Other Names:  syn. Euodia quercifolia, Euodia ridleyi

Description:

This large shrub or small tree is slow growing, hardy, and drought tolerant once established; provide good air circulation; attractive, deeply divided foliage emerges yellow-green and matures to glossy deep green; an outstanding fine textured accent plant

Ornamental Features

Denham's Melicope has attractive dark green evergreen foliage which emerges chartreuse in spring on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth. The crinkled narrow compound leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. It features subtle clusters of buttery yellow flowers along the branches from late spring to early summer.

Landscape Attributes

Denham's Melicope is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen tropical plant with an upright spreading habit of growth. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This is a relatively low maintenance tropical plant, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Denham's Melicope is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

This plant is native to the tropics and prefers growing in moist environments with evenly warm conditions all year round. In our climate, it is usually grown as an outdoor annual in the garden or in a container. If you want it to survive the winter, it can be brought in to the house and provided with special care, and then returned to the garden the following season. In its preferred tropical habitat, as a shrub it can grow to be around 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. However, when grown as an annual or when overwintered indoors, it can be expected to perform quite differently, and its exact height and spread will depend on many factors; you may wish to consult with our experts as to how it might perform in your specific application and growing conditions.

This tropical plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by cuttings.

Denham's Melicope makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

-- THIS IS A TROPICAL PLANT AND SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO SURVIVE THE WINTER OUTDOORS IN OUR CLIMATE --