Description: Shrubs or trees, glabrous or with simple hairs, unarmed.
Leaves opposite, palmately 3-foliolate; leaflets with margins entire.
Inflorescences axillary [or terminal], paniculate. Flowers bisexual or functionally unisexual. Sepals 4 [or 5], basally fused. Petals 4 [or 5], imbricate, free, not persistent in fruit. Stamens 4 and opposite the sepals, or 8, free, erect to divergent. Carpels 4 [or 5], basally fused, lacking a sterile apex; styles fused, arising from at or above the middle of the carpels; stigma scarcely differentiated from style or capitate; ovules 2 in each carpel.
Fruit of 1–4 cocci; cocci not transversely ridged, rounded; seeds held in dehiscing cocci by persistent funiculus, very shiny, black.
Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 150 species, from Madagascar to India & southern China, southern to Australia, New Zealand & Hawaii. Australia: c. 14–16 species (endemic), Qld, N.S.W., N.T.
The genera Melicope and Euodia are currently under revision. Hartley (1990) has transferred the N.S.W. species of Euodia to Melicope. {G}
Text by P. G. Richards Taxon concept:
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Melicope contermina,
Melicope polybotrya
| Key to the species | |
1 | Larger leaflets >13 cm long. | 2 |
| Larger leaflets <13 cm long. | 3 |
2 | Terminal petiolules usually >10 mm long or leaflets sessile; inflorescences terminal or in upper axils amongst the leaves; flowers white, greenish white or cream. | Melicope vitiflora |
| Terminal petiolules usually <10 mm long; inflorescences compact axillary panicles, usually ramiflorous; flowers pink. Back to 1 | Melicope elleryana |
3 | Leaflets obovate to oblong-obovate, glabrous or softly pubescent on lower surface; ovary pubescent. | Melicope micrococca |
| Leaflets ovate to elliptic or narrowly so, glabrous; ovary glabrous apart from tufts of hair at junction of ovary and disc. Back to 1 | Melicope hayesii |
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