Bischofia javanica Blume, Phyllanthaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 7 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: qiu feng

English: bischofia, bishopwood, java-cedar, Javanese bishopweed, Javanese bishopwood, koka

Fijian: koka, koka ndamu, tea, tongatonga, tongo, tongotongo

Kwara‘ae: oli oli

Maori (Cook Islands): koka, nato

Niuean: koka

Samoan: ‘o‘a, ‘o‘a, o‘a, ‘o‘a

Tagalog: toog

Tongan: koka

Wallisian: koka, koka

Habit:  tree

Description:  "A large glabrous tree up to 22 m tall, with a shady oval crown and a deep green foliage, turning red before falling.  The thick bark is dark grey to brown, smooth or rough.  Leaves are alternate, trifoliate with large and leathery, elliptic, and acuminate leaflets that are 10-15 cm long and 4-7 cm wide.  Leaves have a petiole of 7-20 cm length and toothed margins.  Flowers are greenish-yellow and c. 3 mm in diameter.  The fruit is a brown, orange, reddish or blue-black, globose drupe of 9-10 mm diameter with three indehiscent cells, each containing 1-2 seeds of c. 5 mm length and 3 mm width.  The tree is dioecious, and female trees produce large quantities of handing fruits"  (Weber, 2003; p. 70).

"Spreading trees 5-30 m tall, with colorless latex; branches terete.  Leaflets 3, ovate to oblong-ovate, 6-12 cm long, 3-7 cm wide, margins crenulate-serrulate, apex caudate cuspidate, base cuneate, petioles 8-16 cm long.  Staminate panicles 9-18 cm long, pistillate ones looser and less branched, sometimes reduced to racemes; sepals cream-colored to pale green or pale yellow.  Fruit pinkish to dull red and orangish brown, globose, 8-16 mm in diameter" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 601-602).

Habitat/ecology:  "Forests, tropical hammocks.  Native habitats of this tree are shady ravines in evergreen, mixed deciduous and swamp forests.  The tree is fast growing and suckers easily from roots.  In dry places, it grows as a stunted tree or shrub of 4-6 m height.  Where invasive, the tree establishes dense stands, casting dense shade and crowding out native trees, displacing them and altering the vegetation structure.  Seedlings establish well under shady forest canopies and grow rapidly into the canopy if a gap occurs.  Once established, the tree will become abundant throughout the understorey"  (Weber, 2003; p. 70).

In Hawai‘i, planted and naturalized (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 602). In Fiji (native), "found from near sea level to an elevation on 900 m in forest or on its edges, in thickets, or on grassy slopes" (Smith, 1881; p. 495).

Propagation:  Bird-dispersed seeds (Staples, Herbst & Imada, 2000; p. 21)

Native range:  "India, central China, and Malesia eastward into the Pacific, possibly as far east as Samoa, Tonga, and Niue" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 601).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Ofu Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1980) (p. 159)
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Ofu Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1945) (p. 46) Abundant on all of the islands.
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Ofu Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2001) (voucher ID: PTBG 35338) Taxon name on voucher: Bischofia javanica Blume
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Olosega Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1980) (p. 159)
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Olosega Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1945) (p. 46) Abundant on all of the islands.
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Olosega Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2001) (voucher ID: PTBG 35372) Taxon name on voucher: Bischofia javanica Blume
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Olosega Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2001) (voucher ID: PTBG 37081) Taxon name on voucher: Bishofia javonica Blume
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Ta‘u Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1980) (p. 159)
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Ta‘u Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1945) (p. 46) Abundant on all of the islands. Vouchers cited: Garber 613 (BISH), W. Harris 289 (BISH)
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Aunu‘u Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1980) (p. 159)
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1980) (p. 159)
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		Setchell, William Albert (1924) (p. 78)
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1965) (voucher ID: PTBG 16375) Taxon name on voucher: Bischofia javanica
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2000) (voucher ID: PTBG 42739) Taxon name on voucher: Bischofia javanica
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	native	McCormack, Gerald (2011)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Koro Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 495) Voucher cited: Smith 1058
Fiji Fiji Islands	Lakemba Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 495) Voucher cited: Garnock-Jones 861
Fiji Fiji Islands	Ovalau Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 495) Voucher cited: Horne 395
Fiji Fiji Islands	Rambi Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 495) Voucher cited: Horne s.n.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Taveuni Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 495) Voucher cited: Gillespie 4670
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 495) Vouchers cited: DF 994 (S1551/1), DA 12004
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	native	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 495) Vouchers cited: Greenwood 345, Degener 14990, Gillespie 4266, Tothill 750, DF 1001 (S1551/3), Degener 15218, DF 984 (Damanu 175), DF 1002 (S1551/4), Seemann 417, DA 14988, Parks 20260, Greenwood 345A, DA 10038, DA 53, MacDaniels 1044, DA L.13265 (Berry 26), Smith 7223
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	native	Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 42)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	native	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Voucher cited: J. Florence 10383 (PAP)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	native	Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 42)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 602)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 602)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced invasive	Toyoda, Takeshi (2003) (p. 282)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1983) (voucher ID: PTBG 31443) Taxon name on voucher: Bischofia javanica
Niue Niue	Niue Island	native	Sykes, W. R. (1970) (p. 86) Voucher cited: CHR 169719
Palau Palau (main island group)	Palau Islands (main island group)	native	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 133)
Papua New Guinea Bougainville Islands	Bougainville Island		Foreman, D. B. (1971) (p. 35)
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)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (pp. 418-419) Common in forests along streams at low and medium altitudes, ascending to 1,500 m.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Savai‘i Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Tonga Ha‘apai Group	Ha‘apai Islands	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 21) May be aboriginal introduction. Vouchers cited: Yuncker 15715, Yuncker 15856, Hotta 4170 (cf. 4171)
Tonga Ha‘apai Group	Lifuka Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (p. 161) Voucher cited: Yuncker 15715
Tonga Ha‘apai Group	Nomuka Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (p. 161) Voucher cited: Yuncker 15856
Tonga Tongatapu Group	‘Eua Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 21) May be aboriginal introduction. Vouchers cited: Parks 16013, Parks 16057, Parks 16132, Hurlimann 134, Yuncker 15313, Sykes 135, Buelow 1805, Whistler 7453
Tonga Tongatapu Group	‘Eua Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (p. 161) Vouchers cited: Yuncker 15313, Hülimann 164
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 21) May be aboriginal introduction. Vouchers cited: Moseley, Setchell & Parks 15206, Moseley, Setchell & Parks 15259, Moseley, Setchell & Parks 15352, Hurlimann 313, Hurlimann 677, Yuncker 15042, Hotta 4528, Sykes 7
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (p. 161) Vouchers cited: Yuncker 15042, Hülimann 313, Hülimann 677
Tonga Tongatapu Group	Tongatapu Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1989) (voucher ID: PTBG 3908) Taxon name on voucher: Bischofia javanica
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Niuafo‘ou Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 21) May be aboriginal introduction. Voucher cited: Buelow 2014
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Niuatoputapu Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 21) May be aboriginal introduction. Voucher cited: Kirch 237
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Tafahi Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 21)
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1992) (p. 21) May be aboriginal introduction. Vouchers cited: Harvey s.n., Crosby 160, Yuncker 16122, Buelow 915
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (p. 161) Voucher cited: Yuncker 16122
Vanuatu New Hebrides Islands	Vanuatu (Republic of)	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
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 177) In forests.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 18) Cultivated only
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

