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''Labourdonnaisia calophylloides'' is a species of plant in the family
/ref>
It reaches heights of 20 meters in the wild, and it develops a very characteristic and ornamental shape, as its leaves bunch together at the very tips of each twig.
Sapotaceae
240px, '' Madhuca longifolia'' var. ''latifolia'' in Narsapur, Medak district, India
The Sapotaceae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants belonging to the order (biology), order Ericales. The family includes about 800 species of ev ...
native to the islands of Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
and Réunion
Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...
in the Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
.Kew World Checklist of Selected plant Families/ref>
Description
It reaches heights of 20 meters in the wild, and it develops a very characteristic and ornamental shape, as its leaves bunch together at the very tips of each twig.
Distribution
It was formerly widespread across the Mascarene islands. In the wild it still occurs inMauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
at Grand Bassin, Petrin, and is locally common in the recovering forests of Monvert.
Related and similar species
It is not to be confused with its relative, the similarly named ''Labourdonnaisia glauca
''Labourdonnaisia'' is a genus of plants in the family Sapotaceae found in tropical Asia, described as a genus in 1841.
''Labourdonnaisia'' is native to certain islands in the Indian Ocean (Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion).
The genus is named f ...
''. ''Labourdonnaisia'' tree species can also sometimes be confused with the endemic trees of the genus ''Sideroxylon
''Sideroxylon'' is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753. They are collectively known as bully trees. The generic name is derived from the Greek words σιδηρος (''sideros''), meaning "iron", and ...
'' ('' S.puberulum'' and '' S.cinereum''). However ''Labourdonnaisia'' species have parallel venation on their leaves, while the ''Sideroxylon'' species have densely netted leaf-venation and strong midribs under their leaves.
References
* Sapotoideae Flora of Mauritius Flora of Réunion Plants described in 1841 Taxa named by Wenceslas Bojer {{Sapotaceae-stub