Bischofia javanica Blume, Euphorbiaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

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

Common name(s): [more details]

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

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

Maori (Cook Islands): koka, nato

Samoan: ‘o‘a

Tagalog: toog

Tongan: koka

Wallisian: koka

Habit:  tree

Description:  "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:  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	Olosega Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1980) (p. 159)
American Samoa Manu‘a Islands	Ta‘u Island	native	Whistler, W. A. (1980) (p. 159)
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)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	native	McCormack, Gerald (2007)
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	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. (2007)
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 Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Savai‘i Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
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 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	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 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
Vanuatu New Hebrides Islands	Vanuatu (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

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. (2007)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

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. (2005)

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

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.
Information on this prohibited species from the Miami-Dade County [Florida] web site.
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

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

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

References:

Denslow, Julie. 2007. Personal communication.

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.

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

McCormack, Gerald. 2007. Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage. On-line database.

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. 2006. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2005. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). 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).

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. 1992. Flora of Tonga [unpublished checklist]. 107 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.