Turnera ulmifolia L., Turneraceae

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 10 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Marilopez, ramgoat dashalong, sage rose, West Indian holly, yellow alder

I-Kiribati: te kaikainea

Marshallese: nõr in jiboñ, nor in jiboñ

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Aromatic perennial herbs or shrubs 4-15 dm tall, densely strigose.  Leaves clustered toward the tips of the branches, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, 4-13 cm long, 2-3 (-5) cm wide, moderately to occasionally sparsely strigillose, margins doubly serrate, petioles 0.8-1.5 cm long, stipules erect, triangular, ca 1.5 mm long.  Calyx ca 20 mm long, the tube 5-8 mm long, the lobes lanceolate, apex caudate; petals yellow, sometimes with a brown spot toward base, obovate, 20-35 mm long; ovary ovoid, with 6 small apical tubercles.  Capsules ovoid, 7-8 mm long.  Seeds narrowly obovoid, slightly curved, ca 2.5 mm long"  (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1295-1296).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in dry, disturbed areas, 30-190 m" (Wagner et al., 1999; pp. 1295-1296).  In Fiji, "naturalized and locally abundant especially in coconut plantations near sea level"  (Smith, 1981; p. 663). In New Caledonia, "envahissant à Thio" (MacKee, 1994; p. 135). In Indonesia, "in sunny dry localities, 1-20 m, especially in the coastal regions: grassy fields, wate places, under coconuts, often on sandy soil, light jungles, as a rule in scattered specimens" (Van Steenis, 1948; pp. 237-238).

Propagation:  Seed. Seeds reported to be carried by ants (Staples et al, 2000; p. 30).

Native range:  Florida, the West Indies and Tropical America; widely planted as an ornamental and naturalized in the tropics.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Tol Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Mazawa, Thomas R. (2000) (p. 30)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Weno (Moen) Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Mazawa, Thomas R. (2000) (p. 30)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Waguk, Erick E. (2000) (p. 29)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (2005) (p. 22)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (1998) (p. 30)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Kandavu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 663) Voucher cited: DA 2993
Fiji Fiji Islands	Lakemba Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 663) Voucher cited: Garnock-Jones 961
Fiji Fiji Islands	Mango Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 663)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Naitamba Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 663) Voucher cited: DA 11799
Fiji Fiji Islands	Naitamba Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1956) (voucher ID: BISH 14704) Taxon name on voucher: Turnera ulmifolia L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Ovalau Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 663)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Taveuni Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 663) Vouchers cited: DA 5714, DA 8904, DA 11514, DA 9109, DA 9623
Fiji Fiji Islands	Taveuni Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1954) (voucher ID: BISH 14703) Taxon name on voucher: Turnera ulmifolia L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Taveuni Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1958) (voucher ID: BISH 14705) Taxon name on voucher: Turnera ulmifolia L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 663) Vouchers cited: Krauss 1023, Degener & Ordonez 14193, DA 8818, DA 13955
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1964) (voucher ID: BISH 14702) Taxon name on voucher: Turnera ulmifolia L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1941) (voucher ID: BISH 185047) Taxon name on voucher: Turnera ulmifolia L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1966) (voucher ID: BISH 185048) Taxon name on voucher: Turnera ulmifolia L.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Mbalavu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 663) Vouchers cited: DA 10220, Garnock-jones 1115
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Mbalavu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1977) (voucher ID: BISH 420632) Taxon name on voucher: Turnera ulmifolia L.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2004) (p. 18) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H80107 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1295-1296)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank L. (2004) (p. 18) West Maui. Vouchers cited: Oppenheimer H50111 (BISH, PTBG), Oppenheimer H50112 (BISH, PTBG), Oppenheimer H60133 (BISH, PTBG), Oppenheimer & Hansen H80301 (BISH, PTBG), Oppenheimer H110110 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 1295-1296)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 663)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced	Wester, Lyndon (1992) (p. 151)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex (2007) (p. 11) Voucher cited: D. Frohlich s.n. (BISH 725947)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Abemama Atoll	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Imada, Clyde T. (2004) (p. 10) Voucher specimen collected: Imada 2003-148 (BISH 697760)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Abemama Atoll		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (2003) (voucher ID: BISH 697760) Taxon name on voucher: Turnera ulmifolia L.
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Butaritari Atoll	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Imada, Clyde T. (2004) (p. 10) Voucher specimen collected: Imada 2003-54 (BISH 697669)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Butaritari Atoll		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (2003) (voucher ID: BISH 697669) Taxon name on voucher: Turnera ulmifolia L.
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Maiana Atoll	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Imada, Clyde T. (2004) (p. 10) Voucher specimen collected: Imada 2003-102 (BISH 697717)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Maiana Atoll		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (2003) (voucher ID: BISH 697717) Taxon name on voucher: Turnera ulmifolia L.
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Tarawa Atoll	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Imada, Clyde T. (2004) (p. 10) Voucher specimens collected: Imada 2003-25 (BISH 697640); Imada 2003-30 (BISH 697645)
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Tarawa Atoll		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (2003) (voucher ID: BISH 697640) Taxon name on voucher: Turnera ulmifolia L.
Kiribati Tungaru (Gilbert) Islands	Tarawa Atoll		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (2003) (voucher ID: BISH 697645) Taxon name on voucher: Turnera ulmifolia L.
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Jaluit (Jãlwõj) Atoll		? (year unknown)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kili (Kõle) Atoll	introduced invasive cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy/Vander Velde, Brian (2006) (p. 12) "Common; decorative around many houses, some escaping into the wilds".
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. (1999) (p. 103)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Arno Atoll	introduced invasive cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy/Vander Velde, Brian (2007) (p. 12) "Common; decorative around houses, some plants becoming ruderal, even escaping into forest areas".
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Likiep Atoll		? (year unknown)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced invasive cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 129)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 99) "Potential invader"
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Île Maré	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 135) Voucher cited: Suprin in Veillon 6294 (NOU)
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Île Tiga	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 135) Voucher cited: MacKee 45911
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe (1996) (p. 383) Envahissant à Thio.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 135) Vouchers cited: MacKee 41650, MacKee 43038
Palau Palau (main island group)	Angaur Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 88)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 87)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1996) (voucher ID: BISH 649710) Taxon name on voucher: Turnera ulmifolia L.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 83)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Malakal Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 83)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Ngerkebesang Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 83)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Peleliu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 91)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 371)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Van Steenis, C. G. G. J. (1948) (p. 4:238)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	introduced invasive	Van Steenis, C. G. G. J. (1948) (p. 4:238)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

