Melicope jonesii


Melicope jonesii is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves and greenish or cream-coloured flowers borne in short panicles in leaf axils.

Description

Melicope jonesii is a tree that typically grows to a height of. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs and trifoliate on a petiole long. The leaflets are elliptical, long and wide. The flowers are arranged in panicles long in leaf axils and are bisexual, the sepals round and about long and fused at the base, the petals greenish or cream-coloured, long and there are four stamens. Flowering has been recorded in January and February and the fruit consists of up to four follicles long and fused at the base containing shiny black seeds.

Taxonomy

Melicope jonesii was first formally described in 2001 by Thomas Gordon Hartley in the journal Allertonia from specimens collected in 1979 by Bruce Gray. The specific epithet honours the botanist William T. Jones.

Distribution and habitat

This melicope grows in rainforest at altitudes of from near the Daintree National Park to near the Ella Bay National Park.

Conservation status

This species is classified as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.