Solanum miyakojimense (イラブナスビ, Irabu-nasubi) is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae that is native to the Miyako Islands of Japan and found also on Taiwan.[1][2]

Solanum miyakojimense
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Solanum
Species:
S. miyakojimense
Binomial name
Solanum miyakojimense

Taxonomy edit

Upon its discovery in 1972, it was identified as Solanum indicum.[3] It was subsequently identified as Solanum trilobatum.[2] As an independent species, Solanum miyakojimense was first described by Japanese botanists Yamazaki Takashi and Takushi Anki in 1991.[1] The specific epithet relates to the type locality on the island of Miyako-jima.[1]

Description edit

Solanum miyakojimense is a small evergreen shrub that grows to a height of some 30 centimetres (12 in).[4][2] It has wide ovate leaves, 1–4 centimetres (0.39–1.57 in) in length, and purplish-white flowers.[4][2] Its round berries, 8–10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in) in diameter, turn an orangey red as they ripen.[2][4]

Distribution edit

Solanum miyakojimense grows amongst the rocks along the coast amidst vegetation dominated by Heliotropium arboreum and Scaevola taccada.[2] At one time found around Cape Higashi-hennazaki on Miyako-jima, on Irabu Island, and on Kurima-jima, recent surveys have failed to confirm its presence in the Miyako Islands other than in two small areas in one part of Irabu, although it has also been reported from Taiwan.[2][3]

Conservation status edit

Solanum miyakojimense is classed as Critically Endangered on the Ministry of the Environment Red List and has been designated a National Endangered Species under the 1992 Act on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.[5][6] The species has been designated a Municipal Natural Monument by Miyako City.[3][7]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Yamazaki, Takasi; Takushi, Anki (1991). "A New Species of Solanum from Ryukyu" (PDF). Journal of Japanese Botany. 66 (1): 46–48. ISSN 0022-2062.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Okinawa Prefecture, ed. (5 December 2018). レッドデータおきなわ 維管束植物 [Red Data Okinawa: Vascular Plants] (PDF) (3 ed.). Okinawa Prefecture. pp. 272–273. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b c 【市指定:天然記念物・植物】イラブナスビ [Municipal Natural Monuments (Flora): Solanum miyakojimense] (in Japanese). Miyako City Board of Education. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Ministry of the Environment, ed. (2015). レッドデータブック2014 —日本の絶滅のおそれのある野生生物— 8 植物I(維管束植物) [Red Data Book 2014 — Threatened Wildlife of Japan — Volume 8, Vascular Plants] (in Japanese). Gyōsei Corporation. p. 117. ISBN 978-4-324-09902-5.
  5. ^ 維管束植物 [Vascular Plants] (in Japanese). Ministry of the Environment. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  6. ^ 国内希少野生動植物種一覧 [List of National Endangered Species] (in Japanese). Ministry of the Environment. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  7. ^ 市町村指定文化財一覧 [List of Municipal Cultural Properties] (PDF) (in Japanese). Okinawa Prefecture. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2022.