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Melicope reflexa

(H.St.John) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone (1989)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Sapindales Family: Rutaceae Genus: Melicope

alani, alani kuahiwi

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Sprawling shrubs 1–3 m tall, new growth yellowish brown short–hirtellous, soon glabrate.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades elliptic–oblanceolate, 8–14 cm long, 4–7 cm wide. Apex rounded to acute. Base broadly rounded to subcordate. Upper surfaces glabrous; lower surfaces of youngest leaves minutely puberulent, primarily on midrib, becoming glabrate; thin, coriaceous. Margins entire. Primary lateral veins usually 14–18 pairs, slightly ascending, connected by a vein 1–3 mm from margin, venation pinnate, lateral veins connected by an arched submarginal vein, higher order venation forming a reticulate pattern. Petioles 8–25 mm long, but at least some of them more than 10 mm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 1–3 in axillary cymes 3–4 cm long, glabrate or sometimes base of peduncle and rarely lowest axes with a few scattered hairs, peduncles 3–15 mm long, pedicels 15–20 mm long, slightly flaring at base of calyx, bracteoles minute, deltate, sparsely puberulent, bracts small, opposite. Calyx of 4 sepals; sepals of pistillate flowers with sepals deltate, ca. 3–4 mm long, glabrous, sepals 4, imbricate. Corolla of pistillate flowers with 4 petals ca. 4.8 mm long, glabrous, valvate. Stamens 8, in 2 whorls, distinct, reduced but always present in functionally pistillate flowers. Ovary superior, glabrous, nectary disk 8-lobed, ovary 4-celled and 4-lobed, carpels connate, only slightly distinct at apex to almost entirely distinct; ovules 2 per cell, hemitropous, 1 ascending; style 1, ca. 4 mm long, terminating in 4 short stigmatic branches.

Fruit: Capsules 20–33 mm wide; carpels connate ca. ¼ their length; 10–17 mm long; somewhat reflexed; exocarp and endocarp glabrous. the carpels dehiscing along the upper suture; exocarp. Seeds 1–2 per carpel; 7–8 mm long; glossy black when ripe; crustaceous; ovoid; sometimes angled from compression; embryo straight in fleshy endosperm; radicle short; cotyledons compressed; ovate; putamen brown; warty.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Known from wet forest.

Elevation Range: 760–1,190 m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Endemic

Island Status

Molokai Endemic

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Taxon 38: 122 (1989)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:1203 (Mo [as Pelea reflexa]); Hartley & Stone 1989:122 (COMBNOV, Syn. P. reflexa = M. reflexa)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Rock, J.F.C. 7046 Molokai BISH 4/10/1910
2 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN rock, j.f.c. collector number: 7046 Molokai BISH 4/10/1910
3 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN forbes, c.n. collector number: 449.mo Molokai BISH 8/8/1912
4 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN collector number: s.n. Molokai BISH
5 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Forbes, C.N. 449.Mo Molokai BISH 8/1/1912
6 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information Wet ohia forest with other native trees and a native shrub-exotic grass and shrub u/s. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Stemmermann, R.L. RLS 3945 Molokai BISH 7/19/1979
7 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN munro, g.c. collector number: 532 Molokai BISH 7/3/1923
8 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information Wet ohia forest with other native trees and a native shrub-exotic grass and shrub u/s. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN stemmermann, r.l. montgomery, s. collector number: rls 3945 Molokai BISH 7/19/1979
9 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information Rain forest. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN St. John, H. 12889 Molokai BISH 12/29/1932
10 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information Swampy rain forest. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN st.john, h. baker, r.j.; coulter, j.w.; fosberg, f.r.; yuncker, t.g. collector number: 12605 Molokai BISH 12/25/1932
11 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information along rim. Vegetation: Metrosideros, Cheirodendron, Broussaisia, Myrsine, Vaccinium, Ilex, Scaevola, Dubautia, Kadua, Clermontia, Cyrtandra, Pittosporum, Alyxia, Cibotium, Astelis, Sticherus, Melicope clusiifolia, Melicope sessilis, Melicope peduncularis, Dicranopteris, Sadleria, Labordia, Polypodium, Coprosma, Adenophorus, Lycopodiella, Elaphoglossum, Peperomia, Tibouchina, Clidemia, Rubus, Sacciolepis. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Oppenheimer, H.L. H11603 Molokai BISH 1/7/2016
12 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information Swampy rain forest. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN St. John, H. 12605 Molokai BISH 12/25/1932
13 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information In rainforest & along stream bank PRESERVED_SPECIMEN rock, j.f.c. collector number: 7046 Molokai BISH 4/10/1910
14 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Munro, G.C. 532 Molokai BISH 7/3/1923
15 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information Rain forest. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN st.john, h. baker, r.j.; coulter, j.w.; fosberg, f.r.; yuncker, t.g. collector number: 12889 Molokai BISH 12/29/1932
16 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN s.n. Molokai BISH
17 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN j. f. c. rock 7046 NY 4/7/1910
18 Melicope reflexa Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN K. R. Wood 8928 Molokai PTBG 4/26/2001
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