Species of plant of the Pacific islands
Melochia villosissima flower, Asan Beach Park, Guam
Melochia villosissima (Chamorro : sayåfi ), is a tree endemic to northwest Pacific Ocean islands, including South Iwo Jima and western Micronesian Islands (Caroline and Mariana Islands ).[ 2] [ 3] It is a small pioneer tree often found along roadsides and has a striking appearance due to its clusters of pink flowers.[ 1]
The Chamorro name for the plant was transliterated into French as sidjiafi by the French botanist, Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré , during his exploration of Guam in 1819.[ 4]
Gallery
Hirsute (fuzzy) leaf.
Dededo , Guam
Glabrous (smooth) leaf. Dededo, Guam.
Leaf underside
Tree along roadside in Dededo, Guam.
Low branching habit. Dededo, Guam.
White flowered variety.
Asan Beach Park, Guam
Pink flowered variety. Dededo, Guam
Melochia villosissima canopy. Dededo, Guam
Hirsute stems. Dededo, Guam
References
^ a b Plunkett, G.M. (2022). "Melochia villosissima " . IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022 : e.T197674771A198053315. doi :10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T197674771A198053315.en .
^ "Melochia villosissima (C.Presl) Merr. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science" . Plants of the World Online . Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023 .
^ "Melochia villosissima " . The Plant List . 2010. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023 .
^ Freycinet, Louis Claude Desaulses de; Freycinet, Louis Claude Desaulses de; Arago, Jacques; Bevalet, Antoine-Germain; Blanchard, E.; Chazal, Antoine; Clermont-Tonnerre, Aimé-Marie-Gaspard; Corbière, Jacques Joseph; Coutant, L. (1826). Voyage autour du monde, entrepris par ordre du roi. Exécuté sur les corvettes de S.M. l'Uranie et la Physicienne, pendant les années 1817, 1818, 1819 et 1820 . Vol. [t.4] (1826) [Text]. Paris: Chez Pillet aîné. p. 68.
Melochia villosissima Riedlea villosissima