Chrysophyllum oliviforme L., Sapotaceae

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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]

English: damson plum, satinleaf, wild star-apple

French: caïmite marron

Spanish: caimitillo, caimitillo de perro, camitillo cimarró

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Small tree 5-7 m tall; young twigs, lower leaf surface, and flower buds densely golden-brown or rusty-brown with silky sericeous pubescence; apex of lamina abruptly short acuminate; flowers 5-merous, in axillary fascicles; fruits ellipsoid (olive-shaped), 2-2.5 x 1 cm, 1-seeded, fleshy, ripening purple, edible" (Lorence et al., 1995; p. 54).

Tree with "...5-merous flowers, staminodes absent, lower leaf surface densely brown or rusty tomentose, and purple 1-seeded fruit up to 2 cm long..." (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1231).

Habitat/ecology:  "Satinleaf grows on a wide variety of soils in all textures and in pH's from about 5 to 8, and has a moderate tolerance to salt (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences 2002). It grows on coastal sands and shallow clays over limestone in Puerto Rico, in pinelands and hammocks of the everglades and keys of Florida, and in low elevation  moist, secondary forests and Eucalyptus plantations in Florida (Little and Wadsworth 1964). Satinleaf occurs in remnant and middle secondary forests. When young, it demonstrates an intermediate tolerance to shade and can grow and develop in the understory of relatively low-density forests. To bear fruit, it must have increased light, as in intermediate and codominant crown positions.   They are resistant to drought and storm damage (Gilman and Watson 1993)"  (Wildland shrubs of the United States and its territories).

Low elevation moist forests. On Kauai, Hawai‘i, naturalized in secondary forest, secondary thicket and among Eucalyptus forestry plantings (Lorence et al., 1995; p. 54). Often planted as a street tree.

Propagation:  Seeds distributed by frugivorous birds.

Native range:  US (Florida), West Indies, Central America.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 29)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 94) "Potential invader".
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 29) "Potential invader".
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) As Chrysophyllum monopyrenum Sw. Vouchers cited: J. Florence 2828 (PAP), J. Florence 3348 (PAP) Cultivée
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Shannon, Robynn K./Herbst, Derral R. (1997) (p. 62) Voucher cited: Herbst 9797 (BISH) Naturalized
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. (1995) (p. 54) Vouchers cited: D. Lorence et al. 5727 (PTBG), T. Flynn et al. 3180 (PTBG), J. Fay et al. 240 (PTBG) Naturalized in secondary forest, secondary thicket, and among Eucalyptus forestry plantings.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1231) Possible escapes.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2003) (p. 25) West Maui. Vouchers cited: Oppenheimer H110012 (BISH, PTBG), Oppenheimer H50114 (BISH, PTBG), Starr & K. Martz 001128-4 (BISH), Oppenheimer H100111 (BISH, PTBG). Subject of eradication program. Naturalized
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Ni‘ihau Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1231) Possible escapes.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Shannon, Robynn K./Herbst, Derral R. (1997) (p. 62) Voucher cited: E. Funk s.n. (BISH) Naturalized

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 26) Cultivated only

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)	native	Francis, John K., ed. (2009) Endangered in the wild.

Comments:  A common ornamental tree.

Additional information:
Fact sheet from "Wildland shrubs of the United States and its territories: thamnic descriptions" (PDF format).
Photos and additional information at the Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants.

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

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

Taxonomic information about Chrysophyllum oliviforme 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.

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).

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

Francis, John K., ed. 2009. Wildland Shrubs of the United States and its Territories: Thamnic Descriptions General Technical Report IITF-WB-1 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry and Shrub Sciences Laboratory (online resource).

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. 1995. Contributions to the flora of Hawai‘i. III. New additions, range extensions, and rediscoveries of flowering plants. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1994. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 41:19-58.

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2000. Preliminary review of the invasive plants in the Pacific islands (SPREP Member Countries). In: Sherley, G. (tech. ed.). Invasive species in the Pacific: A technical review and draft regional strategy. South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Samoa. 190 pp.

Oppenheimer, Hank L. 2003. New plant records from Maui and Hawai‘i Counties. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2001-2002. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 73:3-30.

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).

Wagner, Warren L./Shannon, Robynn K./Herbst, Derral R. 1997. Contributions to the flora of Hawai‘i. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1996. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 48:51-65.