Polyscias cumingiana (Presl) Fern.-Vill., Araliaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 3 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Aralia filicifolia C. Moore ex E. Fourn.; Polyscias filicifolia (C. Moore ex E. Fourn.) L. H. Bailey; Polyscias rumphiana Harms

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: xian ye nan yang shen

English: Malaysian aralia, angelica, fern-leaf aralia, golden prince panax, polyscias

Fijian: ndanindani

Maori (Cook Islands): kāpaiē, kaope pā

Samoan: tagitagi, tanetane, tanitani

Tongan: tanetane

Tongarevan (spoken): kāpaiē

Tongarevan (written): kāpaiē

Habit:  shrub/tree

Description:  "Shrubs or treelets, 1.5-4 m tall, andromonoecious. Leaves 1- or 2-pinnate; petiole 8-20 cm, clasping at base, alate for 3-4.5 cm with membranous wings; petiolules 0.5-3 cm; leaflets 9-15, often variegated, elliptic to lanceolate or ovate, often narrowly so, 10-35 x 2-10 cm, papery, base obtuse to attenuate, margin entire to coarsely crenate, often with minute teeth, apex acuminate or acute to obtuse. Inflorescence terminal, pendent, a panicle of umbels; primary axis 15-30 cm; secondary axes 5-7, usually in verticils, 20-80 (-140) cm; tertiary axes 10-25 per secondary axis, mostly grouped in 2-4 (or 5) verticils, with a terminal umbellule of bisexual flowers and 2-6 lateral umbellules of staminate flowers, or further divided into 4th order axes; pedicels 4-8 mm (shorter in staminate flowers). Ovary (2 or)3-5-carpellate; styles free nearly to base, 1-1.4 mm at anthesis, diverging, expanding in fruit to 1.7 mm. Fruit subglobose to broadly ovoid, 3-4(-5) mm high, base often shallowly cordate"  (Flora of China online).

Habitat/ecology:  In Fiji, "occasionally cultivated near sea level as a shrub 3-4 m high, probably always sterile in cultivation"  (Smith, 1985; pp. 639-640).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Indonesia (West Papua), Moluccas, New Caledonia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippine Islands; cultivated elsewhere in the paleotropics (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Ma‘uke Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 640) Voucher cited: DA 16471
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Pou (Huapu, Uapou, Uapu) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013) Voucher cited: L.D. Dunn, D.L. Lorence 467 (BISH, P, PAP, PTBG, US)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1952) (voucher ID: BISH 446473) Taxon name on voucher: Polyscias cumingiana (Presl) Fern.-Vill.
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Tarawa Atoll		Wagner, W. L./ Herbst, D. R./Weitzman, A./Lorence, D.H. (2013)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Ebon (Epoon) Atoll		Wagner, W. L./ Herbst, D. R./Weitzman, A./Lorence, D.H. (2013)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Jaluit (Jãlwõj) Atoll	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 197) As Polyscias filicifolia (Moore) Bailey
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 66) Planted ornamental.
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island		Wagner, W. L./ Herbst, D. R./Weitzman, A./Lorence, D.H. (2013)
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Île Lifou	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 18) Voucher cited: MacKee 5276
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (pp. 18-19) Vouchers cited: MacKee 13991; MacKee 14670, MacKee 40319, Lowry 3313
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Peleliu (Beliliou) Island		Wagner, W. L./ Herbst, D. R./Weitzman, A./Lorence, D.H. (2013)
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. (2013)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Cultivated in Fujian (Xiamen) and Hainan (Haikou).
Indonesia Indonesia	West Papua Province (Indonesia) (western New Guinea Island) (formerly Irian Jaya)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 71)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Polyscias cumingiana, please let us know.