img

Melicope ovalis

(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: Trees up to 5 m tall, new growth brownish puberulent, soon glabrate.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades broadly elliptic–ovate or elliptic, 8–16 cm long, 4–10 cm wide. Surfaces glabrous; blades coriaceous, brittle when dry. Margins entire. Primary lateral veins usually 10–12 pairs, connected by an arched vein 7–12 mm from margin, with several meshes of veins intervening, venation pinnate, lateral veins connected by an arched submarginal vein, higher order venation forming a reticulate pattern. Petioles stout, 30–40 mm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 3–7 in glabrous, axillary cymes, peduncles 3–12 mm long. Floral details poorly known, pedicels 10–13 mm long. Calyx unknown. Corolla unknown. Stamens 8. Ovary superior, 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, terminating in 4 short stigmatic branches.

Fruit: Capsules cuboid to subglobose; ca. 10 mm long; 12–14 mm wide; exocarp and endocarp glabrous. Seeds 1–2 per carpel; ca. 5 mm long.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Wet Forests; on slopes; in gullies; and along streams.

Elevation Range: 670–902 m

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Endemic

Island Status

Maui Endemic

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Taxon 38: 122 (1989)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:1198 (EM [as Pelea ovalis]); Hartley & Stone 1989:122 (COMBNOV, Syn. P. ovalis = M. ovalis)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details On slope above central pali stream. Acacia, Chierodendron, Metrosideros, Broussaisia, Perottetia, Coprosma, Kadua, Melicope, Myrsine, Cibotium, Sadleria, Diplazium, Psidium, Clidemia, Hedychium, Elaphoglossum, Sphaeropteris, Rubus, Clermontia, Cyanea, Adenophorus, Peperomia. Preserved_Specimen Rare, trees to 4 meters, strongly anise-scented. Oppenheimer, H.L. 71704 Maui BISH 2017-07-26
2 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Acacia, Chierodendron, Metrosideros, Broussaisia, Perottetia, Coprosma, Kadua, Melicope, Myrsine, Cibotium, Sadleria, Diplazium, Psidium, Clidemia, Hedychium, Elaphoglossum, Sphaeropteris, Rubus, Clermontia, Cyanea, Adenophorus, Peperomia. Preserved_Specimen Rare, trees to 4 meters, strongly anise-scented. Oppenheimer, H.L. 71705 Maui BISH 2017-07-26
3 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 2670 Maui BISH 1920-07-05
4 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 2670 Maui BISH 1920-07-05
5 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 2670 Maui BISH 1920-07-05
6 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Rare. Along perennial stream. Vegetation: Acacia Wet Forest. Preserved_Specimen Trees to 6m tall, leaves and fruit strongly anise-scented. Oppenheimer, H.L. 21801 Maui BISH 2018-02-13
7 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 2670 Maui BISH 1920-07-05
8 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Vegetation: Acicia Wet Forest Preserved_Specimen Rare, trees to 6m tall, along perennial stream, leaves and fruit strongly anise-scented. Oppenheimer, H.L. 21802 Maui BISH 2018-02-13
9 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details wet montane forest; Metrosideros, Acacia, Dicranopteris linearis, Machaerina angustifolia, Cheirodendron trigynum, Labordia hedyosmifolia, Perrottetia sandwicensis, Wikstroemia oahuensis, Dubautia plantaginea, Hedyotis hillebrandii, Broussaisia arguta Preserved_Specimen 3-7 m trees, trunk 20 cm dia., dark brown black; diffusely branched; fruit Wood, K.R. 7682 Maui BISH 1999-02-11
10 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Acacia-Metrosideros-Cheirodendron montane wet forest with sections of Dicranopteris fernland. W/ Rubus hawaiiensis, Perrottetia, Broussaisia, Pipturus, Cyrtandra spahtulata, Kadua affinis, Machaerina angustifolia, Psychotria, Diplazium sandwichianum, Clermontia arborescens, Freycinetia Melico Preserved_Specimen trees of 5 m, well branched, with capsules, ca. 20 trees observed in general area Perlman, S. 13724 Maui BISH 2009-05-11
