Melicope stonei facts for kids

Melicope stonei is a special tree found only on the island of Kaua‘i in the Hawaiian Islands. It is known as an "endemic" species because it grows naturally in just one place. This tree is also listed as "Critically Endangered," which means it is very rare and faces a high risk of disappearing forever.

What Does Melicope stonei Look Like?

This tree typically grows to be about 5 to 12 meters (16 to 39 feet) tall. Its trunk can be up to 25 centimeters (about 10 inches) wide. The bark is smooth and has a mix of gray and light brown colors.

When the tree is young, its new branches are covered in soft, yellowish-tan hairs, which botanists call tomentose. As the branches get older, these hairs usually disappear, and the surface becomes smooth (glabrate).

The leaves of Melicope stonei grow in pairs. Each leaf is simple and not divided into smaller leaflets (unifoliolate). They feel tough and leathery (coriaceous) and have an oval shape (elliptic).

Flowers and Fruits

The flowers grow in small clusters, often in the leaf axils (where the leaf meets the stem) or directly from the older branches. These clusters are called cymes.

Melicope stonei has both male and female flowers on the same plant (monoecious). Each flower has small, triangular-shaped parts called sepals.

After the flowers, the tree produces fruits called capsules. These capsules are medium to dark green when fresh and have a bumpy surface. They are usually made up of four separate sections, or follicles, which hold the seeds. Sometimes, one or more of these sections might not develop. The outside of the fruit is smooth and has tiny glands, while the inside is also smooth.

Each section of the fruit usually contains one or two seeds. The seeds are oval-shaped and about 6 to 8 millimeters long.

Scientists have seen Melicope stonei with flower buds in January, May, and September. They have also observed the tree with both flowers and fruits in January, February, and July.

Why Is It Called Melicope stonei?

This tree was named to honor Benjamin Clemens Stone, a British-American botanist. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. Benjamin Stone was born in Shanghai, China, and lived from 1933 to 1994. He did a lot of important work studying plants, including a project on the plants of the Philippines.

The first known collections of Melicope stonei were made by David Lorence and Timothy Flynn. They are botanists from the National Tropical Botanical Garden. They found this tree in February 1988 in the forests of Mākaha Valley on Kaua‘i.