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Myoporum insulare

Common name:	Boobyalla	Family:	Myoporaceae
Author:	R.Br.	Botanical references:	154, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	Although no records of toxicity have been found for this species, the fruits of at least some members of this genus are known to contain liver toxins and can be harmful in large quantities[173].
Range:	Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia.
Habitat:	Seashores and inland areas[154]. Found on dunes, headlands, estuaries and mangrove fringes[193].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Scrophulariales. Myoporum family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 3m. It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedge, Woodland, Sunny Edge, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked[144]. Juicy and sweet but with an aroma that is not entirely pleasant[144, 193]. Some people find the fruit rather salty and bitter[154, 193]. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter[200]. Some caution is advised, see notes above on possible toxicity.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Fire retardant Hedge Wood.

Plants can be grown as a hedge or screen, tolerating maritime exposure[157, 167].
The plant is fire resistant[167].
Wood - hard. Used in turnery and cabinet making[154].

Cultivation details

Easily grown in most soils[167]. Succeeds in dry soils[200]. Tolerates maritime exposure and salt spray[154, 157, 167].
This species is not very hardy in mainland Britain, it succeeds outdoors on the Scilly Isles[1] but usually requires greenhouse protection elsewhere[1]. Plants are hardy to at least -7° c in Australian gardens[157] but this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer colder and wetter winters.
There is some confusion over this name. [154] gives M. serrata as a synonym of this species whilst [200] says that M. serrata is a synonym of M. tetrandrum. We have followed this last treatment.
Closely related to M. ellipticum and M. montanum (Syn M. acuminatum)[193].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Consider giving the plants some protection from the cold for their first few winters outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Pot up in the autumn. Good percentage[78].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Myoporaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[144] Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976 ISBN 0-00-634436-4
A very good pocket guide.

[154] Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria.
A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.

[157] Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) 1988 ISBN 0-7322-0021-0
A lovely book, written in order to encourage Australian gardeners to grow their native plants. A little bit of information for the plant project.

[167] Holliday. I. and Hill. R. A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Frederick Muller Ltd. 1974 ISBN 0-85179-627-3
A well illustrated and very readable book, but it does not contain much information for the plant project.

[173] Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton 1990 ISBN 0-340-508302
A very well written and illustrated book based on the authors own experiments with living on a native diet.

[193] Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. 1989 ISBN 0-207-14383-8
Well presented, clear information and good photographs. An interesting read for the casual reader as well as the enthusiast

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
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