''Melicope reflexa'', the reflexed pelea or lava melicope, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae. It 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 ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, where it is found only on the island of

Molokai Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length an ...

. Like other Hawaiian ''Melicope'', this species is known as ''alani''.USFWS
Species Reports: Plants.
/ref> It is a federally listed

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

of the United States. This is a

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

growing 1 to 3 meters tall. It grows in wet forest habitat on Molokai, where it is known to exist at only four locations. The total number of plants is estimated to be under 1000. It is threatened by the degradation of its habitat by feral

ungulate Ungulates ( ) are members of the diverse clade Ungulata which primarily consists of large mammals with hooves. These include odd-toed ungulates such as horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs; and even-toed ungulates such as cattle, pigs, giraffes, cam ...

s such as deer, goats, and pigs, and non-native plant species.''Melicope reflexa''.
The Nature Conservancy.

References

reflexa Endemic flora of Hawaii Biota of Molokai {{Rutaceae-stub