Ochrosia elliptica Labill., Apocynaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 2 (Go to the risk assessment).

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: gu cheng mei gui shu

English: New Caledonia tree, bloodhorn, elliptic yellowwood, kopsia, lady-of-the-house, pokosola, red berrywood, scarlet wedge-apple

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Trees to 6 m tall, glabrous. Petiole 1.5-2 cm; leaf blade obovate to broadly elliptic, 8-15 X 3-5 cm, apex obtuse or short acuminate. Cymes corymbose. Flowers sessile. Sepals ovate, ca. 2 mm, not ciliate, apex obtuse. Corolla white, cylindric, tube ca. 1 cm; lobes linear, ca. 6 mm. Anthers narrowly oblong. Drupes ellipsoid, 2-4 x ca. 1 cm. Seeds suborbicular, narrow margined"  (Flora of China online).

"Shrub or small tree to 4 m tall, glabrous. Leaves in whorls of 3, glossy; petiole 0.5-2 cm long; lamina elliptic to slightly oblanceolate, 5-14 cm long, 2-5 cm broad, attenuate onto petiole, obtuse to rounded, rarely very slightly and shortly acuminate; venation of numerous, parallel, secondary nerves, linking to a strong marginal nerve. Inflorescence axillary, subterminal, a dense, few-flowered cyme; peduncle 2-7 cm long. Calyx tube and lobes each c. 1 mm long. Corolla white; tube 9-10 mm long; lobes narrowly oblong, 6-7 mm long. Fruit a pair of ellipsoidal drupes, 3-4 cm long, pointed at both ends, with a longitudinal ridge along both sides, red"  (Flora of Australia online).

Habitat/ecology:  On Lord Howe Island, "a relatively common plant at lower altitudes, especially on sandy areas near the coast"  (Flora of Australia online).  In Hawai‘i, "it tolerates a wide range of conditions and can grow in beach gardens as well as cool, wet valleys, and it thrives in well-drained but constantly damp soils.  In southern Florida, O. elliptica has been recommended as a xeriscape planting"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; pp. 122-123).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Australia (New South Wales and Queensland); Nauru, New Caledonia and Vanuatu (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2013) Vouchers cited: M.M.J. van Balgooy 1042 (NSW), J.Pickard 1497 (NSW), P.S.Green 1699 (K), P.S.Green 1633 (A, K), A.N.Rodd 1856 (K, NSW)
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1992) (voucher ID: BISH 627452) Taxon name on voucher: Ochrosia elliptica
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Saipan	Saipan Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1982) (voucher ID: BISH 593711) Taxon name on voucher: Ochrosia elliptica
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1994) (voucher ID: PTBG 15918) Taxon name on voucher: Ochrosia elliptica
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1985) (voucher ID: PTBG 1518) Taxon name on voucher: Ochrosia elliptica
Kiribati Banaba Island	Banaba (Ocean) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 217)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 217)
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	native cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 145) Voucher cited: MacKee 3719
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île des Pins (Isle of Pines)		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1981) (voucher ID: BISH 1001749) Taxon name on voucher: Ochrosia elliptica
Vanuatu New Hebrides Islands	Vanuatu (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (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	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Guangdong
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	introduced	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Ochrosia elliptica, please let us know.