Trochetiopsis melanoxylon
Encyclopedia
The Dwarf Ebony of the island of Saint Helena
is related to Trochetiopsis ebenus
(the Saint Helena ebony) but is now extinct. 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.
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
is related to Trochetiopsis ebenus
Trochetiopsis ebenus
Saint Helena ebony is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to the island of Saint Helena in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is not related to the ebony of commerce , but is instead a member of the mallow family, Malvaceae...
(the Saint Helena ebony) but is now extinct. 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.