Melicope elleryana

Last updated

Pink-flowered doughwood
Pink Flowered Doughwood.JPG
In the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney
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. elleryana
Binomial name
Melicope elleryana
Synonyms [1]
List
    • Acronychia muelleri(Engl.) W.D.Francis nom. illeg.
    • Euodia elleryanaF.Muell.
    • Euodia elleryanaF.Muell. var. elleryana
    • Euodia elleryana var. pilosa(Lauterb.) W.D.Francis
    • Euodia muelleriEngl. nom. illeg.
    • Euodia tetragona var. pilosaLauterb.
    • Evodia elleryana Domin orth. var.
    • Evodia elleryana var. pilosaW.D.Francis orth. var.
    • Evodia muelleriEngl. orth. var.
    • Evodia tetragona var. pilosaLauterb. orth. var.
    • Evodiella muelleri(Engl.) B.L.Linden nom. illeg.
    • Evodiella muelleri(Engl.) B.L.Linden f. muelleri
Flower detail Melicope elleryana flower.jpg
Flower detail

Melicope elleryana, commonly known as pink flowered doughwood, pink evodia, corkwood, [2] or saruwa, [3] is a species of rainforest shrub or tree in the family Rutaceae, and is native to New Guinea, parts of eastern Indonesia, the Solomon Islands and northern Australia. It has trifoliate leaves and pink to white, bisexual flowers arranged in panicles in leaf axils.

Contents

Description

Melicope elleryana is a shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of 18–25 m (59–82 ft) with a trunk diameter of about 60 cm (24 in). The bark is pale brown and corky, especially at the base of the trunk. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs and trifoliate on a petiole 20–110 mm (0.79–4.33 in) long. The leaflets are elliptical, sometimes egg-shaped, 55–200 mm (2.2–7.9 in) long and 35–80 mm (1.4–3.1 in) wide, the end leaflet on a petiolule 5–17 mm (0.20–0.67 in) long. The flowers are bisexual and arranged in panicles 25–60 mm (0.98–2.36 in) long. The sepals are round to egg-shaped, 1.3–2 mm (0.051–0.079 in) long and joined at the base. The petals are pink to white, 3.5–6.5 mm (0.14–0.26 in) long and there are four stamens. Flowering occurs from November to February and the fruit consists of up to four follicles 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) long, containing shiny black seeds 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) in diameter. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy

Pink-flowered doughwood was first formally described in 1865 by Ferdinand von Mueller who gave it the name Euodia elleryana and published the description in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected by Anthelme Thozet near Beddome Creek (near Rockhampton). [2] [5] [6] In 1990, Thomas Gordon Hartley changed the name to Melicope elleryana in the journal Telopea . [7] The specific epithet (elleryana) honours the Victorian government astronomer, Robert L. J. Ellery. [6]

Habitat and distribution

Melicope elleryana grows in coastal and inland forest, woodland and rainforest from sea level to an altitude of 760 m (2,490 ft). It occurs from the Maluku Islands east to the Solomon Islands and south to New Guinea and northern Australia. In Australia it is found in the far north-east of Western Australia, the Top End of the Northern Territory, northern and eastern Queensland and south to the Clarence River in northern New South Wales. [2] [3] [8] [9]

Ecology

This tree is the favoured food plant for the Ulysses butterfly, Papilio ulysses . Germination is unpredictable, starting within 30 days or possibly taking several years. Soaking the seeds for several days appears to remove some of the germination inhibitors. [10]

Uses

This species is often cultivated as an ornamental tree. In New Guinea it is said to be used to flavour palm wine and an exudate from the bark is used as an adhesive, for caulking canoes and as a wound treatment. [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Acradenia euodiiformis</i> Species of tree

Acradenia euodiiformis, commonly known as yellow satinheart or bonewood, is a species of tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has mostly trifoliate leaves, the leaflets narrow elliptic to lance-shaped, with prominent oil glands, and panicles of white flowers. It grows in and near rainforest.

<i>Melicope micrococca</i> Species of tree

Melicope micrococca, commonly known as hairy-leaved doughwood or white euodia, is a species of shrub or slender tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It has trifoliate leaves and white flowers borne in panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Acronychia octandra</i> Species of tree

Acronychia octandra, commonly known as doughwood, silver birch or soapwood, is a species of rainforest tree that is endemic to eastern coastal areas of Australia. It has mostly trifoliate leaves with elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets, greenish-white flowers arranged in groups in leaf axils and fleshy fruit of four carpels fused at the base.

