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Heliocarpus americanus

L. (1753)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae Genus: Heliocarpus

moho, white moho

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees 6–30 m tall.

Stems: Young branches puberulent to tomentulose.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades ovate to cordate, 20–30 cm long, 14–18 cm wide, unlobed or shallowly 3–lobed. Apex acuminate. Base truncate to cordate. Surfaces minutely stellate pubescent. Margins irregularly serrulate. 5–7 veined. Petioles 6–8 cm long. Stipules present.

Flowers: Flowers 12–20 usually in terminal cymes, perfect flowers with pedicels 2–4 mm long; pistillate flowers with pedicels ca. 2 mm long, cymose inflorescences. Flowers bisexual (perfect) and pistillate (and plants gynodioecious). Calyx of 4 sepals; sepals valvate in bud, pubescent; sepals of perfect flowers lanceolate, 4–7 mm long. sepals of pistillate flowers 4–5.5 mm long. Corolla actinomorphic to moderately zygomorphic, tubular to rotate or reflexed. Valvate in bud, shorter than sepals, without glands at base, perfect flowers corolla of 4 petals, narrowly spatulate, 3–4.5 mm long; pistillate flowers petals rudimentary or absent. Stamens of perfect flowers 12–24; anthers dithecal.; pistillate flowers with numerous staminodes. Pollen globose, echinate. Ovary superior, 2-celled, falsely 4-celled at base, laterally compressed; ovules 2 per cell, placentation axile; perfect and pistillate flowers ovary on a short gynophore; style 1, 2-lobed, ovary with as many cells.

Fruit: Capsules loculicidally dehiscent; ellipsoid to ellipsoid–ovoid; on a gynophore 5–10 mm long; the body 3–4 mm long; 2 rows of plumose bristles along the margins; the plumose bristles 4–7 mm long; the faces with stellate hairs or very short plumose bristles. Seeds ovoid; ca. 2.5 mm long; depressed in the middle; with endosperm.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Cultivated and naturalized in disturbed forest.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Lana'i Naturalized
Maui Only found in cultivation
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Water/Ocean
Wind
Forestry

Pollinators

Notes

  • Description digitized by Rafael Domingo
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • also known as moho, white moho
  • not mentioned

