Common Name: Firetree

General Information

Morella faya is an evergreen shrub or a small tree growing up to 12 metres tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental.
Morella faya is threatened in the Azores by deforestation and seed predation but there is no indication that the species as a whole is declining, with populations in Madeira increasing in size. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2017)[].
Morella faya has been introduced as an ornamental and useful plant in several countries including the USA, Australia and New Zealand. In most areas it is not recorded as causing problems but when used in land restoration projects in Hawaii it quickly become invasive and has been declared a noxious weed there. The plant spreads rapidly and forms a thick monotypic cover that can crowd out desirable vegetation and alter ecosystem dynamics. In addition, the leaf litter
is alleliopathic and is known to preventthe germination of nativetrees[, ].

Known Hazards

None known
, whereas it is . In open areas, M. faya is a pioneer species on old lava flows and spreads readily into pasture lands. It is also found on sea cliffs, rocky hillsides and along roadsides. Habitats invaded in Hawaii reflect those occupied by the species in its native range (Lutzow-Felling et al., 1995; Arévalo and Fernández-Palacios, 2000), however, it does not readily invade closed, late-successional native forests

Botanical References

Range

Macaronesia - Azores, Madeira and the Canaries to southern Portugal

Habitat

A frequent component of, and often co-dominant in, forest canopies, but generally absent from the shrub layer. It is also found on sea cliffs, rocky hillsides and along roadsides, readily invading pasture land; at elevations from 400 - 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Conservation Status	Least Concern
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	10.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Wind, Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Morella faya is a tree mainly of warm temperate and subtropical climates. It is adapted to xeric conditions and exhibits attributes such as a relatively low transpiration rate[]. The mean annual rainfall range is 1,270 - 2,540mm, though it can tolerate as little as 500mm in cloud forests. The mean annual temperature may be as high as 22°c, and plants are not very cpld-tolerant, being damaged by all but the lightest frosts[];
Requires a sunny position, especially when young[]. Plants are known to thrive on soils with a pH between 5 and 6[]. Plants have a good degree of wind tolerance[].

A dioecious species. Generally both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required; however, male plants often produce some fruits and female individuals may bear a few male inflorescences.[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil micro-organisms, these form nodules on the roots of the plants and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked. Not highly appreciated when raw, it is mainly used to make jam, wine etc[, ]. The dark red to blackish fruit is a slightly fleshy drupe around 6mm in diameter, containing 1 - 5 seeds[].

Seeds - ground into a powder and used as flour[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

A fast-growing plant that can spread rapidly into open areas. It fixes atmospheric oxygen through a symbiotic relationship with certain soil micro-organisms and can succeed on very poor soils (such as former lava flows). It has often been used in land reclamation schemes in its native range, especially Madeira. However, when used in the same way in Hawaii it escaped into the wild and became an invasive weed, thius it cannot be recommended for use as a pioneer outside of its native range[].

Other Uses

The wood is a valuable fuel and makes an excellent quality charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed -