Madagascar-Olive

Noronhia emarginata (Lam.) Poiret

no-ROHN-ee-ah ee-marge-ah-NAY-tah

Oleaceae

Explanation of name: Generic name for Fernando de Noronha, naturalist (d.1787) (DEH). Emarginate means notched at the leaf tip.

Natural range: Madagascar

Recognition: Coarse-textured tree or shrub with thick, leathery opposite leaves notched at the tips and curled at the edges. Flowers yellowish, small, the perianth thickened, with 2 stamens. Fruits resembling large, purplish olives.

Key to Thick-Leaved, Opposite-Leaved Trees and Large Shrubs of Similar Appearance in Clusiaceae and Oleaceae Cultivated in South Florida

1.  Plants with clear sap; flowers small and inconspicuous, having thick leathery yellowish petals and 2 stamens; leaves notched at the tip and curled downward at the margins, having conspicuous yellow-white veins uneven in spacing and not completely straight alternating with smaller less conspicuous veins…Madagascar-Olive (Noronhia emarginata, in Oleaceae)

1.  Plants with milky or viscous sap; flowers conspicuous, having usually white or reddish petals and numerous stamens; leaves rounded (or notched) at the tip, usually not curled downward (notching and downward curling not found together; there is downward curling in G. spicata), the veins uniform, straight, and sometimes not conspicuous…2

2. Petals 4; fruits with one seed per chamber; leaf margins curled downward…Garcinia (see Garcinia spicata below)

2. Petals more than 4; fruits with multiple seeds per chamber…3

3. Leaves tough but not semi-succulent, elliptic, with numerous, conspicuous, closely spaced, parallel secondary veins; flowers 1” in diameter; adventitious roots absent…4

3. Leaves partly succulent, often broadest above the middle, without secondary veins as described above, the veins not conspicuous; flowers 2” in diameter; trees or shrubs with adventitious roots…3

4. Leaves 6.5”-8” long, 4” wide, not perfectly flat…Calophyllum inophyllum (not common)

4. Leaves < 6” long and < 4” wide, flat in the blad and margin…Brazilian Beautyleaf (Calophyllum brasiliense, commonly used for seaside landscaping and in tough settings; young growth red)

5. Leaves to 8” long…Clusia rosea

5. Leaves shorter…Clusia “guttifera” (see C. rosea below)

Landscape uses: A rugged, small-statured specimen tree, withstands seashore conditions.