Bibliography

Name Published In: Sp. Pl.: 448 (1753)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:1292 (K, O, H [as H. popayanensis]); Staples & Herbst 2005:549 (DESCR); Oppenheimer 2007:31 (L); Acevedo-Rodríguez & Strong 2012:506 (Syn. H. popayanensis = H. americanus)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Heliocarpus americanus Honolulu, Tantalus forest, roadside; with Eucalyptus, Psidium guajava, Persea americana Preserved_Specimen 6-30 dm tree Ray, G. 34 Oahu BISH 1997-08-13
2 Heliocarpus americanus N Halawa Valley access road Alongside road w/Buddleia asiatica, Lantana camara, Acacia koa, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Aleurites moluccana. Preserved_Specimen In full fruit. Imada, C. 944 Oahu BISH 1994-02-02
3 Heliocarpus americanus Honolulu, very top of Tantalus Dr., along winding road. Weedy, disturbed roadside. With Citharexylum caudatum, Schinus terebinthifolia, Cestrum nocturnum, Montanoa hibiscifolia, Tibouchina herbacea, Ipomoea indica Preserved_Specimen Small trees, 7-10 feet tall. In flower. Kennedy, B. 82 Oahu BISH 2019-01-16
4 Heliocarpus americanus Oahu Forest NWR, Koa ridge, above Mililani Mauka. Site of October 30, 2023 fire. On ridge, edge of burned area, full sun, moist, formerly dominated by uluhe. Associated; Miconia crenata, Acacia koa, Trema orientale, Falcataria falcata, Heliocarpus americanus, Budleja asiatica, Erigeron sumatrensis, Rubus rosifolius, Andropogon virginicus Preserved_Specimen Arthur, K. 53 Oahu BISH 2025-02-10
5 Heliocarpus americanus Kipapa Trail, ~1 mi from refuge boundary, trailside wet lowland forest; Metrosideros, Acacia, Dicranopteris Preserved_Specimen ~1 m sapling; leaves sand-paper texture Reynolds, L.S. 145 Oahu BISH 2006-06-15
6 Heliocarpus americanus Kalauao Valley (ewa side of Aiea Ridge trail) Small gulch in back of Kalauao Valley just below the summit. Disturbed wet gulch vegetation: Erigeron karvinskianus, Ageratina adenophora, Pterolepis, Paspalum conjugatum, Clidemia, Machaerina angustifolia, Wikstroemia oahuensis, Metrosideros polymorpha, Cibotium, Oplismenus, Rubus rosifolius. Preserved_Specimen Single 7 ft. tall, spindly plant, sterile. Plant was uprooted. Infrequent in the valley. Imada, C. 2003188 Oahu BISH 2003-11-17
7 Heliocarpus americanus Vicinity Hulopoe Gulch In alien forest. Preserved_Specimen Trees to 8m tall. Oppenheimer, H.L. 120644 Lanai BISH 2006-12-20
8 Heliocarpus americanus Vicinity Hulopoe Gulch In alien forest. Preserved_Specimen Trees to 8m tall. Oppenheimer, H.L. 120644 Lanai BISH 2006-12-20
9 Heliocarpus americanus Honolulu, Tantalus, near hogback forest type, wet Preserved_Specimen McGuire, T. Oahu BISH 1943-01-15
10 Heliocarpus americanus Trail to Kahili Bog, Wahiawa Valley Wet forest. Preserved_Specimen Bush 15 ft. tall, others 30 ft. fr. pink, planted by forsters St.John, H. 13613 Kauai BISH 1933-12-24
11 Heliocarpus americanus Honolulu, section 22, lower part Preserved_Specimen Adventive weed Osgood, R.V. 54 Oahu BISH 1965-12-05
12 Heliocarpus americanus Waiakea HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Hawaii 1/3/2011
13 Heliocarpus americanus Waiakea HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Hawaii 1/3/2011
14 Heliocarpus americanus Waiakea HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Hawaii 1/3/2011
15 Heliocarpus americanus N Halawa Valley, lower valley scrubland Preserved_Specimen Tree. Lennstrom, H. 199436 Oahu BISH 1994-02-02
16 Heliocarpus americanus Koloa District, Lawai, Lauoho road at Lawai Stream. West of bridge in stream bottom Preserved_Specimen Single tree of 20 ft. with Syzygium cumini. Flower buds greyish-green. Leaves dull, dark green above, paler, dull below. Flynn, T.W. 2637 Kauai BISH 1987-12-03
17 Heliocarpus americanus Along Stainback Highway Preserved_Specimen Tree with soft wood and pale green foliage. Fruit with pink iridescent hairs which become tan with maturity. Herbst, D.R. 881 Hawaii BISH 1968-02-02
18 Heliocarpus americanus Honolulu, Tantalus, near hogback Preserved_Specimen Becomes a big tree. Rapid growing and spreading like a weed. Leaves have star shaped hairs. Flowers one celled; when fresh. They are iridescent and look like little sunbursts. McGuire, T. Oahu BISH 1943-01-15
19 Heliocarpus americanus Hilo HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Hawaii 2/17/2020
20 Heliocarpus americanus Tantalus Drive, roadside Preserved_Specimen Kerr, M. Oahu BISH 1946-07-20
21 Heliocarpus americanus S of Hilo Preserved_Specimen Krajina, V.J. 611228039 Hawaii BISH 1961-12-28
22 Heliocarpus americanus S of Hilo Preserved_Specimen Krajina, V.J. 611227020 Hawaii BISH 1961-12-27
23 Heliocarpus americanus Honohina (Lower Piha) Preserved_Specimen Adee, K.T. Hawaii BISH 1978-12-15
24 Heliocarpus americanus Kawaihau District. Along Highway 56 (Kuhio Highway) near Moloaa. Only one plant observed. Roadside alien dominated growing in full sun Urochloa maxima, Grevillea banksii, Leucaena leucocephala, Syzigium cumini Preserved_Specimen Small tree approximately 4 meters tall, infructescence brown, fruits with feather bristles. Tree maybe dehydrated, lower leaves absent; only terminal leaves on branches remaining. Leaves medium green, with paler undersides. Brock, K. 802 Kauai BISH 2017-04-16
25 Heliocarpus americanus Honolulu, 3800 Tantalus Dr., 100 m S of access road to Puu Ohia Acacia koa, Hibiscus tilliaceus, mesic-wet ridgeline, E facing slope, disturbed roadside Preserved_Specimen tree to 6-30 m Ray, G. 66 Oahu BISH 1998-01-09
26 Heliocarpus americanus Waiahole Valley, road to Waiahole Ditch Trail Common in semi-open places in wet forest of exotic trees. Preserved_Specimen Small tree 10 m tall. Fosberg, F.R. 59478 Oahu BISH 1980-03-01
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