Alphitonia excelsa (Fenzl.) Benth., Rhamnaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Colubrina excelsa Fenzl

Common name(s): [more details]

English: red ash

Habit:  tree

Description:  "This tree...is characterized by ovate-elliptic leaves with white undersides, even in the seedling stage.  Damaged young shoots emit an odor of sarsaparilla.  The fruit is a bluish black drupe, ca. 1.3 cm in diameter"  (Daehler & Baker, 2006; p. 10).

"Small to medium-sized tree with buds and young stems grey to golden-brown hairy. Leaves elliptic or ovate to oblong, mostly 5-14 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, dark green, glossy and finely reticulate above, densely white-hairy below with the veins raised and brownish green; petiole 5-10 mm long: stipules 2-10 mm long. Fruit ovoid to globose, 5-10 mm in diameter, black"  (New South Wales Flora Online).

"Alphitonia ponderosa Hillebr. [native to Hawai‘i] can be distinguished from A. excelsa, A. Zizyphoides, and A. franguloides only in the size of the fruit and its lack of or tardy dehiscence.  Rock may have made the most reasonable interpretation in placing them all together; however, until further study can be done on this group, which ranges nearly throughout the Pacific region, the large-fruited Hawaiian populations should be maintained as an endemic species"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1092).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i (O‘ahu), naturalized in Lyon Arboretum where  "dozens of saplings and mature trees were found in Haukulu along with hundreds of seedlings"  (Daehler & Baker, 2006; p. 10).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Malesia and Australia (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	Kaua‘i Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (year unknown) (voucher ID: BISH 637308) Taxon name on voucher: Alphitonia excelsa (Fenzl.) Benth.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Daehler, Curtis C./Baker, Raymond F. (2006) (pp. 10-11) Vouchers cited: C. Daehler 1088 (BISH), K. Nagata 534 (BISH)
Papua New Guinea Bismarck Archipelago	Bismarck Archipelago		Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty] (1984) (pp. 345-346)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
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)	Australia (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Alphitonia excelsa is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 0. Voucher specimen #BISH637308(Flynn, T. 5530).

Daehler, Curtis C./Baker, Raymond F. 2006. New records of naturalized and naturalizing plants around Lyon Arboretum, Mānoa Valley, O‘ahu. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2004-2005. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 87:3-18.

Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty]. 1984. Flora of the Bismarck Archipelago for naturalists. Office of Forests, Division of Botany, Lae, Papua New Guinea. 638 pp. ISBN 9980-66-000-7.

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

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).