Myoporum sandwicense

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Myoporum sandwicense
Starr 060305-6527 Myoporum sandwicense.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Genus: Myoporum
Species:
M. sandwicense
Binomial name
Myoporum sandwicense

Myoporum sandwicense, commonly known as naio, bastard sandalwood or false sandalwood is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. It is a tree or shrub highly variable in its form, the size and shape of its leaves, in the number of flowers in a group and in the shape of its fruit. It is endemic to Hawaiʻi. [2] [3]

Contents

Description

Myoporum sandwicense grows as either a small tree, large tree, or dwarf shrub, depending on the elevation and conditions. As a small tree, it reaches a height of 9 metres (30 ft) with a trunk diameter of 0.3 metres (0.98 ft). The largest naio have a height of 18 metres (59 ft) and a trunk diameter of 0.9 metres (3.0 ft). At the tree line, naio grows as a 0.6-metre (2.0 ft) shrub. The bark on older specimens is often dark, rough and furrowed. [4] The leaves are arranged alternately, often crowded near the ends of the stems, mostly 60–135 millimetres (2–5 in) long, 11–25 millimetres (0.4–1 in) wide, elliptic to lance-shaped and with a distinct mid-vein on the lower surface.

Flowers are present all year and are arranged in groups of 2 to 6 in leaf axils on stalks 4.5–18 millimetres (0.2–0.7 in) long. They are a tubular bell shape with a fragrant odor and there are 5 lance-shaped sepals and 5 petals forming the tube. The tube is generally white or pink with darker blotches at the base of the lobes and the tube is usually 1.5–3.5 millimetres (0.06–0.1 in) long with lobes about the same length. The fruit is a waxy white drupe that is 8 millimetres (0.31 in) in diameter, juicy, and bitter to taste. The fruit usually dry out and remain attached to the branch. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy

Myoporum sandwicense was first formally described in 1866 by Asa Gray and the description was published in Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . [1] [5] The specific epithet sandwicense refers to the Sandwich Islands, the name given by James Cook to the Hawaiian Islands, where the type specimen was collected. [2]

There are two subspecies: [2]

In 1951 Grady Webster included a form found in the Cook Islands as Myoporum sandwicense subsp. wilderi [6] but it is now known as Myoporum wilderi Skottsb. [7]

Some sources describe varieties including degeneriWebster, fauriei(Levl.) Kraenzlin, st.-johniiWebster, and stellatumWebster. [8] In addition, a prostrate, shrubby variety known as naio papa ("flat naio") grows only at South Point on the island of Hawaiʻi and is characterized by its similarities to creeping shrubs. [9]

Distribution and habitat

The distribution of M. sandwicense in the United States is limited to the state of Hawaiʻi. Within the state, it is found on all of the major islands [3] at elevations from sea level to 2,380 metres (7,810 ft). [10] Naio can be found in a variety of habitats, including low shrublands, dry forests, mesic forests, and wet forests, but is most common in subalpine shrublands. [3]

Uses

Indigenous uses

The finely-textured wood of M. sandwicense is hard and has a specific gravity of 0.55. [11] Native Hawaiians, who called the wood ʻaʻaka, used it to make manu (bow and stern ornamental end pieces) and pale (gunwales) for waʻa (outrigger canoes), pou (house posts), [12] haha ka ʻupena (fishing net spacers), [10] and lamalama (long-burning torches for night fishing). The oily wood was also used as a substitute for ʻiliahi ( Santalum spp.) due to the similarity in smell when burned. [13]

Horticulture

M. sandwicense can be cultivated using seeds separated from the fruit - the average germination time varies by reports but is most commonly noted as taking between six and eighteen months. Propagation by cuttings and air layering is also possible. [3]

Other uses

For a short time in the 19th century after most ʻIliahi(Santalum freycinetianum) had been harvested, naio was exported to China, where it was made into incense and burned in Joss houses. [14]

Related Research Articles

Hawaiian hibiscus are seven species of hibiscus native to Hawaii. The yellow hibiscus is Hawaii's state flower. Most commonly grown as ornamental plants in the Hawaiian Islands are the Chinese hibiscus and its numerous hybrids, though the native Hibiscus arnottianus is occasionally planted.

