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Melicope facts for kids

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Melicope
Starr 020925-0080 Melicope clusiifolia.jpg
Melicope clusiifolia
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Melicope
J.R.Forst. & G.Forst
Species

About 230, see text
Synonyms
  • Astorganthus Endl.
  • Boninia Planch.
  • Entoganum Banks ex Gaertn.
  • Evodiella B.L.Linden
  • Lepta Lour.
  • Pelea A.Gray
  • Platydesma H.Mann
  • Tractocopevodia Raizada & K.Naray.
Melicope xanthoxyloides
Flowers of Melicope xanthoxyloides
Melicope rubra
Flowers of Melicope rubra
Melicope jonesii
Fruit of Melicope jonesii

Melicope is a group of about 240 different kinds of shrubs and trees. You can find them in places like the Hawaiian Islands, across the Pacific Ocean, and in tropical parts of Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Melicope plants usually have leaves that are simple (one blade) or trifoliate (three leaflets). These leaves grow in pairs opposite each other on the stem. Their flowers grow in clusters called panicles. Each flower has four sepals (small leaf-like parts under the petals), four petals, and either four or eight stamens (the parts that make pollen). The fruit of a Melicope plant is made of up to four small pods called follicles.

What are Melicope Plants Like?

Melicope plants are shrubs or trees. Their leaves can be simple or have three leaflets, and they usually grow in pairs. Sometimes, the leaves grow in a circle around the stem, which is called a whorl.

The flowers of Melicope plants grow in clusters called panicles. Most flowers have both male and female parts (they are bisexual). But sometimes, a plant will only have male flowers or only female flowers. Each flower has four sepals and four petals. They also have four or eight stamens, which produce pollen.

Inside the flower, there are usually four (sometimes five) carpels. These are the parts that will become the fruit. The carpels are joined at the bottom, and their styles (the stalks that hold the stigma) are also joined. The stigma is the tip of the style, where pollen lands.

The fruit of a Melicope plant is made of up to four small pods called follicles. These pods are joined at the bottom. Each pod usually holds one or two seeds.

How Scientists Named Melicope

The name Melicope was first officially used in 1775. Two scientists, Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg Forster, described the genus in their book Characteres Generum Plantarum. The first species they described, which became the example for the group, was Melicope ternata.

The name Melicope comes from two Greek words. "Meli" means "honey," and "kope" means "a division." This name refers to small glands at the base of the flower's ovary that might produce nectar.

Scientists use different ways to group plants. In 2009, Melicope was placed in a larger group called Rutoideae. More recently, in 2021, new studies using DNA information suggested that Melicope should be in the Zanthoxyloideae group. This shows how scientific understanding can change as new information is found!

Melicope and Animals

Melicope plants are important food sources for many animals, especially small creatures like invertebrates (animals without backbones).

  • The caterpillars of the Ulysses butterfly (Papilio ulysses) love to eat the leaves of M. elleryana.
  • Caterpillars of Thyrocopa moths have been found living on M. clusiifolia.
  • The young forms (larvae) of some weevils (a type of beetle) from the genus Proterhinus also feed on Melicope plants. However, they prefer plants that are not healthy, or are dying or already dead.

It's important to know that some Melicope plants might not be safe for humans. For example, the nectar from the wharangi plant (M. ternata) can make honey that is not safe to eat.

Protecting Melicope Plants

Sadly, many Melicope species in Hawaii are listed as "endangered" by the United States government. This means they are at high risk of disappearing forever. The main reasons for this are:

  • Habitat loss: Their natural homes are being destroyed.
  • Competition: Other plants that are not native to the area are growing quickly and taking over the space and resources that Melicope plants need.

Because of these problems, a few Melicope species have already become extinct, meaning they no longer exist anywhere in the world.

Species list

Here is a list of species that were recognized by Plants of the World Online as of July 2020:

