Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) Paul G.Wilson, Rutaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chamorro: lemon China, lemon de china, lemoncito, lemondichina, limon-China, limoncito

English: limeberry, orange berry, trifoliate limeberry, triphasia

French: orangine

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Shrub; glabrous; spines paired in leaf axils; leaves 3-foliate, the terminal leaflet largest (2-4 cm long); petiolules and petioles short (5 mm or less); flowers 1-3 in axils on peduncles 3-4 mm long; flowers 3-parted, white; stamens 6; ovary 3-locular; locules 1-seeded; fruit ovoid, 1-1.5 cm long, reddish to crimson, 1-3-seeded; flesh mucilaginous" (Stone, 1970; pp. 350-351).

Habitat/ecology:  "Common naturalized shrub of limestone, in undergrowth, sometimes forming dense, spiny thickets" (Stone, 1970; pp. 350-351). In Fiji, "sparingly cultivated near sea level and naturalized in dry waste places on Viti Levu"  (Smith, 1985; p. 514).

Propagation:  Seed, possibly bird-dispersed.

Native range:  Southeast Asia and Malaysia, now widely cultivated and naturalized.

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	Aguijan (Agiguan, Aguihan) Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 40)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Northern Mariana Islands	introduced	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 102) "Potential invader".
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Pagan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 125)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Pagan Island	introduced invasive	Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C./Sachet, M.-H. (1975) (p. 29) Voucher cited: Moore 402 (US)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 125)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane (2000) (p. 6)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1946) (voucher ID: BISH 38752) Taxon name on voucher: Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) Paul G.Wilson
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Rota Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1952) (voucher ID: BISH 178691) Taxon name on voucher: Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) Paul G.Wilson
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 125)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Tinian Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 40)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (2005) (p. 22) Single plant, voucher cited: Flynn 7217 (PTBG)
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 125)
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1948) (voucher ID: BISH 178694) Taxon name on voucher: Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) Paul G.Wilson
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1936) (voucher ID: BISH 178695) Taxon name on voucher: Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) Paul G.Wilson
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 514) Vouchers cited: DA 11538, H.B.R. Parham 307
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced invasive	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (pp. 350-351) Possibly native.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 125)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced invasive	Waterhouse, Barbara (year unknown) (p. Voucher specimen) Voucher: BMW 5820 (BISH, BRI, MEL, GUAM)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1968) (voucher ID: BISH 23002) Taxon name on voucher: Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) Paul G.Wilson
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1946) (voucher ID: BISH 38749) Taxon name on voucher: Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) Paul G.Wilson
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1949) (voucher ID: BISH 38750) Taxon name on voucher: Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) Paul G.Wilson
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1946) (voucher ID: BISH 38751) Taxon name on voucher: Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) Paul G.Wilson
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1918) (voucher ID: BISH 178690) Taxon name on voucher: Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) Paul G.Wilson
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1970) (voucher ID: BISH 443814) Taxon name on voucher: Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) Paul G.Wilson
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1946) (voucher ID: BISH 571344) Taxon name on voucher: Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) Paul G.Wilson
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1987) (voucher ID: BISH 604933) Taxon name on voucher: Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) Paul G.Wilson
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawaiian Islands	introduced cultivated	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral/Imada, Clyde T. (2000) (p. 29)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands		Swarbrick, John T. (1997) (p. 97)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	native	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 116)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	native	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1993) (p. 19)
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Cocos (Keeling) Islands	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1993) (p. 39) North Keeling Island
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island	introduced	Topp, J. M. W. (1988) (p. 5)
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Cultivé/naturalisé"
Maldives Maldive Islands	Malè Atoll	cultivated	Fosberg, F. R. (1957) (p. 23)

Comments:  Naturalized within limestone forests of Guam. Especially prevalent on forest edges.

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

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1918. Voucher specimen #BISH 178690 (Nelson, P. 245).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1936. Voucher specimen #BISH 178695 (Takamatsu, M. 1879).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1946. Voucher specimen #BISH 38749 (Hosaka, E.Y. 3101).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1946. Voucher specimen #BISH 38751 (Fosberg, F.R. 25407).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1946. Voucher specimen #BISH 38752 (Fosberg, F.R. 25059).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1946. Voucher specimen #BISH 571344 (Fosberg, F.R. 25407).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1948. Voucher specimen #BISH 178694 (Wong, C.C.Y. 553).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1949. Voucher specimen #BISH 38750 (Anderson, D. 38).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1952. Voucher specimen #BISH 178691 (Kondo, Y.; collector's voucher number unknown).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1968. Voucher specimen #BISH 23002 (Cushing-Falanruw, M.V. 889).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1970. Voucher specimen #BISH 443814 (Roszel, S.J. 20).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1987. Voucher specimen #BISH 604933 (Stone, B.C.M. 15999).

Falanruw, Marjorie C./Maka, Jean E./Cole, Thomas G./Whitesell, Craig D. 1990. Common and scientific names of trees and shrubs of Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands. Pac. SW Forest and Range Expt. Stn. Resource Bulletin PSW-67. 91 pp.

Fosberg, F. R. 1957. The Maldive Islands, Indian Ocean. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 58. Pacific Science Board, National Academy of Sciences, Washington. 37 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Falanruw, M. V. C./Sachet, M.-H. 1975. Vascular flora of the northern Marianas Islands. Smithsonian Contrib. Bot. 22:1-45.

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

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

Lavergne, Christophe. 2006. List des especes exotiques envahissantes a La Reunion. Unpublished manuscript (Excel file). .

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 2005. Checklist of the plants of Kosrae. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 23 pp.

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.

Orchard, Anthony E., ed. 1993. Flora of Australia. Vol. 50, Oceanic islands 2. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

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

Raulerson, L./Rinehart, A. 1991. Trees and shrubs of the northern Mariana Islands. Saipan: Coastal Resources Management Office of the Governor, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands 96950. 119 pp.

Smith, Albert C. 1985. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 3. 758 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane. 2000. Invasive plant species on Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 31 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.

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

Swarbrick, John T. 1997. Weeds of the Pacific Islands. Technical paper no. 209. South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia. 124 pp.

Topp, J. M. W. 1988. An annotated check list of the flora of Diego Garcia, British Ocean Territory. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 313. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 21 pp.

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

Waterhouse, Barbara. 0. Barbara Waterhouse, pers. com.