Heliotropium foertherianum
COMMON NAME | Tree heliotrope or
octopus bush. |
TYPE | Tree |
FAMILY | Boraginaceae |
NOTES | Evergreen shrub or
tree with a spreading canopy that can grow 36ft in height. Eaves are silvery green and velvet like to
the touch. It is used in many Pacific islands as a traditional medicine to
treat ciguatera fish poisoning. |
GEOGRAPHIC REGION | Coastal areas of E. Africa across the
Indian Ocean, through Asia to New Guinea, northern Australia and Polynesia. |
NATIVE HABITAT | Sandy beaches and rocky,
coral limestone slopes where the soil is thin and poor; often forming the
fringe of vegetation closest to the sea |
WEB SOURCES |