  • Melicope aberrans T.G.Hartley – New Guinea (N.G.)
  • Melicope accedens (Blume) T.G.Hartley – tropical Asia
  • Melicope acuminata (Merr.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope adscendens (H.St.John & Hume) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone - Hawaii
  • Melicope aequata T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope affinis T.G.Hartley – Queensland (Qld.)
  • Melicope alba Lauterb. – N.G.
  • Melicope albiflora (Rech.) T.G.Hartley – Samoa
  • Melicope alpestris T.G.Hartley – Philippines
  • Melicope aneura (Lauterb.) T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope anisata (H.Mann) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone mokihana – Hawaii (?)
  • Melicope anomala (Lauterb.) T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope bakeri T.G.Hartley – Madagascar
  • Melicope balankazo (H.Perrier) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope balansae Guillaumin – New Caledonia (N.C.)
  • Melicope balgooyi Appelhans, W.L.Wagner & K.R.Wood – Tubuai
  • Melicope balloui (Rock) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone rock pelea – Hawaii
  • Melicope barbigera A.Gray – Hawaii
  • Melicope belahe (Baill.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope benguetensis (Elmer) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope blancoi T.G.Hartley – Philippines
  • Melicope bonwickii (F.Muell.) T.G.Hartley – Java, Borneo, the Philippines, N.G., Qld.
  • Melicope borbonica (Bory) T.G.Hartley bois de catafaille blanc – Réunion
  • Melicope boweriana (Christoph.) T.G.Hartley – Samoa
  • Melicope bracteata (Nadeaud) S.L.Welsh – Cook Islands, Tubuai, Society Islands
  • Melicope brassii T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope broadbentiana F.M.Bailey – Qld.
  • Melicope buennemeijeri T.G.Hartley – Sumatra
  • Melicope burmahia (Raizada & K.Naray.) T.G.Hartley – Myanmar
  • Melicope burttiana B.C.Stone – Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz Island
  • Melicope buwaldae T.G.Hartley – Sumatra
  • Melicope calycina T.G.Hartley – Lesser Sunda Islands
  • Melicope capillacea (Gillespie) A.C.Sm. – Fiji
  • Melicope carrii T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope celebica T.G.Hartley – Sulawesi
  • Melicope chapelieri (Baill.) T.G.Hartley – Mauritius
  • Melicope christophersenii (H.St.John) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope chunii (Merr.) T.G.Hartley – Hainan
  • Melicope cinerea A.Gray – Hawaii
  • Melicope clemensiae T.G.Hartley – Borneo
  • Melicope clusiifolia (A.Gray) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope confusa (Merr.) Tang S.Liu – tropical Asia
  • Melicope conjuga T.G.Hartley – N.G. to Bismarck Archipelago
  • Melicope contermina C.Moore & F.Muell. – Lord Howe Island
  • Melicope coodeana T.G.Hartley – Réunion
  • Melicope corneri T.G.Hartley – Peninsula Malaysia
  • Melicope cornuta (Hillebr.) Appelhans, K.R.Wood & W.L.Wagner – Hawaii
  • Melicope crassifolia (Merr.) T.G.Hartley – Vietnam
  • Melicope crassiramis (K.Schum.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope cravenii T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope crispula (Merr. & L.M.Perry) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope cruciata (A.Heller) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone cross-bearing pelea (extinct) – Hawaii
  • Melicope cucullata (Gillespie) A.C.Sm. – Fiji
  • Melicope degeneri (B.C.Stone) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope denhamii (Seem.) T.G.Hartley – N.G., Vanuatu, Santa Cruz Island
  • Melicope dicksoniana T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope discolor (Baker) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope doormani-montis (Lauterb.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope dubia (Merr.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope durifolia (K.Schum.) T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope elleryana (F.Muell.) T.G.Hartley – N.G., Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz Island, Qld.
  • Melicope elliptica A.Gray – Hawaii
  • Melicope eriophylla (Merr. & L.M.Perry) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope erromangensis T.G.Hartley – Vanuatu
  • Melicope euneura (Miq.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope evanensis (A.C.Sm.) A.C.Sm. – Fiji
  • Melicope exuta T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope fatraina (H.Perrier) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope fatuhivensis (F.Br.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Marquesas Islands
  • Melicope feddei (H.Lév.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope fellii T.G.Hartley – Qld.
  • Melicope flaviflora A.C.Sm. – Fiji
  • Melicope floribunda (Baker) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope forbesii (Baker f.) T.G.Hartley – Santa Cruz Island
  • Melicope frutescens (Blanco) Appelhans & J.Wen
  • Melicope fulva (Guillaumin) B.C.Stone – N.C.
  • Melicope glabella T.G.Hartley – Philippines
  • Melicope glaberrima Guillaumin – N.C.
  • Melicope glabra (Blume) T.G.Hartley – Malaysia, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  • Melicope glomerata (Craib) T.G.Hartley – Mainland Southeast Asia
  • Melicope goilalensis T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope grisea (Planch.) T.G.Hartley – Bonin Islands to Volcano Islands
