Melicope elleryana (F.Muell.) T.G.Hartley

Species

Angiosperms > Sapindales > Rutaceae > Melicope

Characteristics

Shrub, or tree to 18 m high. Trichomes mostly simple. Leaves trifoliolate (occasional leaves simple); petiole 2–11 cm long; terminal leaflet with petiolule 5–17 mm long; terminal lamina elliptic to obovate, 8–21 cm long, 4–8.5 cm wide, obtuse to attenuate at base, usually acuminate at apex. Inflorescences infrafoliar and sometimes axillary, 2.5–6 cm long. Flowers bisexual, sweetly scented. Sepals basally connate, suborbicular to ovate, 1.3–2 mm long, adaxially puberulous or glabrous. Petals 3.5–6.5 mm long, pink to white, abaxially nearly glabrous, adaxially pubescent at least in proximal ½ and longitudinally 3-ridged, deciduous in fruit. Stamens 4; filaments glabrous; anthers 1.5–2.5 mm long. Disc pubescent. Gynoecium subapocarpous,  5–16 mm long; ovary pubescent; ovules 2 per locule; style subapical, 4–14 mm long, pilose at least in proximal ½; stigma punctiform or capitellate, 0.2–0.3 mm wide. Fruit of 1–4 follicles 5–8 mm long, not beaked; exocarp subfleshy; endocarp pubescent, adnate. Seed attachment Type B; seeds subglobose to ovoid or ellipsoid or subhemispherical, 4–7 mm long; raphe of seeds sinuous or contorted, especially in chalazal region.
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A small to medium sized tree. It grows 25 m high. The bark is pale to white. The leaves are opposite. They have 3 oval leaflets. These are 18 cm long. The flowers are bright pink and occur in large numbers. The fruit are small and the seeds are black.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
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Mature height (meter) 25.0
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Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

A sub-canopy to canopy tree, found in well developed rain forest on a variety of sites, often in the more open areas of secondary growth; at elevations from near sea level to 800 metres.
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It is a tropical plant. It grows in coastal rainforest. It grows from sea level to 800 m above sea level. In Townsville palmetum.
Grows in coastal and inland swamp forest, monsoon forest, eucalypt woodland, and rainforest, to 760 m altitude.
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Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

In New Guinea, pieces of the bark of Melicope elleryana are said to be added to fermenting palm wine, apparently for flavouring. Also there, the bark when blazed exudes a clear sap which hardens to an opaque substance and is variously used as an adhesive, e.g. to fasten bow strings, and as a caulking material for canoes; it is also placed on sores.
Uses animal food environmental use fuel invertebrate food material medicinal social use timber wood
Edible saps
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Cultivation

Plants can be grown from fresh seed. Seeds can be soaked for several days to improve germination.
Mode cuttings seedlings
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Images

Leaf

Melicope elleryana leaf picture by Kath Little (cc-by-sa)
Melicope elleryana leaf picture by Kath Little (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Melicope elleryana world distribution map, present in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands

Conservation status

Melicope elleryana threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:948199-1
WFO ID wfo-0001273141
COL ID 72YT7
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Ampacus tetragona Evodiella hooglandii Evodiella muelleri Euodia elleryana Melicope elleryana Euodia hunsteinii Evodiella muelleri f. dinggi Evodiella muelleri f. kanange Euodia elleryana var. pilosa