<i>Acronychia wilcoxiana</i> Species of tree endemic to Australia

Acronychia wilcoxiana, commonly known as silver aspen, doughwood, snowwood or mushyberry, is a species of small rainforest tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has simple, elliptical to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, relatively large groups of whitish flowers in leaf axils and broadly oval to more or less spherical, white fruit.

Melicope contermina is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Lord Howe Island. It has trifoliate leaves and white flowers borne in leaf axils in panicles of nine to fifteen flowers.

<i>Melicope polybotrya</i> Species of shrub

Melicope polybotrya is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Lord Howe Island. It has trifoliate leaves and green flowers borne in short panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Melicope bonwickii</i> Species of tree

Melicope bonwickii, commonly known as the yellow evodia or yellow corkwood, is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to Java and the Philippines, and southward to New Guinea and north-eastern Australia. It has trifoliate leaves and small pink flowers borne in panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Bosistoa medicinalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Bosistoa medicinalis, commonly known as the northern towra or Eumundi bosistoa, is a species of small to medium-sized rainforest tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has simple and pinnate leaves with two or three leaflets and panicles of small white flowers.

<i>Acronychia acronychioides</i> Species of flowering plant

Acronychia acronychioides, commonly known as white aspen, is a species of small to medium-sized rainforest tree that is endemic to north-eastern Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves with elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets on stems that are more or less cylindrical, creamy yellow flowers in large groups in leaf axils and fleshy, pear-shaped or spherical fruit.

<i>Bouchardatia neurococca</i> Species of flowering plant

Bouchardatia neurococca, commonly known as union nut, is a species of small rainforest tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has pinnate leaves with three or five narrow elliptical leaflets, white flowers arranged in panicles, and oval follicles.

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

Dinosperma is a genus of plant containing the single species Dinosperma erythrococcum, commonly known as tingletongue, clubwood or nutmeg, and is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It is a tree usually with trifoliate leaves arranged in opposite pairs, the leaflets lance-shaped to oblong, and panicles of small white flowers, later bright orange to red, slightly fleshy follicles containing shiny, bluish black seeds.

Melicope affinis is a species of shrub or tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves and small greenish white flowers borne in panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Melicope broadbentiana</i> Species of shrub

Melicope broadbentiana, commonly known as false euodia, is a species of shrub or tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It has simple leaves, trifoliate leaves or both, and small white flowers borne in short panicles in leaf axils.

Melicope fellii is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves and pink flowers borne in short panicles in leaf axils.

Melicope hayesii, commonly known as small-leaved doughwood, is a species of shrub or slender tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It has trifoliate leaves and small white flowers borne in panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Melicope jonesii</i> Species of tree

Melicope jonesii is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves and greenish or cream-coloured flowers borne in short panicles in leaf axils.

Melicope peninsularis is a species of small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to tropical north Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves and white flowers borne in short panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Melicope rubra</i> Species of plant in the family Rutaceae

Melicope rubra, commonly known as the little evodia, is a species of small tree in the citrus family Rutaceae, native to New Guinea and northeast Queensland. It was originally described as Euodia rubra in 1900. It has trifoliate leaves and pink bisexual flowers arranged on branches below the leaves.

<i>Melicope vitiflora</i> Species of tree

Melicope vitiflora, commonly known as northern evodia, fishpoison wood, leatherjacket or leatherwood, is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to north-eastern Australia and New Guinea. It has trifoliate leaves and green to white or cream-coloured flowers borne in panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Melicope xanthoxyloides</i> Species of tree

Melicope xanthoxyloides is a species of small tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to New Guinea and Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves and small green to yellow or cream-coloured flowers arranged in panicles in leaf axils.

References

  1. 1 2 "Melicope elleryana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Hartley, T.G. (2022). Bolton, P.E.; Kodela, P.G. (eds.). "Melicope elleryana". Flora of Australia . Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Richards, P.G. "Melicope elleryana". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  4. F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Melicope elleryana". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government . Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  5. "Euodia elleryana". APNI. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  6. 1 2 von Mueller, Ferdinand (1865). Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  7. "Melicope elleryana". APNI. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  8. "Melicope elleryana (F.Muell.) T.G.Hartley". Western Australian Herbarium (1998–). Florabase—the Western Australian Flora. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Government of Western Australia. 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  9. Cowie I, Lewis D, et al. "Melicope elleryana". FloraNT, Northern Territory Herbarium . Northern Territory Government, Darwin. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  10. Floyd, Alexander G. (1989). Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia. Melbourne: Inkata. p. 329. ISBN   0909605572.