Myoporum tenuifolium
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Speciesbox
|image =
|image_caption =
|genus = Myoporum
|species = tenuifolium
|authority = G.Forst{{cite web|title = Myoporum tenuifolium G.Forst.|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2501806|publisher=The Plant List|accessdate=29 November 2015}}
|synonyms = *Citharexylum perforatum G.Forst.
- Citharexylum tenuifolium G.Forst.
- Myoporum acuminatum R.Br.
}}
Myoporum tenuifolium is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and it is endemic to New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands. It can be distinguished from Myoporum crassifolium, (the only other member of the genus to occur in New Caledonia) by its very thin leaves and its glabrous flowers.
Description
Myoporum tenuifolium is an erect shrub usually growing to a height of {{cvt|1–2|m}} with flattened branches. Its leaves are arranged alternately, usually {{cvt|50–70|mm}} long and {{cvt|9–16|mm}} wide on a petiole {{cvt|3–10|mm}} long. They are unusually thin and membranous, elliptic in shape and have a distinct mid-vein on the lower surface.{{cite book|last1=Chinnock|first1=R.J. (Bob)|title=Eremophila and allied genera : a monograph of the plant family Myoporaceae|date=2007|publisher=Rosenberg|location=Dural, NSW|isbn=9781877058165|pages=103–105|edition=1st}}
The flowers are borne in leaf axils singly or in groups of up to four on a flattened pedicel {{cvt|6–12.5|mm}} long. The flowers have five triangular sepals and five petals joined at their bases to form a bell-shaped tube. The petals are white and the tube is {{cvt|2–4.5|mm}} long with the lobes slightly shorter than the tube. The tube and its lobes are glabrous and there are four stamens that extend slightly beyond it. The fruit is a reddish to brown, oval drupe {{cvt|3.5–7|mm}} long.
Taxonomy and naming
Myoporum tenuifolium was first formally described in 1786 by Georg Forster in Florulae Insularum Australium Prodromus in 1810.{{cite web|title=Myoporum tenuifolium|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/536850|publisher=APNI|accessdate=21 December 2020}}{{cite book|last1=Forster|first1=Georg|title=Florulae Insularum Australium Prodromus|date=1786|location=Göttingen|page=44|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/41812#page/52/mode/1up|accessdate=29 November 2015}} The specific epithet (tenuifolium) is derived from the Latin words tenuis meaning "slender" and folium, "leaf".Backer, C.A. (1936). Verklarend woordenboek der wetenschappelijke namen van de in Nederland en Nederlandsch-Indië in het wild groeiende en in tuinen en parken gekweekte varens en hoogere planten (Edition Nicoline van der Sijs).
Distribution and habitat
Myoporum tenuifolium is found on Grande Terre, the main island of New Caledonia and on Maré Island and Ouvéa in the Loyalty Island group. It grows in scrub and forest, often on steep hillsides.
Ecology
This species has become naturalised on the southern coast of South Africa.{{cite web|title = Myoporum tenuifolium|url=http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/plants/scrophulariaceae/myoporum.htm|publisher=Biodiversity Explorer - The Web of Life in Southern Africa|accessdate=29 November 2015}}
Use in horticulture
Myoporum tenuifolium is a common garden plant in eastern Spain.{{cite journal|last1=Tomas|first1=F.|last2=Ferreres|first2=F.|last3=Barberan|first3=F. A. T.|last4=Nieto|first4=J. L.|title=Flavonoid Diglycosides from Myoporum tenuifolium|journal=Journal of Natural Products|date=May 1985|volume=48|issue=3|pages=506–507|doi=10.1021/np50039a038}}
References
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Category:Endemic flora of New Caledonia