Melicope

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Melicope
Starr 020925-0080 Melicope clusiifolia.jpg
Melicope clusiifolia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Subfamily: Zanthoxyloideae
Genus: Melicope
J.R.Forst. & G.Forst [1]
Species

About 230, see text

Synonyms [1]
Flowers of Melicope xanthoxyloides Melicope xanthoxyloides.jpg
Flowers of Melicope xanthoxyloides
Flowers of Melicope rubra Melicope rubra.jpg
Flowers of Melicope rubra
Fruit of Melicope jonesii Melicope jonesii.jpg
Fruit of Melicope jonesii

Melicope is a genus of about 240 species of shrubs and trees in the family Rutaceae, occurring from the Hawaiian Islands across the Pacific Ocean to tropical Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Plants in the genus Melicope have simple or trifoliate leaves arranged in opposite pairs, flowers arranged in panicles, with four sepals, four petals and four or eight stamens and fruit composed of up to four follicles.

Contents

Description

Plants in the genus Melicope have simple or trifoliate leaves arranged in opposite pairs, or sometimes whorled. The flowers are arranged in panicles and are bisexual or sometimes with functionally male- or female-only flowers. The flowers have four sepals, four petals and four or eight stamens. There are four, sometimes five, carpels fused at the base with fused styles, the stigma similar to the tip of the style. The fruit is composed of up to four follicles fused at the base, each with one or two seeds. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy

The genus Melicope was first formally described in 1775 by Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg Forster in their book Characteres Generum Plantarum and the first species they described (the type species) was Melicope ternata . [5]

The generic name Melicope is derived from Greek words μελι (meli), meaning "honey," and κοπη (kope), meaning "a division," referring to the glands at the base of the ovary. [6] The 2009 Takhtajan system placed the genus in the subfamily Rutoideae, tribe Zanthoxyleae. [7] A 2021 subfamily classification of the Rutaceae, based both on a new and previous molecular phylogenetic studies, places Melicope (with an expanded circumscription) in the subfamily Zanthoxyloideae, stating that the evidence does not yet support classification to tribal level. [8]

Evidence from 2007 onwards showed that with its traditional circumscription, Melicope was not monophyletic. The previously separated genus Platydesma of four species is nested within the genus Melicope and is sister to all Hawaiian Melicope species. And while Melicope species are usually dioecious (individual plants only bear either male or female flowers), the flowers of the former Platydesma are hermaphroditic, suggesting a rare evolutionary reversion away from dioecy in Platydesma. [9] Molecular phylogenetic analyses also suggest that the genera Comptonella , Dutaillyea , Picrella , and possibly Dutailliopsis , all from New Caledonia, might also be nested in Melicope, [10] although they are accepted in the 2021 classification, as is the temperate Asian genus Tetradium , [8] which has sometimes been merged into Melicope (possibly including the tropical Euodia ). [11] [9]

Ecology

Melicopes are foodplants for various animals, mainly invertebrates. Caterpillars of the Ulysses butterfly (Papilio ulysses) are fond of M. elleryana . Caterpillars of Thyrocopa moths have been found on M. clusiifolia . The larvae of some belid weevils from the genus Proterhinus also feed on Melicope although they prefer unhealthy, dying or dead specimens. The plants of some species may not be safe for humans. The nectar of wharangi ( M. ternata ) is known to yield toxic honey that may kill whoever eats it. [12]

Conservation

Several of the Hawaiian species are listed as "endangered" by the Government of the United States of America, due to habitat loss and competition from invasive non-native plants. A few species are already extinct.

Species list

The following is a list of species accepted by Plants of the World Online as of July 2020: [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Zanthoxylum</i> Family of shrubs and trees

Zanthoxylum is a genus of about 250 species of deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs and climbers in the family Rutaceae that are native to warm temperate and subtropical areas worldwide. It is the type genus of the tribe Zanthoxyleae in the subfamily Rutoideae. Several of the species have yellow heartwood, to which their generic name alludes. Several species are cultivated for their use as spices, notably including Sichuan pepper.

<i>Flindersia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Flindersia is a genus of 17 species of small to large trees in the family Rutaceae. They have simple or pinnate leaves, flowers arranged in panicles at or near the ends of branchlets and fruit that is a woody capsule containing winged seeds. They grow naturally in Australia, the Moluccas, New Guinea and New Caledonia.

