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Melicope

(Genus)

Overview

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Melicope is a of about 150 species of shrubs and trees in the family Rutaceae, occurring from the Hawaiian Islands across the Pacific to tropical Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The temperate Asian genus Tetradium (which sometimes include the tropical Euodia) is closely related to Melicope and is sometimes merged into it.2]

In Australia they are known as doughwoods, or more ambiguously as "corkwoods" or "euodias", and in Hawai?i they are collectively called alani; the Maori term wharangi for Melicope ternata is a cognate of that. Generally, these plants are simply called melicopes or (after a formerly independent genus now included in Melicope[3]) peleas.

Several of the Hawaiian species are listed as federally endangered due to habitat loss and competition from invasive non-native plants. A few species are completely extinct already.

They are foodplants for various animals, mainly invertebrates. Caterpillars of the Ulysses Butterfly (Papilio ulysses) are fond of M. elleryana; on M. clusiifolia caterpillars of Thyrocopa moths have been found. The larvae of some belid weevils from the genus Proterhinus also feed on Melicope; they prefer unhealthy, dying or dead specimens. But the plants may not be safe for humans – the nectar at least of Wharangi is known to yield toxic honey that may kill whoever eats it[4].

Selected Species

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Melicope adscendens

Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Genus Melicope is further organized into finer groupings including:

References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ "Melicope". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2008-03-21. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?7427. Retrieved on 2009-02-06. 
  2. ^ Hartley (2001)
  3. ^ Hartley & Stone (1989)
  4. ^ Espina-Prez & Ordetx-Ros (1983): p.35
  5. ^ "Mokihana". Native Hawaiian Plants. Kapi?olani Community College. http://old.kcc.hawaii.edu/campus/tour/plants/pmokihana.htm. Retrieved on 2009-03-07. 
  6. ^ Little Jr., Elbert L.; Roger G. Skolmen (1989) (PDF). Alani, clusia-leaf pelea. United States Forest Service. http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/forestry/data/CommonTreesHI/CFT_Pelea_clusiifolia.pdf. 
  7. ^ " ?Alani". Native Hawaiian Plants. Kapi?olani Community College. http://old.kcc.hawaii.edu/campus/tour/plants/palani.htm. Retrieved on 2009-03-02. 

Sources

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Last Revised: April 27, 2010
2010/04/27 05:08:50