  • Melicope haleakalae (B.C.Stone) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone Maui ruta tree (extinct) – Hawaii
  • Melicope haupuensis (H.St.John) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope hawaiensis (Wawra) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope hayesii T.G.Hartley – Qld., New South Wales (N.S.W.)
  • Melicope hiepkoi T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope hiiakae (B.C.Stone) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope hivaoaensis J.Florence – Marquesas
  • Melicope homeophylla A.C.Sm. – Fiji
  • Melicope hookeri T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope hosakae (H.St.John) W.L.Wagner & R.K.Shannon – Hawaii
  • Melicope idiocarpa T.G.Hartley – Sulawesi
  • Melicope improvisa T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope incana T.G.Hartley – Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi
  • Melicope indica Wight
  • Melicope inopinata J.Florence – Marquesas
  • Melicope irifica (Coode) T.G.Hartley – Réunion
  • Melicope jonesii T.G.Hartley – Qld.
  • Melicope jugosa T.G.Hartley – Borneo
  • Melicope kaalaensis (H.St.John) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope kainantuensis T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope kavaiensis (H.Mann) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope kjellbergii T.G.Hartley – Sulawesi
  • Melicope knudsenii (Hillebr.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone Knudsen's melicope – Hawaii
  • Melicope kostermansii T.G.Hartley – Maluku Islands to N.G.
  • Melicope laevis T.G.Hartley – Vanuatu
  • Melicope lamii Lauterb. – N.G.
  • Melicope lasioneura (Baill.) Baill. ex Guillaumin
  • Melicope latifolia (DC.) T.G.Hartley – Malaysia, Lesser Sunda Island, Myanmar, Samoa, Santa Cruz Island
  • Melicope lauterbachii T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope laxa (Elmer)T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope leptococca Guillaumin – N.C.
  • Melicope littoralis (Endl.) T.G.Hartley ex P.S.Green – Norfolk Island
  • Melicope lobocarpa (F.Muell.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope longior T.G.Hartley – Bismarck Archipelago
  • Melicope lucida (A.Gray) A.C.Sm. – Pacific Islands
  • Melicope lunu-ankenda (Gaertn.) T.G.Hartley – Tibet, tropical Asia
  • Melicope lydgatei (Hillebr.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone - Hawaii
  • Melicope macgregorii T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope macrocarpa (King) T.G.Hartley – Malaysia
  • Melicope macrophylla Merr. & L.M.Perry – N.G.
  • Melicope macropus (Hillebr.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope madagascariensis (Baker) T.G.Hartley – Madagascar
  • Melicope magnifolia (Baill.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope makahae (B.C.Stone) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope maliliensis T.G.Hartley – Sulawesi
  • Melicope margaretae (F.Br.) T.G.Hartley – Tuamotus
  • Melicope maxii T.G.Hartley – Sulawesi
  • Melicope megastigma T.G.Hartley – Maluku Islands
  • Melicope micrococca (F.Muell.) T.G.Hartley white euodia – Qld., N.S.W.
  • Melicope mindorensis T.G.Hartley – Philippines
  • Melicope molokaiensis (Hillebr.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope moluccana T.G.Hartley – Maluku Islands
  • Melicope montana Baker f. – N.C.
  • Melicope monticola T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope mucronata Merr. & L.M.Perry – N.G.
  • Melicope mucronulata (H.St.John) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope munroi (H.St.John) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope nealae (B.C.Stone) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope neglecta T.G.Hartley – Java to Lesser Sunda Islands
  • Melicope nishimurae (Koidz.) T.Yamaz. – Bonin Islands
  • Melicope novoguineensis Valeton – N.G.
  • Melicope nubicola T.G.Hartley – Solomon Islands
  • Melicope nukuhivensis (F.Br.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Marquesas
  • Melicope oahuensis (H.Lév.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope oblanceolata T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope obovata (H.St.John) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone obovate melicope (extinct) – Hawaii
  • Melicope obscura (Cordem.) T.G.Hartley – Réunion
  • Melicope obtusifolia (DC.) T.G.Hartley gros catafaille – Mauritius
  • Melicope oppenheimeri K.R.Wood, Appelhans & W.L.Wagner
  • Melicope orbicularis (Hillebr.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone orbicular pelea – Hawaii
  • Melicope ovalis (H.St.John) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone wild pelea – Hawaii
  • Melicope ovata (H.St.John & E.P.Hume) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope pachyphylla (King) T.G.Hartley – Malaysia
  • Melicope pachypoda (Lauterb.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope pahangensis T.G.Hartley – Laos
  • Melicope palawensis (Lauterb.) T.G.Hartley – Philippines
  • Melicope pallida (Hillebr.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope paniculata (H.St.John) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone Lihue ruta tree – Hawaii
  • Melicope papuana (Lauterb.) Lauterb. – N.G.
  • Melicope patulinervia (Merr. & Chun) C.C.Huang – Hainan
  • Melicope pauciflora T.G.Hartley – Sulawesi
