Melicope elleryana (F. Muell.) T. G. Hartley, Rutaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, Score: 4 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Euodia elleryana F. Muell.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: corkwood, evodia, pink doughwood, pink euodia, pink evodia, pink flowered doughwood, pink-flower-euodia, pink-flowered Evodia, saruwa, spermwood

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Small sub-canopy tree (up to c. 20 m high) or large canopy tree (up to 35 m high); bole cylindrical (up to c. 50 cm in diameter); straight (bole up to 25 m long); buttresses present (buttresses not usually massive, up to 2 m high); spines spines absent; aerial roots aerial roots absent; stilt roots stilt roots absent; bark red (brownish pale), white (sometimes patches), brownish grey, or pale brown, slightly rough or usually smooth, pustular (slightly (along cracks), fissured, cracked slightly (sparsely grooved), or slightly peeling, lenticels elongated vertically; subrhytidome (under-bark) orange, brown, or yellow; less than 25 mm thick, (4.0-) 10.0-15.0; bark blaze consisting of one layer; strongly aromatic or faintly to non-aromatic; unpleasant (slightly pungent, sour to musty) or pleasant (sweetly aromatic); outer blaze grey, yellow (pale (cream-coloured), pale pink, or pale brown, markings absent or with stripes (hard brown stripes), granular with splinters or corky; inner blaze pale pink or pale brown, markings absent or with stripes (hard brown stripes); bark exudate (sap) present, colourless, not readily flowing (spotty), slightly colour changing on exposure to air or colour not changing on exposure to air, to golden-coloured, sticky; terminal buds not enclosed by leaves. Indumentum Complex hairs absent; stinging hairs absent; mature twig indumentum (hairs) absent. Leaves spaced along branches (aromatic when crushed), opposite (in pairs, opposite one another on the branchlet), compound (a leaf made up from two or more leaflets); petiole present, not winged, attached to base of leaf blade, not swollen; leaves with three leaflets (trifoliate); petiolule swollen (slightly (at base) or not swollen; leaves with a terminal leaflet (the number of leaflets odd - imparipinnate), broadest at or near middle, 7.0-15.0 (-20.0) cm, (5.0-) 9.0 cm, leaflets arranged from one point (3-foliolate), symmetric, terminal developing leaflet buds straight; venation pinnate, secondary veins open, prominent, intramarginal veins absent; leaves lower surface green or pale green, upper surface dark green, indumentum (hairs) absent; present (leaf surface glandular punctate); domatia absent; stipules absent.  Inflorescence on the trunk or branches (ramiflorous) or sub axillary, flowers on a branched axis, cones absent; flowers bisexual, stalked, flowers with many planes of symmetry, 5.0-8.0 mm long, diameter small (up to10 mm in diameter) (c. 5 mm in diameter); perianth present, with distinct sepals and petals whorls, inner perianth pink or red; 4, some or partly joined (joined at base); stamens 4, present, free of each other, free of the perianth; ovary superior, carpels partially joined, by base, locules 4; styles solitary (arising from near middle of carpels), 1.  Infrutescence arranged on branched axis, fruit 7.0-8.0 mm long, 10.0-12.0 mm in diameter, brownish black, grey, or brown, not spiny, non-fleshy, simple or aggregate (carpels joined at base), indehiscent (fruit splits incompletely into dehiscent parts - mericarps), schizocarp; seeds 4 (glossy, black, 1 per carpel), about 10 mm long (7-8 mm long), not winged, narrow (longer than wide), seed 1-10 mm in diameter (c. 3 mm in diameter)"  (Guide to trees of Papua New Guinea).

Habitat/ecology:  In Australia: "Altitudinal range from near sea level to 800 m. Grows in well developed rain forest on a variety of sites. This species is favoured by disturbance"  (Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants).

Propagation:  Seed, perhaps spread by birds. Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants reports that pigeons eat the seeds.

Native range:  Australia and New Guinea  (Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1990) (voucher ID: PTBG 8308) Taxon name on voucher: Melicope elleryana (F. Muell.) T. G. Hartley
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex (2012) (p. 46) Voucher cited: D. Frohlich & A. Lau 2010021903 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1993) (voucher ID: BISH 633703) Taxon name on voucher: Melicope elleryana (F.Muell.) T.G.Hartley
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	Conn, Barry J./Damas, Kipiro Q. (2013)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	native	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) Grows in subtropical rainforest and swamp forest north from the Clarence River. Often cultivated as an ornamental tree.
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Western Australia
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	native	Hyland, B. P. M./Whiffin, T./Zich, F. A. (2013)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	Hyland, B. P. M./Whiffin, T./Zich, F. A. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Melicope elleryana, please let us know.