Introduction to The British Gardener's website

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

wikipedia.org

tropical.theferns.info



Heliotropium foertherianum