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. (2011)

Comments:  Reported to be a major invasive in the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands, Japan (Dr. Julie Denslow, pers. com.).

Planting of this species is prohibited in Miami-Dade County, Florida (U.S.) (Hunsberger, 2001).

Control:  "Female trees should be removed first to prevent seed dispersal.  Seedlings may be hand pulled, older trees treated basally with a triclopyr herbicide mixed with an oil diluent"  (Weber, 2003; p. 70).

Additional information:
Fact sheet from the Florida Exotic Plant Pest Council (PDF)
Photos and additional information from the University of Florida, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
Extract from the book: Invasive Plants of Asian Origin Established in the United States and Their Natural Enemies (PDF format).
Fact sheet from U.S. Forest Service (PDF format).
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.
Information from the book "Identification and biology of non-native plants in Florida's natural areas" (PDF format).
Information from the ASEAN Tropical Plant Database.

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

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

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

References:

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.

Denslow, Julie. 0. Personal communication.

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

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.

Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Hunsberger, A. G. B. 2001. Invasive and banned plants of Miami-Dade County. U. of Fl. Extension. 3 pp.

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

Langeland, K. A./Burks, K. Craddock. eds. 1998. Identification and biology of non-native plants in Florida's natural areas. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida. 165 pp.

McCormack, Gerald. 2011. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1923. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 2 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 530 pp.

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 2001. Voucher specimen #PTBG35372(David H. Lorence 8717).

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 2001. Voucher specimen #PTBG37081(Diane Ragone 2001-03).

Setchell, William Albert. 1924. American Samoa; part I. Vegetation of Tutuila Island. part II. Ethnobotany of the Samoans. part III. Vegetation of Rose Atoll. The Carnegie Institution of Washington. 275 pp. + illus.

Smith, Albert C. 1981. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 2. 810 pp.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2005. A tropical garden flora: plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 908 pp.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral/Imada, Clyde T. 2000. Survey of invasive or potentially invasive cultivated plants in Hawai‘i. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers No. 65. 35 pp.

Sykes, W. R. 1970. Contributions to the flora of Niue. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 200, Wellington. 321 pp.

Toyoda, Takeshi. 2003. Flora of the Bonin Islands. Aboc & Co. 522 pp.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

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

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

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).

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 1980. The vegetation of eastern Samoa. Allertonia 2:45-90.

Whistler, W. A. 1984. Annotated list of Samoan plant names. Economic Botany 38:464.489.

Whistler, W. A. 1990. Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands: The plants, their Maori names, and their uses. Allertonia 5(4):347-424.

Whistler, W. A. 1991. The ethnobotany of Tonga: The plants, their Tongan names, and their uses. Bishop Museum Bulletin in Botany 2. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 155 pp. ISBN 0-930897-57-9.

Whistler, W. A. 1992. Flora of Tonga [unpublished checklist]. 107 pp.

World Health Organization. 1998. Medical plants in the South Pacific. Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila. 254 pp.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

Yuncker, T. G. 1945. Plants of the Manua Islands. Bishop Mus. Bull. 184. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 73 pp.

Yuncker, T. G. 1959. Plants of Tonga. Bishop Museum Bull. 220. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 343 pp.

Zheng, Hao/Wu, Yun/Ding, Jianqing/Binion, Denise/Fu, Weidong/Reardon, Richard. 2004. Invasive plants of Asian origin established in the United States and their natural enemies, volume 1. FHTET-2004-05. U.S. Forest Service, Morgantown.

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