<i>Coprosma</i> Genus of flowering plants

Coprosma is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the Juan Fernández Islands.

<i>Macaranga</i> Genus of tropic trees

Macaranga is a large genus of Old World tropical trees of the family Euphorbiaceae and the only genus in the subtribe Macaranginae. Native to Africa, Australasia, Asia and various islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the genus comprises over 300 different species. It was first described as a genus in 1806, based on specimens collected on the Island of Mauritius.

<i>Acronychia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Acronychia is a genus of about fifty species of plants in the rue family Rutaceae. The leaves are simple or pinnate, and the flowers bisexual with four sepals, four petals and eight stamens. They have a broad distribution including in India, Malesia, Australia and the islands of the western Pacific Ocean. About twenty species are endemic to Australia.

Melicope macropus, the Kaholuamanu melicope, was a species of plant in the citrus family, Rutaceae.

Melicope nukuhivensis is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae. It is a scrambling shrub or tree endemic to the island of Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia.

<i>Melicope orbicularis</i> Species of flowering plant

Melicope orbicularis, also called Honokahua melicope or orbicular pelea, is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<i>Ochrosia</i> Genus of plants

Ochrosia is a genus of flowering plants, first described in 1789. It is in the family Apocynaceae, native to Southeast Asia, Australia, and various islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

  1. Ochrosia ackeringae(Teijsm. & Binn.) Miq. – Indonesia, Philippines, Papuasia, Christmas Island
  2. Ochrosia acuminataTrimen ex Valeton – Sulawesi
  3. Ochrosia alyxioidesGuillaumin – Vanuatu
  4. Ochrosia apoensisElmer – Luzon, Mindanao
  5. Ochrosia balansae(Guillaumin) Baill. ex Guillaumin – New Caledonia
  6. Ochrosia basistaminaHendrian – Sulawesi
  7. Ochrosia bodenheimarumGuillaumin – Vallée de la Toutouta in New Caledonia
  8. Ochrosia borbonicaJ.F.Gmel. – Mauritius + Réunion; naturalized in Guangdong
  9. Ochrosia brevitubaBoiteau – New Caledonia
  10. Ochrosia brownii(Fosberg & Sachet) Lorence & Butaud – Nuku Hiva in Marquesas
  11. Ochrosia citrodoraK.Schum. & Lauterb. – New Guinea
  12. Ochrosia coccinea(Teijsm. & Binn.) Miq. – Maluku, Sulawesi, New Guinea, Solomon Islands; naturalized in Guangdong
  13. Ochrosia comptaK.Schum., Hōlei – Hawaii
  14. Ochrosia ellipticaLabill. – Lord Howe Island, Queensland, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Nauru; naturalized in Guangdong + Taiwan
  15. Ochrosia fatuhivensisFosberg & Sachet – Fatu Hiva in Marquesas but extinct
  16. Ochrosia ficifolia(S.Moore) Markgr. – New Guinea
  17. Ochrosia glomerata(Blume) F.Muell. – Borneo, Sulawesi, Philippines, Maluku, New Guinea, Solomon Islands
  18. Ochrosia grandifloraBoit. – New Caledonia
  19. Ochrosia haleakalaeH.St.John, Hōlei – Maui + island of Hawaiʻi in Hawaiian Islands
  20. Ochrosia hexandraKoidz. – Kazan-retto
  21. Ochrosia inventorumL.Allorge – New Caledonia
  22. Ochrosia iwasakiana(Koidz.) Koidz. ex Masam.
  23. Ochrosia kauaiensisH.St.John, Hōlei – Kauaʻi in Hawaiian Islands
  24. Ochrosia kilaueaensisH.St.John, Hōlei – island of Hawaiʻi in Hawaiian Islands, but extinct
  25. Ochrosia kilneriF.Muell. – Queensland
  26. Ochrosia lifuanaGuillaumin – Loyalty Islands + Isle of Pines in New Caledonia
  27. Ochrosia mariannensisA.DC. – Mariana Islands
  28. Ochrosia mianaBaill. ex Guillaumin – New Caledonia
  29. Ochrosia minima(Markgr.) Fosberg & Boiteau – Queensland, Papua New Guinea
  30. Ochrosia moorei(F.Muell.) F.Muell. ex Benth. – Queensland, New South Wales
  31. Ochrosia mulsantiiMontrouz. – New Caledonia
  32. Ochrosia nakaiana(Koidz.) Koidz. ex H.Hara – Ogasawara-shoto
  33. Ochrosia newellianaF.M.Bailey – Queensland
  34. Ochrosia novocaledonicaDäniker – New Caledonia
  35. Ochrosia oppositifolia(Lam.) K.Schum. – Seychelles, Chagos Islands, Sri Lanka, Maldive Islands, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, W Malaysia, Indonesia, Papuasia, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna, French Polynesia, Line Islands, Micronesia
  36. Ochrosia poweriF.M.Bailey – Queensland, New South Wales
  37. Ochrosia sciadophyllaMarkgr – Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Islands
  38. Ochrosia sevenetiiBoiteau – New Guinea
  39. Ochrosia silvaticaDäniker – New Caledonia
  40. Ochrosia solomonensis(Merr. & L.M.Perry) Fosberg & Boiteau – Solomon Islands
  41. Ochrosia syncarpaMarkgr. – Bali, Lombok, Timor, Flores
  42. Ochrosia tahitensisLaness. ex Pichon – Tahiti
  43. Ochrosia tenimberensisMarkgr. – Tanimbar Islands
  1. Ochrosia nukuhivensisFosberg & Sachet = Rauvolfia nukuhivensis(Fosberg & Sachet) Lorence & Butaud
  2. Ochrosia sandwicensisA.DC. = Rauvolfia sandwicensisA.DC.
  3. Ochrosia tuberculata(Vahl) Pichon = Rauvolfia sandwicensisA.DC.
<i>Polyosma</i> Genus of trees