  • Melicope pedicellata T.G.Hartley – N.C.
  • Melicope peduncularis (H.Lév.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope pendula T.G.Hartley – Solomon Islands
  • Melicope peninsularis T.G.Hartley – Qld.
  • Melicope pergamentacea (Elmer) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope perlmanii J.Florence – Marquesas
  • Melicope perryae T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope petiolaris T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope phanerophlebia (Merr. & L.M.Perry) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope polydenia Merr. & L.M.Perry – N.G.
  • Melicope polybotrya (C.Moore & F.Muell.) T.G.Hartley ex P.S.Green Lord Howe Island
  • Melicope ponapensis Lauterb. – Caroline Islands
  • Melicope pseudoanisata (Rock) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope pteleifolia (Champ. ex Benth.) T.G.Hartley – southern China to Indochina, Taiwan
  • Melicope puberula (H.St.John) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope pubifolia Merr. & L.M.Perry – N.G.
  • Melicope pulgarensis (Elmer) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope quadrangularis (H.St.John & E.P.Hume) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone four-angled pelea – Hawaii
  • Melicope quadrilocularis (Hook. & Arn.) T.G.Hartley – Bonin Islands
  • Melicope radiata (H.St.John) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope ramuliflora T.G.Hartley – Sumatra
  • Melicope reflexa (H.St.John) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope remyi (Sherff) Appelhans, K.R.Wood & W.L.Wagner – Hawaii
  • Melicope reticulata Lauterb. – N.G.
  • Melicope retusa (A.Gray) T.G.Hartley – southwest Pacific
  • Melicope revoluta J.Florence – Marquesas
  • Melicope rhytidocarpa (Merr. & L.M.Perry) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope richii {A.Gray) T.G.Hartley – Samoa
  • Melicope ridsdalei T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope rigoensis T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope robbinsii T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope robusta A.C.Sm. – Fiji
  • Melicope rostrata (Hillebr.) Appelhans, K.R.Wood & W.L.Wagner – Hawaii
  • Melicope rotundifolia (A.Gray) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope rubra (K.Schum. & Lauterb.) T.G.Hartley – N.G., Qld.
  • Melicope saint-johnii (E.P.Hume) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone St John's pelea – Hawaii
  • Melicope sambiranensis (H.Perrier) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope sandwicensis (Hook. & Arn.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope savaiensis T.G.Hartley – Samoa
  • Melicope schraderi (Lauterb.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope seemannii (Gillespie) A.C.Sm. – Fiji, Tonga
  • Melicope segregis (Cordem.) T.G.Hartley – Réunion
  • Melicope semecarpifolia (Merr.) T.G.Hartley – Taiwan to Philippines
  • Melicope sessilifolia (Merr.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope sessilis (H.Lév.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope simplex A.Cunn. poataniwha – New Zealand
  • Melicope sororia T.G.Hartley – Borneo
  • Melicope spathulata A.Gray – Hawaii
  • Melicope steenisii T.G.Hartley – Sumatra
  • Melicope stellulata T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope sterrophylla Merr. & L.M.Perry – N.G.
  • Melicope stonei K.R.Wood, Appelhans & W.L.Wagner – Hawaii
  • Melicope suberosa B.C.Stone – Peninsula Malaysia
  • Melicope subunifoliolata (Stapf) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope sudestica T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope sulcata T.G.Hartley – Samoa
  • Melicope tahitensis Nadeaud – Society Island, N.C.
  • Melicope taveuniensis A.C.Sm. – Fiji
  • Melicope tekaoensis T.G.Hartley – Marquesas
  • Melicope ternata J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. wharangi – New Zealand
  • Melicope timorensis T.G.Hartley – Lesser Sunda Islands
  • Melicope trachycarpa Lauterb. – N.G.
  • Melicope trichantha (Lauterb.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope trichopetala (Lauterb.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope triphylla (Lam.) Merr. – Indo-China to Ryukyu Islands and SW. Pacific
  • Melicope tsaratananensis (Capuron) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope vatiana (Setch.) T.G.Hartley – Samoa
  • Melicope versteeghii T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope vieillardii (Baill.) Guillaumin – N.C.
  • Melicope villosa (Merr.) T.G.Hartley
  • Melicope vinkii T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope viticina (Wall. ex Kurz) T.G.Hartley – Yunan to Indo-China
  • Melicope vitiflora (F.Muell.) T.G.Hartley – N.G., Qld., N.S.W.
  • Melicope volcanica (A.Gray) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope waialealae (Wawra) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope wailauensis (H.St.John) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope wawraeana (Rock) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone – Hawaii
  • Melicope woitapensis T.G.Hartley – N.G.
  • Melicope xanthoxyloides (F.Muell.) T.G.Hartley – Qld., N.G.
  • Melicope zahlbruckneri (Rock) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone Zahlbruckner's melicope
  • Melicope zambalensis (Elmer) T.G.Hartley

See also

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