Tournefortia argentea
| Heliotropium foertherianum | |
|---|---|
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| In the Hawaiian Islands | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Boraginales |
| Family: | Boraginaceae |
| Genus: | Heliotropium |
| Species: | H. foertherianum |
| Binomial name | |
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Heliotropium foertherianum Diane & Hilger |
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| Synonyms | |
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Tournefortia argentea L.f. |
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Tournefortia argentea L.f.
Argusia argentea (L.f.) Heine
Messerschmidia argentea (L.f.) I.M.Johnst.
Tournefortia arborea Blanco
Heliotropium foertherianum is a species of flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae. It is native to tropical Asia including southern China, Madagascar, northern Australia, and most of the atolls and high islands of Micronesia and Polynesia. Common names include velvetleaf soldierbush,tree heliotrope and octopus bush. It is a shrub or small tree typical of littoral zones reaching a height of 3.6 m (12 ft), with a spread of about 5 m (16 ft).
Originally published as Tournefortia argentea, it was transferred to Argusia argentea, and remained under that name until recently. It was subsequently restored to Tournefortia before being transferred into Heliotropium under a new name in 2003.
Historically in the Maldives the leaves were often used as famine food.
The wood of H. foertherianum is commonly used to make handicrafts, tools, and, in Polynesia, frames for swim goggles. Due to its availability, H. foertherianum is used as firewood, and has become rare in some areas as a result.
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