Systematics of Vascular Plants, UH Manoa (HAW:BOT461)
Morinda citrifolia L.
Rubiaceae
Tillman, Hanna
37
2018-11-19
United States, HI, Honolulu, Growing in courtyard garden outside St. John Plant Science Lab at the Univerisity of Hawaii at Manoa campus (3190 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822).
21.294722 -157.818611 +-1m.
University of Hawaii at Manoa
43 meters (141ft)
Several trees growing in a small garden environment. Sunlight on plants in the morning and shade in the afternoons due to proximity of buildings. Hot and sunny weather with rainfall fairly often. Some small shrubs and other herbaceous plants growing beneath these trees.
Soil.
Morinda citrifolia is a small tree or large evergreen shrub approximately 3–10 m in height at maturity and 15 cm or more in stem diameter. The plant sometimes finds support on other plants as a liana. The sapwood is soft and yellow-brown and the bark relatively smooth to slightly rough and grey or light brown. The light green, four-angled twigs have opposite, pinnately veined, glossy leaves attached by stout petioles, 1.5–2 cm long. Stipules are connate or distinct, 10–12 mm long, the apex entire or two- to three-lobed. The membranous, glabrous leaf blades range from elliptic to elliptic-ovate and range in size from 20 to 45 cm long and 7–25 cm wide. The tubular flowers are perfect, with about 75–90 in ovoid to globose heads. Peduncles are 10–30 mm long; the calyx a truncated rim. The corolla is white, five lobed, with the tube greenish white, 7–9 mm long and lobes oblong-deltate, approximately 7 mm long. There are five stamens, scarcely exserted and the style is about 15 mm long. Fruit (a syncarp) are yellowish white and fleshy, 5–14 cm long, about 3–7.5 cm in diameter, soft and fetid when ripe. Seeds are brown, about 4–9 mm long and have a distinct air chamber. The plant has a rooting habit similar to citrus and coffee, with an extensive lateral root system and a deep taproot
Fruiting
source for description: Janick, J., Paull, R. E., 2008. The encyclopedia of fruit & nuts, CABI.xviii + 954 pp. http://www.cabi.org/cabebooks/ebook/20113366221 doi:10.1079/9780851996387.0000