About Lophomyrtus bullata (Sol. ex A.Cunn.) Burret
Lophomyrtus bullata, which also goes by its Māori name ramarama, is an evergreen myrtle shrub species belonging to the genus Lophomyrtus and the family Myrtaceae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. It can grow up to 8 metres tall, and produces many densely packed branches. Its leaves are oval-shaped, thick, shiny, and have a bubbled texture, and range in colour from dark green to yellow green. The leaves may also have visible red, maroon, or blackish spots. Ramarama flowers between November and March, and then produces fruits from January to June. As of 2020, ramarama is severely threatened by myrtle rust, caused by the pathogenic fungus Austropuccinia psidii that first arrived in New Zealand in 2017.
