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Cheirodendron platyphyllum

(Hook. & Arn.) Seem. (1867)

This name is accepted

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

‘ōlapa, lapalapa

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees 2–10 m tall; secretory canals present in most parts.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound (palmate). Opposite. Leaflets broadly ovate to depressed-ovate or subreniform, 3.5-7(-9) cm long, up to nearly twice as wide. Apex rounded, truncate, or occasionally emarginate to acuminate–mucronate. Base truncate to broadly obtuse, rarely subcordate. Margins entire or remotely serrulate. Veins raised on upper surface in dried material. Petioles base often broad and sheathing the stem. Petioles (5–)7–12 cm long, petiolules 2.5–5 cm long, laterally compressed. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in terminal, erect, oppositely branched panicles of umbellules.Inflorescences up to 15 cm long. Bracts minute, subconnate, persistent, forming an involucel below the umbellules and pseudocalyx below each flower; pedicels 3–6 mm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect) and functionally staminate (the plants andromonoecious). Calyx of 5 short, basally connate teeth. Corolla buds dark purple. petals 5(6), purple externally, greenish within, valvate, caducous, triangular to ovate or oblong, apex inflexed. Stamens usually as many as and alternate with the petals, sometimes numerous, distinct, inserted at the edge of the epigynous nectary disk; 5, pale yellow, spreading. Ovary inferior, (4)5-carpellate, carpels connate (rarely pseudomonomerous), with as many cells; ovules pendulous, 2 per cell, 1 abortive; styles (4)5, 1–1.5 mm long, connate into a blunt, cylindrical stylopodium surmounted by the circular stigmas.

Fruit: Drupe; green; ripening dark purple; exocarp fleshy; globose; or laterally compressed and orbicular or oblate to ovoid or obovoid; 3–7.5 mm long; pyrenes cartilaginous; laterally compressed; as many as styles. [Gaudichaud–Beaupé; 1830; Gray; 1854a; Heller; 1897; Herat; 1981; Hochreutiner; 1925; Krajina; 1931; Leveille; 1911a; St. John; 1959; Seemann; 1864–1868; Sherff; 1951c; 1952a; 1954a; 1962]; globose; weakly; if at all; (4)5–sided (ribbed when dry); 3.5–7.5 mm long (incl. styles). Seeds 1 per pyrene; embryo small.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Known only from mesic to wet forest.

Elevation Range: 700–1,300 m.

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Endemic

Island Status

Kaua'i Endemic
O'ahu Endemic

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Notes

  • Description digitized by Pumehana Imada
  • Two well-defined subspecies of Cheirodendron platyphyllum can be recognized: subsp. kauaiense [incl. C. kauaiense var. keakuense] with leaflet apices usually rounded to acuminate, rarely mucronate, and fruit 3.5-5 mm long (Kaua‘i); and subsp

Bibliography

Name Published In: J. Bot. 5: 236 (1867)

Other References

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
1 Cheirodendron platyphyllum (Hook. & Arn.) Seem. Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information ? PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Vladimir J. Krajina 620225210 UBC 2/25/1962
2 Cheirodendron platyphyllum (Hook. & Arn.) Seem. Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN r. l. wilbur 683 MU 4/18/1948
3 Cheirodendron platyphyllum (Hook. & Arn.) Seem. Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information In open area within swamp PRESERVED_SPECIMEN leila m. shultz; john s. shultz 6407 USU 12/31/1982
4 Cheirodendron platyphyllum (Hook. & Arn.) Seem. Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN w. l. stern & s. carlquist 1240 Kauai US
5 Cheirodendron platyphyllum (Hook. & Arn.) Seem. Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Stern WL; Herbst DR Stern, WL; Herbst, DR 2952 L 1/1/1971
6 Cheirodendron platyphyllum (Hook. & Arn.) Seem. Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN alwyn h. gentry|rosa ortiz|l. meyerhoff gentry 78021 MO 8/7/1992
7 Cheirodendron platyphyllum (Hook. & Arn.) Seem. Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information Dicranopteris-Metrosideros-Cheirodendron Wet Forest. PRESERVED_SPECIMEN Natalia Tangalin 3022 Kauai PTBG 2/23/2012
8 Cheirodendron platyphyllum (Hook. & Arn.) Seem. Contact Bishop Museum Botany department for locality information PRESERVED_SPECIMEN F. W. Beechey s.n. F 1826-05-19
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