Trochetiopsis ebenus
Trochetiopsis ebenus, the dwarf ebony or Saint Helena ebony, is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to the island of Saint Helena in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is not related to the ebony of commerce, but is instead a member of the mallow family, Malvaceae. Saint Helena ebony is now critically endangered in the wild, being reduced to two wild individuals on a cliff, but old roots are sometimes found washed out of eroding slopes. These are collected on the island a used for inlay work, an important craft on Saint Helena. A related species, Trochetiopsis melanoxylon is now completely extinct.
It can be propagated from cuttings and many island gardens now boast a fine ebony bush. It is related to the Saint Helena redwood and a hybrid between them is also now often planted. Trochetiopsis ebenus has staminodes that are dark maroon or "black".
