Scaevola taccada

MP-0021 / 0024 — Goodeniaceae

Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb.
Kusatobera (JP)

A salt-tolerant shore shrub with fleshy leaves and one-sided, fan-shaped white flowers.

Distribution

Coasts of the tropical Indo-Pacific, from the Indian Ocean to Pacific islands, including the southern Ryukyus.

Habitat

Sandy beaches, coral-rock shores and coastal scrub, close to the sea.

Morphology

A dense, evergreen shrub 1–3 m tall. Fleshy, obovate leaves are clustered at the branch tips. The white flowers are characteristically one-sided (fan-shaped) with the corolla split to the base on one side. The fruit is a white, globose drupe with a corky layer.

Botanical notes

The corky fruit floats and is dispersed by the sea, like the fruit of Heliotropium foertherianum. The fleshy leaves store water and tolerate salt spray and drought; the plant is important for stabilising sand.

References

Taxonomy and distribution follow Plants of the World Online (Kew), YList (Yonekura & Kajita) and regional floras; CITES Species+ for trade status. Descriptions are provisional and are revised as specimens are verified.