<i>Santalum</i> A genus of flowering plant in the mistletoe family Santalaceae

Santalum is a genus of woody flowering plants, the best known and commercially valuable of which is the Indian sandalwood tree, S. album. Members of the genus are trees or shrubs. Most are root parasites which photosynthesize their own food, but tap the roots of other species for water and inorganic nutrients. Several species, most notably S. album, produce highly aromatic wood, used for scents and perfumes and for herbal medicine. About 25 known species range across the Indomalayan, Australasian, and Oceanian realms, from India through Malesia to the Pacific Islands, as far as Hawaiʻi and the Juan Fernández Islands off the coast of South America.

<i>Myoporum laetum</i> Species of plant

Myoporum laetum, commonly known as ngaio or mousehole tree is a plant in the family Scrophulariaceae endemic to New Zealand, including the Chatham Islands. It is a fast growing shrub, readily distinguished from others in the genus by the transparent dots in the leaves which are visible when held to a light.

Hawaiian tropical rainforests

The Hawaiian jungles are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of 6,700 km2 (2,600 sq mi) in the windward lowlands and montane regions of the islands. Coastal mesic forests are found at elevations from sea level to 300 m (980 ft). Mixed mesic forests occur at elevations of 750 to 1,250 m, while wet forests are found from 1,250 to 1,700 m. Moist bogs and shrublands exist on montane plateaus and depressions. For the 28 million years of existence of the Hawaiian Islands, they have been isolated from the rest of the world by vast stretches of the Pacific Ocean, and this isolation has resulted in the evolution of an incredible diversity of endemic species, including fungi, mosses, snails, birds, and other wildlife. In the lush, moist forests high in the mountains, trees are draped with vines, orchids, ferns, and mosses. This ecoregion includes one of the world's wettest places, the slopes of Mount Waiʻaleʻale, which average 373 in (9,500 mm) of rainfall per year.

<i>Myoporum</i>

Myoporum is a genus of flowering plants in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. There are 30 species in the genus, eighteen of which are endemic to Australia although others are endemic to Pacific Islands, including New Zealand, and one is endemic to two Indian Ocean islands. They are shrubs or small trees with leaves that are arranged alternately and have white, occasionally pink flowers and a fruit that is a drupe.

<i>Sophora chrysophylla</i> Species of plant

Sophora chrysophylla, known as Māmane in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family, Fabaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is highly polymorphic, growing as a shrub or tree, and able to reach a height of 15 m (49 ft) in tree form. Yellow flowers are produced in winter and spring.

Kona grosbeak

The Kona grosbeak is an extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. The Kona grosbeak was endemic to naio forests on ʻaʻā lava flows at elevations of 1,400–1,500 metres (4,600–4,900 ft) near the Kona District on the island of Hawaii. The species was already very rare when it was first discovered, being found in only about 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi), and was last collected in 1894. Reasons for its extinction are not very well known. The genus is known from fossils from Kauai, Oahu and Maui. It was unknown to the Native Hawaiians, and thus a name for it does not exist in the Hawaiian language.

Myoporum rapense is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to French Polynesia and the Kermadec Islands. It is closely related to Myoporum laetum and there are two subspecies which are found on different island groups.

Myoporum rimatarense is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Rimatara Island in French Polynesia. It is only known from the type specimen collected in 1921 and 1934 and is presumed extinct.

Myoporum stokesii is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the island of Raivavae in French Polynesia. It is similar to the two other members of its genus on the island, Myoporum rapense and Myoporum rimatarense although the former has serrated leaves and the latter has wider leaves and differently shaped fruits.

Pleomele hawaiiensis, the Hawaiʻi hala pepe, is a rare species of flowering plant that is endemic to the island of Hawaiʻi in the state of Hawaii.

<i>Santalum haleakalae</i> Species of tree

Santalum haleakalae, known as Haleakala sandalwood or ʻIliahi in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering tree in the European mistletoe family, Santalaceae, that is endemic to the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands, part of the United States. It grows in subalpine shrublands at elevations of 1,900 to 2,700 m, especially on the slopes of Haleakalā.

Sandalwood is the common name of many species of plants and their wood and oils.

