreatment on seeds stored for 9 months resulted in an increase of germination percentage to 11%, but it took 6 months for all of these seeds to germinate. Obata characterized the germination rate for this plant as "fair" and observed that trees grown from seed bloomed in 4 years. (Obata 1973; Obata 1979; NTBG 1992; Ragone 1993) [Data from Herring, E. C., & Criley, R. A. (2003). The Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Web Site: Developing a Webbased Information Resource. HortTechnology, 13(3), 545-548. https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hawnprop/]

Natural History

Statewide Status

Endemic

Island Status

Kaua'i Endemic
O'ahu Only found in cultivation
Maui Only found in cultivation

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Notes

  • Description digitized by Pumehana Imada
  • This species is extremely rare and was thought by Munro (cf. Sherff, 1956) possibly to be extinct. A few individuals have been observed recently on Hā‘upu Ridge (S. Lucas, pers. comm.), along the Nāpali Coast, and on Nounou Mountain at the south end of th

Bibliography

Name Published In: J. Biodivers. Conservation 8(2): 18 (2024)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:229 (K [as Munroidendron racemosum]); Herbst & Wagner 1996:9 (REDISCOVER/K); Lowry & Plunkett 2010:74 (COMBNOV, Syn. M. racemosum = Polyscias racemosa [nom. illeg.]); Singh & Kumar 2024:18 (NOMNOV, P. racemosa = P. lallanii); Lowry et al. 2024:80 (NOMNOV, P. racemosa = P. munroi [nom. illeg.]

Wagner, W. L., Herbst, D. R., & Sohmer, S. H. (1999). Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i, Vols. 1 and 2 (No. Edn 2). University of Hawai'i and Bishop Museum Press.

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Scientific Name Authorship Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
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