Ochna thomasiana Engl. & Gilg, Ochnaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 8 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: bird's-eye bush, Mickey Mouse plant

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Shrub to 15 feet tall; twigs reddish brown with whitish warts (lenticels).  Leaves sessile; blades ± broadly elliptic, 1.25-2 inches x 0.1-1 inch, base cordate and clasping stem (auriculate), ciliate, margins undulate, apex tapering and mucronate.  Inflorescence a cluster of lowers, terminal on short lateral branches.  Flower sepals green; petals obovate, less than 1 inch long, yellow; carpels to 12.  Fruit flattened and ± cylindrical, black, erect on crimson to red receptacle with boat-shaped, reflexed red sepals"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 437).

Compared to Ochna thomasiana, Ochna kirkii "has larger leaves (2-3.25 inches long, 0.75-1.25 inches wide) that are broadly oblong, oblanceolate, or obovate, provided with many cilia around the margin on mature leaves; and smaller fruiting sepals (0.4-0.5 inch long, 0.15-0.25 inch wide).  Young leaves of O. thomasiana are ciliate around the entire margin, but at maturity only 5-8 cilia persist near the blade base" (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 437).

Habitat/ecology:  Dry to moist disturbed forests at 0-1000 feet elevation in Hawai‘i. "On windward O‘ahu, O. Thomasiana is widespread and abundant as an understory shrub in disturbed mesic forests" (Imada et al., 2000; p. 13).

Propagation:  Seed, probably spread by birds (Staples et al., 2000; p. 25).

Native range:  Eastern tropical Africa (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 437).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Hiva Oa Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (p. 326) As Ochna kirkii
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Hiva Oa Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Hiva Oa Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Moorea Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (p. 326) As Ochna kirkii
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Vouchers cited: J.-Y. Meyer 582 (PAP), J.-Y. Meyer 583 (PAP) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J. (2004) (p. 326) As Ochna kirkii. Voucher cited: BRY 25454
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Voucher cited: J. Florence 2415 (PAP) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1982) (voucher ID: BISH 493127) Taxon name on voucher: Ochna thomasiana Engl. & Gilg
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex (2012) (p. 41) Voucher cited: A. Lau & D. Frohlich 2010021902 (BISH) Escaping cultivation and sparingly naturalized.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. (2006) (pp. 37-38) Voucher cited: Starr, Starr, Anderson & Anderson 050623-3 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2003) (p. 17) West Maui. Vouchers cited: Oppenheimer H19904 (NYBG), Oppenheimer H10017 (BISH), Oppenheimer H50108 (BISH, PTBG), Oppenheimer H60106 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2004) (pp. 14-15) East Maui. Vouchers cited: Oppenheimer & F. Duvall H50206 (BISH, PTBG), P. Welton & B. Haus 2144 (BSIH), P. Welton & R. Parry 2155 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2000) (p. 13) Vouchers cited: B. Waters s.n. (BISH 653561), G. Staples, S. Lum & K. Ahsing 1170 (BISH), G. Staples 1193 (BISH), B. Waters s.n. (BISH 655126)

Additional information:
Report (PDF format) from US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Haleakala Field Station, Hawaii "Plants of Hawaii".
Hawaii's most invasive horticultural plants.

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

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1982. Voucher specimen #BISH 493127 (Florence, J. 2415).

Florence, J. 2004. Flore de la Polynésie française, Vol. 2. Paris. IRE Editions, Publications Scientifiques, Collection Faune et Flore Tropicales 41. 503 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).

Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex. 2012. New plant records for the Hawaiian Islands 2010-2011. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2011. Part II: Plants. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 113:27-54.

Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2000. New Hawaiian plant records for 1999. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1999. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 63:9-16.

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

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.

Oppenheimer, Hank L. 2004. New Hawaiian plant records for 2003. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2003. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 79:8-20.

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.

Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd L. 2006. New plant records from the Hawaiian Archipelago. 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 87:31-43.

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. 2000. Tropical ornamentals: a guide. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 542 pp.