Melicope pallida
An endangered Hawaiian tree in the Rutaceae family, restricted to Kauai with about 200–300 individuals and threatened by habitat loss, it bears grayish-white hairs, resinous new growth, and pale yellowish-green flowers in groups of three, and grows on exposed ridges and cliffs above valleys and waterfalls, with historical synonyms Pelea and Evodia.
Common Names
Pale Melicope, Alani
Summary
Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, the pale melicope (commonly called alani) is a tree that grows 6–10 m tall. It has thin oval leaves 6.1–21.1 cm long and 2.5–7.9 cm wide, often folded along the midline, and yellow-green flowers arranged in cymes in the leaf axils, giving a distinctive combination of foliage and subtle floral color.
Conservation and habitat: federally endangered in the United States, now restricted to Kauai after extirpation from Oahu, with about 200–300 individuals remaining. It occupies exposed ridges and cliffs above valleys and near waterfalls, and is primarily threatened by habitat loss, highlighting the need for protection and monitoring in its limited range.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
32 ft 10 in - 33 ft
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun.
Bloom Color
Yellow-green
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (Hillebr.) T.G.Hartley & B.C.Stone
- Publication
- Taxon 38: 121 (1989)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Sapindales
- Family
- Rutaceae
- Genus
- Melicope