Melicope polybotrya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Melicope polybotrya | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Rutaceae |
| Genus: | Melicope |
| Species: | M. polybotrya |
| Binomial name | |
| Melicope polybotrya | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Melicope polybotrya is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Lord Howe Island. It has trifoliate leaves and green flowers borne in short panicles in leaf axils.
Melicope polybotrya is a shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of 3–9 mm (0.12–0.35 in). The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs and trifoliate on a petiole 20–70 mm (0.79–2.76 in) long. The leaflets are more or less round to broadly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 70–120 mm (2.8–4.7 in) long and 70–90 mm (2.8–3.5 in) wide on a petiolule 7–25 mm (0.28–0.98 in) long. The flowers are arranged in panicles 25–50 mm (0.98–1.97 in) long and 15–30 mm (0.59–1.18 in) wide with several to many flowers. The plants are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. The sepals are 0.5–1 mm (0.020–0.039 in) long and the petals are green, 2–2.5 mm (0.079–0.098 in) long. Flowering occurs in summer and the fruit consists of four follicles 5–6.5 mm (0.20–0.26 in) long and fused at the base, containing spherical black seeds.[2][3][4][5]