Ixora coccinea L., Rubiaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 4 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Ixora lutea Hutch.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: flame of the forest, flame of the woods, jungle geranium, red ixora, scarlet ixora, scarlet jungleflame

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Leaves ± sessile to short-petiolate; blades elliptic, oblong, or obovate, usually leathery, base cordate to rounded (rarely wedge-shaped), apex rounded, mucronate, or shortly tapering; stipules basally sheathing, lobes triangular and strongly awn-tipped.  Inflorescence terminal, usually a 3-branched panicle.  Flowers sessile; calyx lobes short, triangular, persistent; corolla tube usually 1-1.5 inches long, lobes lanceolate to ovate, less than 0.25 inches long, acute or sometimes obtuse.  Fruit thinly fleshy, reddish black" (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 493).

Habitat/ecology:  "Prefers a rich acidic soil (pH 5.0-5.5) that is well watered yet has good drainage.  It grows best in full sun" (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 493).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Sri Lanka and southwestern India (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 493).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 270)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 65)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Palmerston (Avarau) Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008) Observed in survey, no herbarium record.
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 270)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Hiva Oa Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Huka (Huahuna, Uahuka) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced cultivated	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 550)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 270)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced cultivated	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2008) (p. Voucher specimens) Voucher cited: Rock 954 (BISH 66757)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Tarawa Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 270)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Jaluit (Jãlwõj) Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 270)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kili (Kõle) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy/Vander Velde, Brian (2006) (p. 11) "Occasional; decorative planted near many houses".
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Arno Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy/Vander Velde, Brian (2007) (p. 11) "Uncommon; decorative by houses, few color variations".
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Aur Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 270)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 123) Vouchers cited: MacKee 37914, MacKee 37915
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 270)

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

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

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

Other Latin names:  Ixora lutea Hutch.

References:

Charles Darwin Foundation. 2008. Database inventory of introduced plant species in the rural and urban zones of Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

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

Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2008. Annotated checklist of cultivated plants of Hawai‘i (online searchable database).

Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. 2008. Flora of the Marquesas Islands. National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian Institution. Online database.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2008. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

Raulerson, L. 2006. Checklist of Plants of the Mariana Islands. University of Guam Herbarium Contribution 40:1-69. .

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.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2009. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Vander Velde, Nancy/Vander Velde, Brian. 2006. Plants of Kili Island, Marshall Islands. Unpublished checklist. 12 pp.

Vander Velde, Nancy/Vander Velde, Brian. 2007. Arno plants [preliminary working listing of plant species]. Unpublished checklist, 13 pp.