Trochetiopsis melanoxylon
| Dwarf Ebony | |
|---|---|
_p323_-_PLATE_29_-_Melhania_Melanoxylon.jpg) |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Trochetiopsis |
| Species: | T. melanoxylon |
| Binomial name | |
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Trochetiopsis melanoxylon (Sol. ex Sims) Marais |
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The Dwarf Ebony (Trochetiopsis melanoxylon) of the island of Saint Helena is related to Trochetiopsis ebenus (the Saint Helena ebony) but is now extinct in the wild. It differed from Saint Helena ebony by having much smaller flowers, sepals hairless on their interior surfaces and leaves densely hairy on both surfaces (St Helena ebony is densely hairy only on the lower surfaces of the leaves).
It was last seen when it was collected by Banks and Solander in 1771 on Cook's first voyage. It may once have covered many of the driest slopes of Saint Helena, but appears to have been one of the first casualties of the introduction of the goat by the Portuguese sailors soon after the discovery of Saint Helena in 1502.
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Wikipedia