Melicope degeneri

Last updated

Melicope degeneri
Status TNC G1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Melicope
Species:
M. degeneri
Binomial name
Melicope degeneri
(B.C.Stone) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone

Melicope degeneri is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae known by the common names Kokee Stream melicope [2] and Degener's pelea. [1] It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Kauai. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. Like other Hawaiian Melicope, this species is known as alani. [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

M. degeneri was described by B. C. Stone in 1966 as Pelea degeneri. Hartley and Stone in 1989 later re-classified Peleadegeneri into Melicope. [4]

Description

M. degeneri grows as shrubs or trees up to 35 feet (11 m), [5] making it as one of the largest among Hawaiian Melicope species. [6] Leaves are oppositely arranged, and shaped as elliptic-obovate blades with maximum dimensions of 8.2 inches (21 cm) in length and 3.36 inches (8.5 cm) wide. [5] Flowers are usually in clusters of three with length up to 10 inches (25 cm), characterized as yellowish brown tomentose axillary cymes up to 2.18 inches (5.5 cm) long. [6] Fruits are cube-shaped capsules of 7–9 mm long and 7–12 mm wide, with one or two seeds per cell, measuring about 4.5 mm, characterized as glossy black when ripe, crustaceous, and ovoid-shaped, but sometimes angled from compression. [1] [5]

It grows in wet mountain forests. [7] The rediscovered population since 1993 grows in altitudes of 2,450–3,700 feet (750–1,130 m), with growth restricted in forests dominated by Metrosideros . [6]

Preservation

The type specimen of this plant was collected in 1926. [1] The species was not seen again and was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1993, through a research initiative by National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) for their Pacific Island floristic inventories. [6] Today there are 22 or 23 known individuals throughout Kauai, with places of discovery include Pohakuao, Hanakoa, Koai‘e and Wainiha. [7] [6] This plant is threatened by the degradation of its habitat by the activity of feral goats and pigs and competition with non-native plants. [1] Its seeds are now stored in NTBG's herbarium for possible preservation by last-resort germination. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Melicope degeneri. The Nature Conservancy.
  2. ↑ USDA Plants Profile
  3. ↑ USFWS. Species Reports: Plants.
  4. ↑ Hartley, T. G.; Stone, B. C. (1989). "Reduction of Pelea with new combinations in Melicope (Rutaceae)". Taxon. 38 (1): 119–123. JSTOR   1220910 – via JSTOR.
  5. 1 2 3 "Melicope degeneri". Plants of Hawaii.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Wood, Kenneth R. (2011). "Rediscovery, conservation status and taxonomic assessment of Melicope degeneri (Rutaceae), Kaua'i, Hawai'i" (PDF). Endangered Species Research. 14: 61–68.
  7. 1 2 USFWS. Determination of Endangered Status for 48 Species on Kauai and Designation of Critical Habitat; Final Rule. Federal Register April 13, 2010.
  8. ↑ Wolkis, Dustin; Jones, Kelli; Flynn, Tim; DeMotta, Mike; Rønsted, Nina (2022). "Germination of seeds from herbarium specimens as a last conservation resort for resurrecting extinct or critically endangered Hawaiian plants". Conservation Science and Practice. 4 (4): 576. doi: 10.1111/csp2.576 .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.