Ochna serrulata
Common names
Mickey Mouse plant
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Flower colours
Yellow
Detailed description
Hardy shrub to three metres. Green elliptic, sharply serrulate leaves to 65mm. Small yellow flowers. Round black fruit attractively displayed on red sepals. (T. McCluggage pers com.)
Habitat
Terrestrial. An urban weed of gardens and derelict building sites (Heenan et al 1999). Understorey and edge of forest. Also grown as an ornamental shrub. (T. McCluggage pers com.)
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Ochnaceae
Ecology
Flowering
September, October, November, December, January, February, March
Fruiting
autumn
Year naturalised
1997
Origin
South Africa
Reason for introduction
Ornamental
Tolerances
Prefers semi shade of the understorey of forests where it forms a dense monoculture that prevents regeneration of native species. It tolerates wet soil but also withstands droughts. (T. McCluggage pers com.)
Life cycle and dispersal
Perennial. Has a deep tap root which makes it almost impossible to remove manually. (T. McCluggage pers com.). Reproduces by seeds. Propagated by semi ripe cuttings. Probably bird-dispersed (Heenan et al 1999) Seeds spread by birds, water, gravity. (T. McCluggage pers com.)
Other information
Etymology
serrulata: Rough edged
National Pest Plant Accord species
This plant is listed in the 2020 National Pest Plant Accord. The National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) is an agreement to prevent the sale and/or distribution of specified pest plants where either formal or casual horticultural trade is the most significant way of spreading the plant in New Zealand. For up to date information and an electronic copy of the 2020 Pest Plant Accord manual (including plant information and images) visit the MPI website.
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
OCHSER