''Trochetiopsis ebenus'', the dwarf ebony or Saint Helena ebony, is a species of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
that is endemic to the island of
Saint Helena in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is not related to the ebony of commerce (''
Diospyros
''Diospyros'' is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark tim ...
'' spp.), but is instead a member of the mallow family,
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...
. 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.
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
''Trochetiopsis erythroxylon'', the Saint Helena redwood, is a species of plant, now extinct in the wild. It was formerly abundant enough in the upland parts of the island of Saint Helena for early settlers in the 17th century to use the timb ...
'') and a hybrid between them (''Trochetiopsis × benjamini'') is also now often planted. ''Trochetiopsis ebenus'' has
staminodes
In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co. ...
that are dark maroon or "black".
See also
*
Flora of Saint Helena The flora of Saint Helena, an isolated island in the South Atlantic Ocean, is exceptional in its high level of endemism and the severe threats facing the survival of the flora. In phytogeography, it is in the phytochorion St. Helena and Ascension R ...
References
* Cronk, Q.C.B. (1995) The endemic Flora of St Helena. Anthony Nelson Ltd., Oswestry.
External links
St Helena Ebony (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)
File:Trochetiopsis ebenus in Cambridge University Botanical Gardens, 2009.jpg, Cambridge University Botanic Garden
The Cambridge University Botanic Garden is a botanical garden located in Cambridge, England, associated with the university Department of Plant Sciences (formerly Botany School). It lies between Trumpington Road to the west, Bateman Street to ...
Image:Trochetiopsis ebenus 2.jpg, Seed pod
Image:Trochetiopsis ebenus 3.jpg
ebenus
''Ebenus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae
The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is ...
Flora of Saint Helena
Critically endangered flora of Africa
{{Malvaceae-stub