Atractocarpus fitzalanii (F.Muell.) Puttock, Rubiaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 3 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Gardenia fitzalanii F. Muell.; Randia fitzalanii (F. Muell.) Benth.; Trukia fitzalanii (F. Muell.) Fosberg

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Leaves simple, opposite, elliptic or obovate; apex acuminate, apiculate or acute; base cuneate or attenuate; margin entire.  Inflorescence terminal or axillary, a panicle.  Flowers bisexual, large, with distinct sepals and petals, five-merous, actinomorphic.  Calyx white, cream, green or yellow.  Corolla white or cream.  Fruit yellow, fleshy, indehiscent.  Leaves:  Stipules often quite large, about 3 cm long, drawn out into a fine point at the apex, enclosing the terminal bud on each twig.  Stem:  Usually a small tree seldom exceeing 30 cm dbh.  Blaze sometimes marked by red speckles.  Flowers:  Calyx lobes small and inconspicuous.  Flowers quite large, corolla tube about 10 mm long with corolla lobes about 15 mm long.  Anthers sessile, 6-7 mm long, included in the corolla tube.  Style + stigma about 14-17 mm long, swollen part about 9-12 mm long, stigmatic lobes 6-10 mm long.  Fruit:  Fruits globular, ellipsoid, about 60-70 x 50-55 mm, calyx often persisting at the apex.  Seeds numerous, flattened, about 8 x 6-7 mm.  Cotyledons wider than the hypocotyl.  Seedlings:  Cotyledons broadly ovate to orbicular, 14-22 mm long.  At the tenth leaf stage: leaves obovate, glabrous, apex cuneate to acuminate, base attenuate, midrib raised on the upper surface; stipules interpetiolar, elongate triangular, 1-3 cm long"  (Hyland & Whiffin, 1993; pp. 434-435).

"[Tree] characterized by dark green, glabrous, obovate-ovate leaves 1-20 cm long.  Leaves are commonly oblanceolate in seedlings.  The flowers are white and fragrant, and the fruit is yellow at maturity, ca. 8 cm in diameter, and many-seeded"  (Daehler & Baker, 2006; p. 11).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, planted in Lyon Arboretum where thousands of seedlings and dozens of saplings were observed, some up to 300 m away from the original plantings  (Daehler & Baker, 2006; p. 11).  In Queensland, Australia, "grows as an understory tree in well-developed rain forest on a variety of sites.  Altitudinal range from sea level to 1200 m"  (Hyland & Whiffin, 1993; vol. 2, p. 435).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Tropical Asia and Australia (Daehler & Baker, 2006; p. 11).

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	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Daehler, Curtis C./Baker, Raymond F. (2006) (p. 11) As Randia fitzalani F. Muell. Invasive in Lyon Arboretum. Vouchers cited: C. Daehler 1317 (BISH), C. Daehler 1094 (HAW), S. Ishikawa 72 (HLA)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1952) (voucher ID: BISH 450127) Taxon name on voucher: Trukia fitzalanii (F.Muell.) Fosberg

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)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

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

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1952. Voucher specimen #BISH450127(W.R.Ford 72027).

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.

Hyland, B. P. M./Whiffin, T. 1993. Australian tropical rain forest trees: an interactive identification system. CSIRO Publications, Australia.

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