Euodia
Melicope elleryana, Fam. Rutaceae
Shrub to small tree with a distinctive white, or white grey, thick, soft, corky, light, very fissured bark and an open canopy of glossy green leaves.
| Weed Category: | |
| Weed: | No |
| Form or habit: | Shrub, Small tree |
| Family: | Rutaceae |
| Leaf: | Opposite, compound with three leaflets. Leaflets entire, 6-13cm long, ovate to elliptic, soft, hairless or with fine scattered hairs. Glossy green. Numerous small oil dots visible with a hand lens. Petiole 3-8cm long with the terminal one the longest, deeply channelled above. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
Pink |
| Flower description: | Dense, lateral panicles of pink flowers arising from the old leaf axils. Summer to autumn. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: |
Brown |
| Fruit: | |
| Fruit description: | Small, dry, brown capsules, with two to four almost separate segments. Each segment split down one side to reveal a single black seed. |
| Habitat: | Rainforest. |
| Distribution | Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New Guinea, Melanesia, Malesia. |
| Food source for: | Fruit eaten by the rose crowned fruit dove, Victoria's riflebird, spotted catbird, satin and tooth billed bowerbird, olive backed oriole and figbird. Nectar eaten by the bar breasted, brown, dusky and red headed honeyeaters and rainbow and varied lorikeets. Larval food plant of the Ulysses butterfly and the moth Syntherata janetta. |
| Toxicity: | No toxicity known |
| Origin: | Australia, New Guinea, Melanesia, Malesia. |
| Notes: | Hardy, fast growing tree that flowers when only two to three years old. Branches can be brittle and easily broken. Germination erratic, use fresh seed. Soaking seed for a few days will help to speed up germination. Timber is light, white and soft. |
| Information sources: | Melzer R. & Plumb J. (2007) Plants of Capricornia. |
