Polyscias racemosa
Polyscias racemosa, or false 'ohe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae. As Munroidendron racemosum, the species was until recently considered to be the only species in the monotypic genus Munroidendron. With the change in classification, Munroidendron is now obsolete. Polyscias racemosa is endemic to the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It is very rare in the wild and some of its original habitat has been replaced by sugar cane plantations. It was thought for some time to be probably extinct, but was rediscovered a few years prior to 1967.
| Polyscias racemosa | |
|---|---|
| Polyscias racemosa growing in Maui Nui Botanical Gardens, Maui, Hawaii. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Apiales |
| Family: | Araliaceae |
| Genus: | Polyscias |
| Species: | P. racemosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Polyscias racemosa (C.N.Forbes) Lowry & G.M.Plunkett | |
| Synonyms | |
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Using cladistic methods, phylogenetic studies of DNA have shown that the closest relative of Munroidendron racemosum is Reynoldsia sandwicensis. These two species are now known as Polyscias racemosa and Polyscias sandwicensis, respectively. They are two of the 21 species now placed in Polyscias subgenus Tetraplasandra.
Polyscias racemosa is known in cultivation in Hawaii. Cultivation procedures for Polyscias racemosa have been studied.