''Myoporum laetum'', commonly known as ngaio ( , ) or mousehole tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Scrophulariaceae The Scrophulariaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the figwort family. The plants are annual and perennial herbs, as well as shrubs. Flowers have bilateral (zygomorphic) or rarely radial (actinomorphic) symmetry. The Scr ...

and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to New Zealand. It is a fast growing shrub or small tree with lance-shaped leaves, the edges with small serrations, and white flowers with small purple spots and 4

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

Description

Ngaio is a fast-growing evergreen shrub or small tree that sometimes grows to a height of with a trunk up to in diameter, or spreads to as much as . It often appears dome-shaped at first but as it gets older, distorts as branches break off. The bark on older specimens is thick, corky and furrowed. The leaves are lance-shaped, usually long, wide, have many translucent dots in the leaves and edges that have small serrations in approximately the outer half. The flowers are white with purple spots and are borne in groups of 2 to 6 on stalks long. There are 5 egg-shaped, pointed

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s and 5

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s joined at their bases to form a bell-shaped tube long. The petal lobes are long making the flower diameter . There are four stamens that extend slightly beyond the petal tube and the

ovary The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/ oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are end ...

is superior with 2

locule A locule (: locules) or loculus (; : loculi) is a small cavity or compartment within an organ or part of an organism (animal, plant, or fungus). In angiosperms (flowering plants), the term ''locule'' usually refers to a chamber within an ovary ...

s. Flowering occurs from mid-spring to mid-summer and is followed by the fruit which is a bright red drupe long. Ngaio flower

Taxonomy and naming

''Myoporum laetum'' was first formally described in 1786 by

Georg Forster Johann George Adam Forster, also known as Georg Forster (; 27 November 1754 – 10 January 1794), was a German geography, geographer, natural history, naturalist, ethnology, ethnologist, travel literature, travel writer, journalist and revol ...

in '' Florulae Insularum Australium Prodromus''. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

(''laetum'') means "cheerful, pleasant or bright".

Distribution and habitat

Ngaio grows very well in coastal areas of New Zealand including the on the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ; Moriori language, Moriori: , 'Misty Sun'; ) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island, administered as part of New Zealand, and consisting of about 10 islands within an approxima ...

. It grows in lowland forest, sometimes in pure stands, others in association with other species such as nīkau (''

Rhopalostylis sapida ''Rhopalostylis sapida'', commonly known as nīkau, is a palm tree endemic to New Zealand, and the only palm native to mainland New Zealand. Etymology is a word borrowed from the Māori language; cognates of this word in the closely related E ...

'').

Ecology

''Myoporum laetum'' has been introduced to several other countries including

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

and

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

. It is considered an invasive exotic species by the California Exotic Pest Plant Council.

Uses

Indigenous use

The

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

would rub the leaves over their skin to repel mosquitoes and sandflies.

Horticulture

Ngaio is a hardy plant that will grow in most soils but needs full sun. It can also tolerate exposure to salt spray. It can be grown from seed or from semi-hard cuttings.

Toxicity

The leaves of this tree contain the liver toxin ngaione, which can cause sickness and or death in stock such as horses, cattle, sheep and pigs.Encyclopaedia of Clinical Toxicology: A Comprehensive Guide and Reference, by Irving S. Rossoff

Māori legend

According to Māori legend, a Ngaio tree can be seen on the Moon. Here is the story, as recounted by politician, historian, poet William Pember Reeves (1857–1932):

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q153042 laetum Trees of New Zealand Plants described in 1786 Moon myths Flora of New Zealand