Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Lophomyrtus
Scientific name: Lophomyrtus ×ralphii. It is a natural hybrid of L. bullata and L. obcordata.
Synonym: Myrtus ralphii
Common Name: Small-leaved ramarama
See the main page on Lophomyrtus x ralphii (Small-leaved ramarama).
Lophomyrtus ×ralphii is a natural Taranaki hybrid between Lophomyrtus bullata and Lophomyrtus obcordata. It has smaller leaves and with fewer-seeded berries than the parents. It is an erect branching shrub of about 2 metres or more, sometimes becoming a small tree. This feature of hybridization has been commercially exploited with a wide range of nursery-bred, selected and named cultivars that derive from the same parental stock. The former New Plymouth nursery Duncan Davies, for example, released cultivars with such names as ‘Indian Chief’, ‘Katherine’, ‘Purpurea’, ‘Technicolor’, ‘Sundae’ and the like, each with some distinct colour or character but all deriving one way or the other from Lophomyrtus hybrids.
The leaves of Lophomyrtus ralphiiare small >18mm long and have a width of >16mm. There is a small notch on the tip of the leaves.
At the Meeting of the Waters, you can still find both the Lophomyrtus parents and intermediate ‘polymorphic’ variations. They are easily located on both sides of the Waiwhakaiho River and in the adjacent remnant forest, and particularly at the eastern end of the reserve.
For more history of this shrub and other local plants, visit the website Taranaki Flora, with specifics on Lophomyrtus x ralphii.
Photographed at the 'Meeting of the Waters Reserve' in Taranaki.
Lophomyrtus x ralphii 'Little Star' a hardy, evergreen compact shrub with small, rounded green leaves that are pink-flushed and with cream margins. From late summer to early autumn, it produces fragrant, white, salver-shaped flowers.
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Lophomyrtus x ralphii 'Pink Diamond' is a cultivar of the hybrid Lophomyrtus × ralphii. It is a small NZ myrtle hedge which grows to a height of 0.75m and a spread of metres 75cm, Sold in nurseries.
Lophomyrtus x ralphii 'Pixie' is a cultivar of the hybrid Lophomyrtus × ralphii. It is a small NZ myrtle hedge which grows to a height: 0.3-1.2m and a spread of metres 75cm Sold in nurseries.
Lophomyrtus x ralphii 'Traversii' is a cultivar of the hybrid Lophomyrtus × ralphii. It is a small shrub which grows to a height of > 1.8m and can have a spread of 60 – 90 cm. Sold in nurseries.
Lophomyrtus x ralphii 'Red Queen'
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
