Flora of the Hawaiian Islands
Dicotyledon Literature for Melicope anisata
Wagner et al., 1990, 1999.
   Rutaceae -- The Rue Family Bibliography
      Melicope anisata

Common name(s): alani, alani kuahiwi, mokehana, mokihana
General Information
DistributionIn the Hawaiian Islands, endemic to Kaua`i. In the Hawaiian Islands, endemic to Maui, Hawai`i.

Rutaceae - Melicope anisata Rutaceae - Melicope anisata















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Habit
Shrubs or sometimes shrubby trees 2-8 m tall, new growth minutely and sparsely minutely appressed puberulent with ephemeral grayish hairs, and with a waxy scurf, soon glabrate; stems lax, few-branched.
Leaves
Leaves opposite, strongly pungent with anise odor, especially when crushed, thin, coriaceous, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, sometimes very broadly elliptic or elliptic-obovate, flat or revolute, 4-21 cm long, often more than 10 cm long, 1-11.5 cm wide, veins usually dull brown or somewhat reddish, primary lateral veins usually 8-20 pairs, conspicuous, both surfaces glabrate, densely glandular punctate, apex rounded to obtuse, ± emarginate, base rounded to cuneate, petioles 5-50 mm long, glabrate.
Flowers
Flowers 1-3(-5) in axillary cymes usually less than 2 cm long, peduncles 1-5 mm long, slender at anthesis, pedicels usually 2-4 mm long, bracteoles minute, deltate; sepals broadly ovate, 2-2.5 mm long and wide, glabrate; petals deltate-ovate, 5-7 mm long, ca. 3.5 mm wide, glabrous; nectary disk glabrous; ovary glabrous.
Fruit
Capsules yellowish green, cuboid to subglobose, 7-13 mm long, 9-14 mm wide, carpels completely connate, apex with a shallow depression, exocarp glabrous, densely glandular punctate and with a strong anise odor, endocarp glabrous.
Seeds
Seeds 1(2) per carpel, 4-6 mm long.