Myoporum laetus (Ngaio Tree) - Non-Native

This New Zealand native has been planted along the California coast and can become weedy.

8/7/17 Beach access trail from Oceano Campground, Pismo State Beach,

San Luis Obispo County, CA 

8/7/17 Beach access trail from Oceano Campground, Pismo State Beach,

San Luis Obispo County, CA 

LIFE LIST NOTES:

COMMON NAME: Ngaio Tree, Myoporum

SPECIES: Myoporum laetus

FAMILY: Scrophulariaceae (Figwort Family)

LIFE LIST DATE: 8/7/2017

LOCATION: Beach access trail from Oceano Campground, Pismo State Beach, San Luis County, CA

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Jepson eFlora:

NATURALIZED

Habit: Plant 3--10 m, much-branched, broadly spreading; twig tips, young leaves +- bronze-green, sticky. 

Leaf: < 10 cm, generally lanceolate, finely serrate distally, bright green, +- fleshy. 

Inflorescence: flowers 2--4 per axil. 

Flower: corolla +- 10 mm diam, +- bell-shaped, white, purple-spotted, tube 3.5--4.5 mm, lobes 4--5.5 mm, glabrous abaxially, long-hairy adaxially. Fruit: 5--10 mm, ovoid, fleshy, pale to dark red-purple. 

Seed: 1 per chamber, 3--3.5 mm, oblong. 

Ecology: Open areas in grassland, scrub, riparian habitats, generally coastal; 

Elevation: < 460 m. 

Bioregional Distribution: CCo, SCo, ChI, reported from NCo (Sonoma Co.); 

Distribution Outside California: native to New Zealand. 

Toxicity: TOXIC: leaves, fruits may be fatal to livestock. 

Flowering Time: Early spring 

Note: Commonly cultivated near coast. 

eFlora Treatment Author: Robert E. Preston & Elizabeth McClintock