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	introduced invasive	Swarbrick, J. T. (1997) (p. 130)
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Cocos (Keeling) Islands	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1993) (p. 37)
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island	introduced	Stoddart, D. R./Taylor, J. D., eds. (1971) (p. 154) Var. elegans Urb. "Recorded by Willis and Gardiner (1931)".

Comments:  See also Turnera subulata.

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1941. Voucher specimen #BISH 185047 (Degener, O. 14193).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1954. Voucher specimen #BISH 14703 (Koroiveibau, D. 8904).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1956. Voucher specimen #BISH 14704 (Morwood, R.B. 11799).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1958. Voucher specimen #BISH 14705 (Parham, J.W. 11514).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1964. Voucher specimen #BISH 14702 (Qoro, I. 13955).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1966. Voucher specimen #BISH 185048 (Krauss, N.L.H. 1023).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1977. Voucher specimen #BISH 420632 (Garnock-Jones, P.J. 307493).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1996. Voucher specimen #BISH 649710 (Herbst, D.R. LR26198).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 2003. Voucher specimen #BISH 697640 (C.Imada 2003-25).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 2003. Voucher specimen #BISH 697645 (C.Imada 2003-30).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 2003. Voucher specimen #BISH 697669 (C.Imada 2003-54).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 2003. Voucher specimen #BISH 697717 (C.Imada 2003-102).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 2003. Voucher specimen #BISH 697760 (C.Imada 2003-148).

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

Frohlich, Danielle/Lau, Alex. 2007. New plant records from O‘ahu for 2006. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2006. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 96:8-13.

Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe. 1996. Conséquences des introductions d'espèces animales et végétales sur la biodiversité en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Rev. Ecol. (Terre Vie) 51:375-401.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 1998. Checklist of the plants of Pohnpei. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 21 pp.

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

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

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.

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.

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

Smith, Albert C. 1981. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 2. 810 pp.

Space, James C./Imada, Clyde T. 2004. Report to the Republic of Kiribati on invasive plant species on the islands of Tarawa, Abemama, Butaritari and Maiana. Cont. no. 2003-006 to the Pac. Biol. Surv. USDA Forest Service and Bishop Museum, Honolulu. 103 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Mazawa, Thomas R. 2000. Invasive plant species in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 41 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Denslow, Julie S./Nelson, Duane/Waguk, Erick E. 2000. Invasive plant species on Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 43 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 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.

Stoddart, D. R./Taylor, J. D., eds. 1971. Geography and ecology of Diego Garcia Atoll, Chagos Archipelago. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 149. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 237 pp.

Swarbrick, J. T. 1997. Environmental weeds and exotic plants on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: a report to Parks Australia. 101 pp. plus appendix.

U. S. Government. 2006. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Van Steenis, C. G. G. J. 1948. Flora Malesiana, Series I. Noordhoff-Kolff, Djakarta. 1948-1954, 14 volumes.

Vander Velde, Nancy. 2003. The vascular plants of Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Smithsonian Institution, Atoll Research Bulletin No. 503:1-141.

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.

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).

Wester, Lyndon. 1992. Origin and distribution of adventive flowering plants in Hawai‘i. In: Stone, Charles P.; Smith, Clifford W. and Tunison, J. Timothy. Alien plant invasions in native ecosystems of Hawaii: Management and Research. University of Hawaii, Cooperative National Park Research Studies Unit, Honolulu. University of Hawaii Press. .

Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. 1999. Botanical survey of the United States of America Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Islands. Prepared for Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education and the U. S. Army Environmental Center. 111 pp.