Melicope elleryana
Plant Number: 54
Common Name: Euodia, Corkwood, Evodia, Pink Doughwood
Scientific Name: Melicope elleryana
Derivation of name
Melicope - is derived from the Greek word 'meli' meaning honey, nectar and 'kope' meaning cutting, referring to the notched glands of the flowers
elleryana - named after Robert Lewis Ellery (1827-1908), a Victorian astronomer who served as the Victorian government astronomer for 42 years and the founder of the Williamstown Observatory in Melbourne
Description
- Tree which can grow to 25m high but usually 12-20m
- Grows in subtropical rainforest, coastal areas and swamps
- Flowers 6 mm and pink, which form in clusters that appear in summer and autumn and are produced on the old wood below the leaves
- Fruits are 8 mm brown capsules, which split to reveal seeds completely enclosed by a shiny, black extra seed covering
Human uses
Fauna Use: Food plant for the larval stages of the Ulysses Butterfly. Other butterflies which are seen around this tree include the Common Brown, Common Jezebel, Tailed Emperor, Blue Triangle, Macleay's Swallowtail, Orchard Swallowtail, Australian Admiral and Wanderer. It also attracts insectivorous birds and insects.
Acknowledgment: Mangrove to Mountains, Australian Botanic Garden
Photo: Tatiana Gerus & Rebecca Smith