Trochetiopsis ebenus

Trochetiopsis ebenus, the dwarf ebony or Saint Helena ebony, is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to the island of Saint Helena in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is not related to the ebony of commerce (Diospyros spp.), but is instead a member of the mallow family, Malvaceae. Saint Helena ebony is now critically endangered in the wild, being reduced to two wild individuals on a cliff, but old roots are sometimes found washed out of eroding slopes (relicts of its former abundance). These are collected on the island a used for inlay work, an important craft on Saint Helena. A related species, Trochetiopsis melanoxylon is now completely extinct.

Trochetiopsis ebenus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Trochetiopsis
Species:
T. ebenus
Binomial name
Trochetiopsis ebenus
Cronk
Trochetiopsis ebenus, St. Helena Ebony, in Cambridge University Botanical Gardens, 2009

It can be propagated from cuttings and many island gardens now boast a fine ebony bush. It is related to the Saint Helena redwood (Trochetiopsis erythroxylon) and a hybrid between them (Trochetiopsis × benjamini) is also now often planted. Trochetiopsis ebenus has staminodes that are dark maroon or "black".

See also

References
  1. Cairns-Wicks, R. (2003). "Trochetiopsis ebenus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2003. Retrieved 7 May 2014.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Cronk, Q.C.B. (1995) The endemic Flora of St Helena. Anthony Nelson Ltd., Oswestry.
  • Trochetiopsis ebenus - seed pod
  • Trochetiopsis ebenus - a flowering plant planted in a landscape


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