Micromelum minutum (G.Forst.) Wight & Arn.

Species

Angiosperms > Sapindales > Rutaceae > Micromelum

Characteristics

Tree to 10 (–20) m tall but often a scruffy shrub; bole to 15 cm diam. Leaves to 30 cm long, subglabrous to softly hairy adaxially; leaflets 7–15, ovate-lanceolate, 3–12 cm long, 1.5–6 cm wide, obtuse-asymmetric at base, entire to crenulate, attenuate-acuminate, coriaceous, often drying blackish, with axillary domatia at veins; petiolule to 5 mm long. Inflorescences 13–20 cm long, hairy, scented; bracts deltoid-linear; pedicels to 5 mm long. Sepals glabrous to shortly hairy. Petals 5–8 mm long, pale green or creamish. Filaments narrowed apically, white. Ovary c. 1.5 mm long, hairy at first; style subglabrous. Fruit ellipsoid, to 1 cm long, yellow to orange or red at maturity, glabrous. Cotyledons green.
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A shrub or small tree. It grows 4-6 m high and spreads 2-4 m wide. The small branches have a dense hairy covering. The leaves are divided into leaflets with a leaflet at the end of the stalk. Leaves are 16-49 cm long. There are 7-15 leaflets. They are oblong and uneven at the base. The edges of the leaves are wavy or with rounded teeth. The leaflets are 2-12 cm long by 1.5-7 cm wide. There are a few hairs on the upper surface and densely hairy along the veins on the underneath surface. The flowers are on the ends of branches. They are 3-5 cm long. The flowers are woolly. The petals are 4 mm long and white. They have a bad smell. The fruit is a berry. It is oval and 6-8 mm long and red.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 2.0 - 4.0
Mature height (meter) 6.0 - 7.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Found in usually coastal monsoon forest especially on dunes, coral or other limestones to 615 m altitude, often common as on the Great Barrier Reef, but also in sandstone gorges and on karst outcrops far inland. Not collected in New South Wales since 1911. 
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A tropical plant. It grows in mixed deciduous or evergreen forests by streams. It needs good drainage. In Samoa it grows from sea level to 300 m altitude and to 900 m altitude in Fiji. In Townsville palmetum.
An understorey plant in dense, evergreen forests.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

Occasionally planted for ornament in Queensland. Locally medicinal in Malesia, where the light timber is used for construction.
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The young shoots and leaves are eaten uncooked or blanched.
Uses animal food environmental use food fuel material medicinal timber wood
Edible flowers fruits leaves shoots stems
Therapeutic use Antitubercular agents (bark), Diarrhea (bark), Pregnancy complications (flower), Antitubercular agents (root), Antitubercular agents (stem), Ache(Back) (unspecified), Ache(Stomach) (unspecified), Ague (unspecified), Cough (unspecified), Dermatitis (unspecified), Evil eye (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Mental (unspecified), Tongue (unspecified), Fracture (unspecified), Diarrhea (unspecified), Phthisis (unspecified), Shortwindedness (unspecified), Skin (unspecified), Antitussive agents (unspecified), Chest pain (unspecified), Expectorants (unspecified), Tuberculosis, pulmonary (unspecified), Hypothermia (whole plant)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are grown from fresh seed. It can also be grown from cuttings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Micromelum minutum leaf picture by Yves Burckel (cc-by-sa)
Micromelum minutum leaf picture by Yves Burckel (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Micromelum minutum world distribution map, present in American Samoa, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Malaysia, Niue, Philippines, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Tonga, United States of America, Viet Nam, Wallis and Futuna, and Samoa

Conservation status

Micromelum minutum threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:774392-1
WFO ID wfo-0000452910
COL ID 42YTR
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 700537
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Micromelum pubescens Micromelum octandrum Limonia minuta Cookia punctata Aulacia falcata Glycosmis subvelutina Bergera villosa Micromelum falcatum Micromelum timoriense Micromelum glabrescens Micromelum pubescens var. glabrescens Micromelum minutum

Lower taxons

Micromelum minutum var. ceylanicum