About Melochia umbellata (Houtt.) Stapf
Growth Form and Size
Melochia umbellata (Houtt.) Stapf is a shrub or small tree that reaches a height of 2 to 15 meters (6 feet 7 inches to 49 feet 3 inches). It grows quickly and can colonize disturbed land.
Leaf Characteristics
It produces large, broadly ovate leaves that measure 90 to 300 millimeters long.
Flower and Seed Traits
Its flowers are usually pale pink to red. Its seeds are winged and dispersed by wind.
Native Distribution
This species is native to a region that stretches from India eastward through Southeast Asia to north-western Australia and New Guinea.
Habitat Preferences
It grows in secondary vegetation, forest clearings, on rocky slopes, and along river and forest edges, often in seasonally dry soil.
Cultivation Uses
It has been introduced to other areas and is widely cultivated to provide shade for young trees in timber and coffee plantations. When provided as cut-and-carry feed, ruminants readily eat Melochia umbellata.
Invasive Status
After being extensively planted in the Hilo area during a 1920s reforestation program, it has become an invasive weed on the Island of Hawaiʻi.
