Rosenbergiodendron formosum (Jacq.) F.Fagerl., Rubiaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk (based on second screen), score: 1 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Gardenia mussaenda L. f.; Mussaenda formosa Jacq.; Randia formosa (Jacq.) K. Schum.; Randia mussaenda (L. f.) DC.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: randia

Habit:  shrub/tree

Description:  "Dioecious shrub or small tree, unarmed, widely branched; stems glabrous in age, slender. Leaves clustered at ends of small lateral branches; stipules short, broadly triangular, often ± scoop-shaped, acute, 1.5-3 mm long, brown, persisting below leaf clusters; petioles obscure or to 1 cm. long; blades oblanceolate-elliptic, acuminate, attenuate and decurrent at base, mostly 3-11 cm long, 1.5-3 cm wide, sparsely pubescent and dark green above, duller and more densely pubescent below. Flowers single at branch, ends, densely sericeous; calyx 13-20 mm long, lobed, persisting in fruit, the lobes 5, linear, 8-10 mm long; corolla tubular, 11-19 cm long, the tube greenish, papillose inside at apex, soon becoming velutinous in upper part, then glabrous, the lobes 5, white, 3-5 cm long, tapered to a slender tip; filaments adnate to tube; anthers 5, ca 5.3 min long, attached at flared apex of tube; style with ascending trichomes near apex; stigma broadly bilobed, held slightly above anthers. Fruits baccate, ± spherical, to 25 mm in diameter, dark green, with several broad white bands extending from apex to middle or beyond, sparsely covered with appressed trichomes; seeds numerous, flattened laterally, stacked in 4 rows, white"  (Tomas B. Croat at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute).

"Arbustos o arbolitos hasta 10 m, a veces escandentes; ramitas estrigulosas a glabrescentes. Hojas 2.8-10 x 1.2-4.8 cm, elípticas, angostamente elípticas u obovado-elípticas, cartáceas cuando secas, esparcidamente estrigulosas a glabrescentes en el haz, estriguloso-h¡rtulas por lo menos sobre las nervaduras principales en el envés, la base angostamente cuneada y atenuada y decurrente, el ápice agudo o cortamente acuminado, los márgenes ciliolados; nervaduras secundarias 4-7 pares, eucamptódromas; pecíolos 2-15 mm, alados en la porción distal, estrigulosos; estípulas 2-3 mm, anchamente triangular-ovadas, aristadas, en el exterior glabras y 2-acostilladas. Flores generalmente sobre espolones; hipanto 3-4 mm, cilíndrico, densamente seríceo; limbo calicino seríceo en el tubo y estriguloso en los lobos en el exterior, glabro en el interior excepto seríceo en la base, el tubo 6-8 mm, los lobos 5-13 mm, linear-subulados; corola densamente serícea en el exterior, glabra en el 1/2 basal en el interior, serícea a vellosa en la parte superior, pubérula en la garganta, el tubo (60-) 90-130 (-180) mm, los lobos 30-55 mm, ovados, en el ápice atenuados y largamente acuminados; anteras 6-7 mm; estigmas 4-5 mm. Bayas 25-30 x 22-27 mm, anchamente elipsoidales u ovoide-elipsoidales a subglobosas, pilósulas a glabrescentes; semillas 7-8 mm"  (Davidse et al., 2012).

Habitat/ecology:  "In Panama, known from tropical dry forest in Panama (Taboga Island), from pre-montane moist forest in the Canal Zone, from tropical moist forest in the Canal Zone, Colón, Chiriqui, Panamá, and Darien, and from premontane wet forest in Darien"  (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, possibly Guyana; also cultivated (GRIN).

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	Moorea Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (1987) (voucher ID: PTBG 19894) Taxon name on voucher: Rosenbergiodendron formosum
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1936) (voucher ID: BISH 67026) Taxon name on voucher: Rosenbergiodendron formosum (Jacq.) F.Fagerl.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced cultivated	Randall, R. P. (2007) (p. 420)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

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 Rosenbergiodendron formosum, please let us know.