Trochetiopsis ebenus

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Trochetiopsis ebenus
Trochetiopsis ebenus.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Trochetiopsis
Species:
T. ebenus
Binomial name
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.

Contents

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

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<i>Dicksonia arborescens</i> Species of fern

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<i>Trochetiopsis erythroxylon</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Trochetiopsis melanoxylon</i> Extinct species of flowering plant

Trochetiopsis melanoxylon, the dwarf ebony or St Helena ebony, of the island of Saint Helena is related to Trochetiopsis ebenus but is now extinct. It differed from T. ebenus by having much smaller flowers, sepals hairless on their interior surfaces and leaves densely hairy on both surfaces.

<i>Trochetiopsis</i> Genus of flowering plants

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St Helena ebony is a common name for two closely related plants endemic to St Helena. It is inconsistently applied, and either of the following species may be referred to as St Helena ebony, with dwarf ebony used to refer to the other:

Dwarf ebony is a common name for two closely related plants endemic to St Helena. It is inconsistently applied, and either of the following species may be referred to as dwarf ebony, with St Helena ebony used to refer to the other:

References

  1. Cairns-Wicks, R. (2003). "Trochetiopsis ebenus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2003. Retrieved 7 May 2014.