Myrsine kermadecensis

Myrsine kermadecensis, commonly known as the Kermadec matipo, Kermadec myrsine, or the Kermadec mapou, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, endemic to the Kermadec Islands of New Zealand. It was named by Thomas Cheeseman in 1888, and first described in 1892.

Taxonomy

Cheeseman named the species in his 1888 article On the flora of the Kermadec Islands; with Notes on the Fauna, noting that the plant was common on Raoul Island, but refused to describe it as a novel species until he was able to compare with specimens of Myrsine crassifolia from Norfolk Island. Cheeseman described the plant four years later, in his article On some Recent Additions to the New Zealand Flora.

Description

Myrsine kermadecensis on average reaches tall, rounded crown, with rough, firm bark. Leaves are long, and wide. Flowers are green-yellow with purple spotting, or a darker red with purple spotting. Fruit are wide. Cheeseman described the species as follows:
Cheeseman noted that the plant was phenotypically similar to both Myrsine crassifolia and Myrsine variabilis of Australia; with Myrsine kermadecensis having smaller leaves and longer petioles than Myrsine crassifolia.
When the genus Myrsine was formerly separated into Rapanea and Suttonia, Cheeseman published this further description posthumously in 1925:

Distribution and habitat

Myrsine kermadecensis is endemic to Raoul Island, Kermadec Islands, where it grows in the subtropical biome, primarily in drier-climate forests, but also is occasionally seen growing within wetter forests.

Conservation

No official conservation status has been assigned to the species by the IUCN Red List yet, for it is generally out of reach within its smaller-sized range.

Uses

Myrsine kermadecensis has no currently listed uses, although its berries are edible and may have been eaten by the Polynesians who arrived on the island in the 14th century.