''Melicope micrococca'', commonly known as hairy-leaved doughwood or white euodia, is a species of shrub or slender tree in the family

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in BoDD – Botanical Derm ...

and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to eastern Australia. It has

trifoliate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

leaves and white flowers borne in

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

s in leaf axils.

Description

''Melicope micrococca'' is a shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of with a dbh of . It has a relatively smooth, pale brown trunk with some corky irregularities, and flanged at the base of larger specimens. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs and trifoliate on a petiole long. The leaflets are egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide, the side leaflets

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

but the end leaflet on a

petiolule In botany, the petiole () is the stalk that attaches the leaf blade to the stem, and is able to twist the leaf to face the sun. This gives a characteristic foliage arrangement to the plant. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole in som ...

long. The leaflets have visible oil dots and the underside is a paler shade of green. The flowers are borne in panicles long, mostly in leaf axils. The flowers are

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

, the

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s long and joined at the base, the petals white and long, and there are four

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s. Flowering occurs from November to February and the fruit consists of up to four follicles long and joined at the base.

Taxonomy

Hairy-leaved doughwood was first described in 1859 by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

who gave it the name ''Euodia micrococca'' and published the description in his book, '' Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae'' from a specimen collected near

Cabramatta Cabramatta ('Cabra') is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cabramatta is located south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Fairfield. Cabramatta ...

William Woolls William Woolls (30 March 1814 – 14 March 1893) was an Australian botanist, clergyman and schoolmaster. Woolls, the nineteenth child of merchant Edward Woolls, was born at Winchester, England and educated at the grammar school, Bishop's Waltha ...

. In 1990,

Thomas Gordon Hartley Thomas Gordon Hartley (9 January 1931 in Beaumont, Texas – 8 March 2016 in Canberra, Australia) was an American botanist. Biography In 1955 Hartley graduated in botany with the academic degree Bachelor of Science at the University of Wisconsin-E ...

changed the name to ''Melicope micrococca'' in the journal '' Telopea''.

Distribution and habitat

''Melicope micrococca'' usually grows in rainforest and is found from near sea level to an altitude of . Its natural range is from the

Seven Mile Beach, New South Wales Seven Mile Beach is a long beach with strong historical reference just south of Gerringong in the Shoalhaven area of New South Wales, Australia. History In 1933 Seven Mile Beach was used by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith as the runway for the f ...

(34° S) to

Maryborough, Queensland Maryborough ( ) is a city and a suburb in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Maryborough had a population of 15,287. Geography Maryborough is located on the Mary River in Queensland, Australia, approximate ...

(25° S).

Ecology

The fruit is eaten by a variety of birds, including the

brown cuckoo dove The brown cuckoo-dove (''Macropygia phasianella'') is a dove in the genus ''Macropygia'' found in Australia from Weipa and Aurukun in the north to Bega in the south, and most inland at Atherton and Toowoomba. It is sometimes called the "brown ...

crimson rosella The crimson rosella (''Platycercus elegans'') is a parrot native to eastern and south eastern Australia which has been introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. It is commonly found in, but not restricted to, mountain forests and gardens. The ...

green catbird The green catbird (''Ailuroedus crassirostris'') is a species of bowerbird found in subtropical forests along the east coast of Australia, from southeastern Queensland to southern New South Wales. It is named after its distinctive call which soun ...

and

Lewin's honeyeater Lewin's honeyeater (''Meliphaga lewinii'') is a bird that inhabits the ranges along the east coast of Australia. It has a semicircular ear-patch, pale yellow in colour. The name of this bird commemorates the Australian artist John Lewin. Descri ...

. ''Melicope micrococca'' is a target species for many insects, including butterflies in the family

Papilionidae Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the larges ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6812320

micrococca ''Micrococca'' is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae, first described in 1849. It is native to tropical Africa, Madagascar and Asia (Old World Tropics).Barberá, P., Velayos, M. & Aedo, C. (2013). Annotated checklist and identification key ...

Trees of Australia Sapindales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1859 Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller