Melicope
Encyclopedia
Melicope is a genus
of about 230 species
of shrub
s and tree
s in the family Rutaceae
, occurring from the Hawaiian Islands
across the Pacific to tropical Asia
, Australia
and New Zealand
. The temperate
Asia
n genus Tetradium
(which sometimes include the tropical Euodia) is closely related to Melicope and is sometimes merged into it.
In Australia they are known as doughwoods, or more ambiguously as "corkwood
s" or "euodia
s", and in Hawaii
they are collectively called alani; the Māori
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) peleas.
Several of the Hawaiian species are listed as federal
ly 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 invertebrate
s. Caterpillar
s of the Ulysses Butterfly (Papilio ulysses) are fond of M. elleryana
; on M. clusiifolia caterpillars of Thyrocopa
moth
s have been found. The larva
e of some belid
weevil
s 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.
words μελι (meli), meaning "honey," and κοπη (kope), meaning "a division," referring to the glands at the base of the ovary. The Takhtajan system
places the genus in the subfamily
Rutoideae, tribe
Zanthoxyleae, while Germplasm Resources Information Network
places it in the subfamily Toddalioideae and does not assign it to a tribe. Evidence from 2009 indicates that the related genus Platydesma
of four species is nested within the genus Melicope and is sister to all Hawaiian Melicope species. And while Melicope species are dioecious
(individual plants only bear either male or female flowers), the flowers of Platydesma are hermaphroditic
, suggesting a rare evolutionary reversion away from dioecy in Platydesma.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of about 230 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s and tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s in the family Rutaceae
Rutaceae
Rutaceae, commonly known as the rue or citrus family, is a family of flowering plants, usually placed in the order Sapindales.Species of the family generally have flowers that divide into four or five parts, usually with strong scents...
, occurring from the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
across the Pacific to tropical Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n genus Tetradium
Tetradium
Tetradium is a genus of nine species of trees in the family Rutaceae, occurring in temperate to tropical east Asia. In older books, the genus was often included in the related genus Euodia , but that genus is now restricted to tropical species...
(which sometimes include the tropical Euodia) is closely related to Melicope and is sometimes merged into it.
In Australia they are known as doughwoods, or more ambiguously as "corkwood
Corkwood
Corkwood is a common name of a number of plants:*Annona glabra in the West Indies*Duboisia species in Australia*Endiandra sieberi a Corkwood from Australia in the laurel family...
s" or "euodia
Euodia (genus)
Euodia is a plant genus in the Rutaceae family.-Species:* Euodia elleryana* Euodia hortensis J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.* Euodia hupehensis* Euodia hylandii* Euodia lunuankenda* Euodia macrocarpa* Euodia pubifolia...
s", and in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
they are collectively called alani; the Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
term wharangi for Melicope ternata is a cognate
Cognate
In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
of that. Generally, these plants are simply called melicopes or (after a formerly independent genus now included in Melicope) peleas.
Several of the Hawaiian species are listed as federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
ly endangered due to habitat loss and competition from invasive
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
non-native plants. A few species are completely extinct already.
They are foodplants for various animals, mainly invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s. Caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s of the Ulysses Butterfly (Papilio ulysses) are fond of M. elleryana
Melicope elleryana
Melicope elleryana known as the Pink Flowered Doughwood or Evodia is a species of Australian rainforest tree in the Rutaceae family.- Habitat and description :...
; on M. clusiifolia caterpillars of Thyrocopa
Thyrocopa
Thyrocopa is a genus of oecophorid moth endemic to Hawaii. The taxon has approximately forty species, including some flightless species.-Adults:...
moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s have been found. The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of some belid
Belidae
Belidae is a family of weevils, called belids or primitive weevils because they have straight antennae, unlike the "true weevils" or Curculionidae which have elbowed antennae...
weevil
Weevil
A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than , and herbivorous. There are over 60,000 species in several families, mostly in the family Curculionidae...
s 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.
Taxonomy
The generic name is derived from GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
words μελι (meli), meaning "honey," and κοπη (kope), meaning "a division," referring to the glands at the base of the ovary. The Takhtajan system
Takhtajan system
A system of plant taxonomy, the Takhtajan system of plant classification was published by Armen Takhtajan, in several versions from the 1950s onwards. It is usually compared to the Cronquist system. Key publications:-External links:* Takhtajan system at...
places the genus in the subfamily
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Rutoideae, tribe
Tribe (biology)
In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...
Zanthoxyleae, while Germplasm Resources Information Network
Germplasm Resources Information Network
Germplasm Resources Information Network or GRIN is an online software project of National Genetic Resources Program of USDA to provide germplasm information about plants, animals, microbes and invertebrates.-Sub-Projects:...
places it in the subfamily Toddalioideae and does not assign it to a tribe. Evidence from 2009 indicates that the related genus Platydesma
Platydesma
Platydesma is a genus of plants in family Rutaceae. Evidence from 2009 indicates that Platydesma is nested within the related genus Melicope and is sister to all Hawaiian Melicope species...
of four species is nested within the genus Melicope and is sister to all Hawaiian Melicope species. And while Melicope species are dioecious
Dioecious
Dioecy is the property of a group of biological organisms that have males and females, but not members that have organs of both sexes at the same time. I.e., those whose individual members can usually produce only one type of gamete; each individual organism is thus distinctly female or male...
(individual plants only bear either male or female flowers), the flowers of Platydesma are hermaphroditic
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, suggesting a rare evolutionary reversion away from dioecy in Platydesma.
Selected species