Myoporum insulare R.Br.

Common Name and Growth Form

Commonly called boobialla, Myoporum insulare R.Br. varies in growth form from a prostrate shrub to a small, erect tree reaching 6 metres (20 feet) in height.

Leaf Size

It produces thick, smooth green leaves that measure 30–90 mm (1.2–3.5 in) long and 7–22 mm (0.28–0.87 in) wide.

Leaf Margin

Leaf edges are either untoothed, or toothed toward the tip of the leaf.

Leaf Shape and Color

Leaves are egg-shaped, and both the upper and lower leaf surfaces are the same dull green colour.

Flower Arrangement and Size

White flowers with purple spots grow in clusters of three to eight in leaf axils, and are 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) in diameter.

Sepal Characteristics

This species has five glabrous, smooth sepals.

Petal Tube Structure

The tube formed by the petals is 2.3–3.6 mm (0.091–0.142 in) long, with the lobes of the tube about the same length as the tube.

Stamen Characteristics

The four stamens usually extend slightly beyond the petal tube.

Flowering Period

Peak flowering occurs from July to February in Western Australia, and from October to December in south-eastern Australia.

Fruit Characteristics

After flowering, the plant produces a smooth, rounded purple to black drupe that is 4.5–9 mm (0.18–0.35 in) in diameter.

Native Distribution Range

Myoporum insulare occurs naturally in coastal areas of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.

New South Wales Distribution

In New South Wales, it occurs from Eden southward, though an isolated occurrence was recorded much further north on Brush Island.

Lord Howe Island Distribution

It is also found on Lord Howe Island.

Victoria Distribution

In Victoria, it grows in coastal areas and also grows inland in the west of the state.

South Australia and Western Australia Distribution

Boobialla is common along the coast of South Australia, and in Western Australia it occurs south from Shark Bay to the South Australian border.

Habitat and Substrate

It grows in sandy soils, often between rocks or near sandstone.

Invasive Range

Myoporum insulare is invasive in several African countries and in the western coastal areas of the United States.

Invasive Population Taxonomy Note

Invasive populations recorded as this species may actually include some other species of the same genus.

South African Common Name

In South Africa this species is known by the common name manatoka.