Polyosma is a genus of about 90 species of trees native to south-east Asia. They occur from China south through south-east Asia to the east coast of Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia.

<i>Cyclophyllum</i> Genus of plants

Cyclophyllum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is found from New Guinea, Australia and on islands in many parts of the Pacific.

Comptonella is a plant genus endemic to New Caledonia in the family Rutaceae. Molecular phylogenetic analyses suggest that this genus is nested in Melicope.

<i>Mezoneuron</i> Genus of legumes

Mezoneuron is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Caesalpinioideae and the tribe Caesalpinieae.

Zanthoxyloideae is a subfamily of the family Rutaceae.

References

  1. 1 2 "Melicope J.R.Forst. & G.Forst". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  2. Hartley, Thomas G.; Wilson, Annette J.G. (ed.) (2013). Flora of Australia (Volume 26). Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study. p. 95. Retrieved 24 July 2020.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  3. Hartley, Thomas Gordon (February 2001). "On the Taxonomy and Biogeography of Euodia and Melicope (Rutaceae)". Allertonia. 8 (1): 66. JSTOR   23189298.
  4. Richards, P.G. "Genus Melicope". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  5. "Melicope". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  6. Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. Vol. III: M-Q. CRC Press. p. 1652. ISBN   978-0-8493-2677-6.
  7. Takhtajan, Armen (2009). Flowering Plants (2 ed.). Springer. p. 375. ISBN   978-1-4020-9608-2.
  8. 1 2 Appelhans, Marc S.; Bayly, Michael J.; Heslewood, Margaret M.; Groppo, Milton; Verboom, G. Anthony; Forster, Paul I.; Kallunki, Jacquelyn A. & Duretto, Marco F. (2021), "A new subfamily classification of the Citrus family (Rutaceae) based on six nuclear and plastid markers", Taxon, 70 (5): 1035–1061, doi: 10.1002/tax.12543 , hdl: 11343/288824
  9. 1 2 Harbaugh, D.T.; Wagner, W.L.; Allan, G.J.; Zimmer, E.A. (2009). "The Hawaiian Archipeligo is a stepping stone for dispersal in the Pacific: an example from the plant genus Melicope (Rutaceae)". Journal of Biogeography. 36 (2): 230–241. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2008.02008.x. S2CID   56279216.
  10. Appelhans MS, Wen J, Wagner WL (2014). "A molecular phylogeny of Acronychia, Euodia, Melicope and relatives (Rutaceae) reveals polyphyletic genera and key innovations for species richness". Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 79: 54–68. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.06.014. PMID   24971739.
  11. Hartley (2001)
  12. Espina-Prez & Ordetx-Ros (1983): p.35
  13. "Melicope". Plants of the World Online/Kew Science. Retrieved 23 July 2020.