11 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Rare. Along perennial stream. Vegetation: Acacia Wet Forest. Preserved_Specimen Trees to 6m tall, leaves and fruit strongly anise-scented. Oppenheimer, H.L. 21801 Maui BISH 2018-02-13
12 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Rare along perennial stream. Vegetation: Acacia, Metrosideros, Chierodendron, Melicope, Perrottetia, Coprosma, Kadua, Broussaisia, Myrsine, Cibotium, Pipturus, Sadleria, Diplazium, Clidemia, Hedychium, Clermontia, Dubautia, Bidens, Elaphoglossum, Adenophorus, Prunella, Peperomia. Preserved_Specimen Trees; leaves strongly anise-scented when crushed. Oppenheimer, H.L. 81709 Maui BISH 2017-08-08
13 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Montane wet Metrosideros forest. Preserved_Specimen Small tree with green capsules Pratt, L.W. 2615 Maui BISH 1993-03-01
14 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Vegetation: Metrosideros, Acacia, Cheirodendron, Broussaisia, Perottetia, Coprosma, Melicope, Clermontia, Cyrtandra, Freycinetia, Cyanea, Anoectochilus, Diplazium, Cibotium, Sadleria, Peperomia. Preserved_Specimen Three trees to 5m tall; all parts strongly anise-scented Oppenheimer, H.L. 121006 Maui BISH 2010-12-15
15 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details growing with Cheirodendron, Perrottetia, and Broussaisia in Acacia koa/Metrosideros polymorpha forest. Preserved_Specimen Fruit green. Leaves have strong anise odor Cuddihy, L.W. 2239 Maui BISH 1988-10-20
16 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Growing on both sides of shady slopes and small gullies in Wet Forest. Preserved_Specimen Small trees, all parts strongly anise scented when crushed. Seven plants observed, but likely more with more time to search. Six trees vegetative, specimen collected from copiously fruiting tree, 4m tall. Oppenheimer, H.L. 21105 Maui BISH 2011-02-09
17 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Montane wet Metrosideros forest. Preserved_Specimen Small tree with green capsules Pratt, L.W. 2615 Maui BISH 1993-03-01
18 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Vegetation: Metrosideros/Dicranopteris Lowland Wet Forest Preserved_Specimen Single 5m tall tree along west side of perennial stream. All parts strongly fragrant when crushed with anise scent. Oppenheimer, H.L. 101407 Maui BISH 2014-10-23
19 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Single tree found near stream; capsules strongly anise-scented but leafves much less so, even when crushed. Vegetation: Metrosideros, Cheirodendron, Dicranopteris, Dfiplopteryglum, Broussaisia, Clermontia, Kadua, Coprosma, Pipturus, Cibotium, Sadleria, Labordia, Dryopteris, Diplazium, Asplenium, Isachne, Deschampsia, Pilea, Peperomis, Blechnum, Adiantum, Selaginella, Labordia, Dryopteris, Diplazium, Asplenium, Isachne, Deschampsia, Pilea, Peperomia, Blechnum, Adiantum, Selaginella, Psidium, Clidemia, Tibouchina, Rubus, Axonopus, Sacciolepis, Hedychium, Paspalum Preserved_Specimen Single tree capsules strongly anise-scented but leafves much less so, even when crushed. Oppenheimer, H.L. 41329 Maui BISH 2013-04-23
20 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Vegetation: Acacia, Metrosideros, Cheirodendron, Perrottetia, Broussaisia, Melicope, Clermontia, Pipturus, Myrsine, Coprosma, Kadua, Scaevola, Sadleria, Dicranopteris, Psychotria, Cibotium, Athyrium, Diplazium, Dryopteris, Deschampsia, Selaginella, Rubus, Amauropelta, Nothoperanema, Mecodium, Lobelia, Dubautia, Vandenboschia, Peperomia, Carex, Christella, Machaerina, Cyrtandra, Pneumatopteris, Clidemia, Hedychium. Preserved_Specimen Rare and scattered, two 4m tall trees seen at this location; strongly anise-scented! Oppenheimer, H.L. 50928 Maui BISH 2009-05-14
21 Melicope ovalis Locality redacted. Contact Bishop Museum Botany Department for details Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 2670 Maui BISH 1920-07-05
Back to Top