Shade tree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shade tree |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Melicope
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| Species: |
littoralis
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The Shade Tree, also known by its scientific name Melicope littoralis, is a type of shrub or small tree. It belongs to the Rutaceae family, which also includes citrus fruits like oranges and lemons! This special tree only grows in one place: Norfolk Island. It has leaves made of three parts (called trifoliate) and pretty small white flowers. These flowers grow in clusters called panicles, right where the leaves meet the stem.
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What the Shade Tree Looks Like
The Shade Tree is a shrub or small tree that usually grows to be about 4 to 5 meters (about 13 to 16 feet) tall.
Its leaves are mostly made up of three smaller leaf parts, which is why they are called "trifoliate." These leaves grow in pairs on opposite sides of the stem. Each whole leaf can be quite long, from 130 to 350 millimeters (about 5 to 14 inches). The stem that holds the leaf is called a petiole, and it's usually 3 to 10 millimeters long. The individual leaf parts are shaped like an oval or an egg, measuring 100 to 240 millimeters long and 60 to 130 millimeters wide.
The flowers of the Shade Tree are small and white. They grow in groups called panicles, which are like branched clusters. These clusters can be 20 to 160 millimeters long and 15 to 60 millimeters wide. Each flower sits on a tiny stalk called a pedicel, which is only 1 to 2 millimeters long. The flowers have egg-shaped sepals (small leaf-like parts at the base of the flower) that are 2 to 3 millimeters long and joined at the bottom. The white petals are 4 to 5 millimeters long, and each flower has four stamens (the parts that produce pollen).
After the flowers, the tree produces fruit. The fruit is made up of up to four parts called follicles, which are joined at the base and can be up to 12 millimeters long. Inside, the seeds are about 6 millimeters long.
How the Shade Tree Got Its Name
The scientific study of how living things are named and grouped is called Taxonomy. The Shade Tree was first officially described in 1833 by a scientist named Stephan Endlicher. He gave it the name Euodia littoralis in his book Prodromus Florae Norfolkicae.
Later, in 2001, another scientist named Thomas Gordon Hartley studied the tree again. He decided to change its name to Melicope littoralis. This new name was published in a science journal called Allertonia.
Where the Shade Tree Lives
The Shade Tree is special because it is endemic to Norfolk Island. This means it naturally grows only on Norfolk Island and nowhere else in the world! You can find it growing in forests near the coast and also in forests further inland. It is most commonly seen inside the beautiful Norfolk Island National Park.
Protecting the Shade Tree
The Melicope littoralis is listed as "vulnerable" by the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. This means that the Shade Tree is at risk of becoming endangered or even disappearing if we don't protect it. Efforts are being made to help keep this unique tree safe and healthy on Norfolk Island.
