Allophylus cobbe (L.) Raeusch., Sapindaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 9 (Go to the risk assessment).

Other Latin names:  Rhus cobbe L.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: dian nan yi mu huan

Habit:  tree

Description:  "A small tree, monoecious; branchlets and petiolules sparsely pubescent. Leaves trifoliolate; leaflets ovate to elliptic, cuneate to obtuse at base, weakly serrate or entire, acuminate, glabrous, with 8-12 lateral veins each side; lamina 8-15 cm long; petiole 2-8 cm long; petiolules 3-12 mm long. Inflorescence 8-15 cm long, c. 5 mm in diameter, usually simple; rachis pubescent; pedicels c. 1 mm long. Flowers c. 1.5 mm in diameter Sepals orbicular, the outer pair smaller and more strongly hooded. Petals spathulate, c. 1 mm long, with a hairy scale inside. Fruit a single drupe, obovoid, 6-7 mm long, 4-5 mm in diameter, orange-red, several on each inflorescence"  (Flora of Australia online).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, planted in several botanical gardens.  It "has spread from its original plantings in both Waimea Botanical Garden (where it has proven to be an aggressive invader) and in Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden.  In Waimea, this plant has spread despite gardeners' efforts to control it" (Frohlich & Lau, 2008; p. 9).

Propagation:  Seed and root fragments  (Frohlich & Lau, 2008; p. 9).

Native range:  Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Myanmar, China, Philippines (GRIN).

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	Maui Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1987) (voucher ID: BISH 559166) Taxon name on voucher: Allophylus cobbe (L.) Raeusch.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex (2008) (p. 9) Voucher cited: D. Frohlich & A. Lau s.n. (BISH 725941)
Papua New Guinea Bougainville Islands	Bougainville Island		Foreman, D. B. (1971) (p. 58)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1989) (voucher ID: PTBG 14407) Taxon name on voucher: Allophylus cobbe
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

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)	Northern Territory	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	native	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 12) Common

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2011)
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Cocos (Keeling) Islands	native	Australian Biological Resources Study (2011)
India (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Andaman Islands	Andaman Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
India (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Nicobar Islands	Nicobar Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Fact sheet and photos from "Guide to trees of Papua New Guinea".
Information from the ASEAN Tropical Plant Database.

Additional online information about Allophylus cobbe is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Allophylus cobbe as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Allophylus cobbe may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Australian Biological Resources Study. 2011. Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1987. Voucher specimen #BISH559166(Flynn, T. 2492).

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Foreman, D. B. 1971. A check list of the vascular plants of Bougainville, with descriptions of some common forest trees. Botany Bulletin No. 5. Division of Botany, Department of Forests. Lae, New Guinea. 194 pp.

Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex. 2008. New plant records from O‘ahu for 2007. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2007. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 100:3-12.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).