Myoporum tenuifolium
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 with flattened branches. Its leaves are arranged alternately, usually long and wide on a petiole long. They are unusually thin and membranous, elliptic in shape and have a distinct mid-vein on the lower surface. The  flowers are borne in leaf axils singly or in groups of up to four on a flattened pedicel 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 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 long. Taxonomy and naming. "Myoporum tenuifolium" was first formally described in 1786 by Georg Forster in "Florulae Insularum Australium  Prodromus" in 1810. The specific epithet ("tenuifolium") is derived from the Latin words "tenuis" meaning "slender" and "folium", "leaf". 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. Use in horticulture. "Myoporum tenuifolium" is a common garden plant in eastern Spain.