<i>Santalum freycinetianum</i> Species of tree

Santalum freycinetianum, the forest sandalwood, Freycinet sandalwood, or ʻIliahi, is a species of flowering tree in the European mistletoe family, Santalaceae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Its binomial name commemorates Henri Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet, a 19th-century French explorer. ʻIliahi inhabits dry, coastal mesic, mixed mesic, and wet forests on Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Molokaʻi at elevations of 250–950 m (820–3,120 ft). It grows in areas that receive 500–3,800 mm (20–150 in) of annual rainfall. Like other members of its genus, ʻiliahi is a root hemi-parasite, deriving some of its nutrients from the host plant; common hosts include koa, koaiʻa, and ʻaʻaliʻi.

<i>Santalum ellipticum</i> Species of tree

Santalum ellipticum, commonly known as ʻIliahialoʻe (Hawaiian) or coastal sandalwood, is a species of flowering plant in the mistletoe family, Santalaceae, that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is a sprawling shrub to small tree, typically reaching a height of 1–5 m (3.3–16.4 ft) and a canopy spread of 1–3 m (3.3–9.8 ft), but is extremely variable in size and shape. Like other members of the genus, S. ellipticum is a hemi-parasite, deriving some of its nutrients from the host plant by attaching to its roots.

<i>Kadua coriacea</i>

Kadua coriacea is a rare species of flowering plant in the coffee family known by the common name kioʻele. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Hawaiʻi and one individual remaining on Maui. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Myoporum montanum</i> Species of plant

Myoporum montanum, commonly known as waterbush or boobialla, is a shrub native to Australia, New Guinea and Timor. The species is extremely variable in size growth habit and leaf form, with three primary forms recognised. Its occurrence in many places is restricted to coastal regions, watercourses and other locales with more reliable water supplies. It was this association with water that gave rise to the name water bush.

<i>Myoporum boninense</i>

Myoporum boninense is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. It is a shrub with thick, fleshy, glossy leaves, white flowers in small groups and shiny lilac to pale purple fruits. It grows in coastal heath in New South Wales and Queensland in Australia and on islands in the north west Pacific Ocean.

<i>Myoporum obscurum</i>

Myoporum obscurum, commonly known as popwood, sandalwood or bastard ironwood is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. It is a very rare shrub, endemic to Norfolk Island where it occurs in a few scattered locations.

<i>Myoporum wilderi</i>

Myoporum wilderi, commonly known as Cook Islands myoporum or ngaio, is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to the islands of Mangaia and Mitiaro in the Cook Islands. It is similar to Myoporum stokesii and Myoporum rimatarense which grow on other Pacific Islands. On the island of Raratonga it is used to add a scent to coconut oil.

References

  1. 1 2 "Myoporum sandwicense". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Chinnock, R.J. (Bob) (2007). Eremophila and allied genera : a monograph of the plant family Myoporaceae (1st ed.). Dural, NSW: Rosenberg. pp. 142–145. ISBN   9781877058165.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Myoporum sandwicense". College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  4. 1 2 Little Jr., Elbert L.; Skolmen, Roger G. "Naio, false-sandalwood" (PDF). College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  5. Gray, Asa (1862). "Characters of some New or Obscure Species of Plants". Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 6: 52. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  6. Webster, Grady L. (1951). "The Polynesian Species of Myoporum" (PDF). Pacific Science. 5 (1): 52–77. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  7. "Myoporum sandwicense". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  8. "Myoporum sandwicense (Bastard Sandalwood, Naio, Sandal-wood)". Potomac, MD, USA: Bayscience Foundation Inc. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
  9. Barboza, Rick (24 January 2003). "In the Garden - Naio papa". Honolulu Star-Bulletin . Retrieved 2008-03-07.
  10. 1 2 "naio, naeo, naieo". Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database. Bernice P. Bishop Museum . Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  11. Little Jr., Elbert L.; Roger G. Skolmen (1989). "Naio, false-sandalwood" (PDF). United States Forest Service.Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. Medeiros, A. C.; C.F. Davenport; C.G. Chimera (1998). "Auwahi: Ethnobotany of a Hawaiian Dryland Forest" (PDF). Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. "Naio". Native Hawaiian Plants. Kapiʻolani Community College . Retrieved 2008-03-07.
  14. Thrum, Thomas George (1891). Hawaiian almanac and annual for 1892. Honolulu, Hawaiʻi: Press Publishing Co. Steam Print. p. 93. OCLC   746499177. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2009-08-24. Retrieved 2013-03-03.See also Thrum's Hawaiian Annual