August

What is the dwarf ebony?

The dwarf ebony, also known as Trochetiopsis ebenus or the Saint Helena ebony, is a species of flowering plant that is critically endangered due to habitat loss and the introduction of invasive species. There are only two individual plants left in the wild. The dwarf ebony is endemic to, or only found on, Saint Helena Island, a small, remote tropical island in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Threats to the dwarf ebony

The dwarf ebony is critically endangered because of habitat loss and the introduction of invasive species.

According to Mongabay, St. Helena, where the dwarf ebony lives, used to be a thriving home to many unique species and habitats, but the arrival of humans in the 1500s devastated the island and killed off many of the endemic species found there. The human-led introduction of goats to the island was likely "a major factor" in the dwarf ebony's decline, the IUCN states. The goats are gone from the island now, but other invasive species still remain and pose a threat to the dwarf ebony and other endemic plants, including rabbits. The island's habitats were also eroded and/or cut down under human actions.

The Trochetiopsis melanoxylon, a related species that was also endemic to St. Helena, is now extinct, and the Trochetiopsis erythroxylon, another related species that was endemic to St. Helena, is now classified by the IUCN as extinct in the wild.

Conservation efforts

The dwarf ebony was thought to be extinct until two individuals were discovered on a cliff in 1980. According to a local site, Saint Helena Island Info, a man named Charlie Benjamin climbed down and gathered cuttings of the plants to propagate (breed) them. According to Mongabay, the dwarf ebony is now also grown in the Millennium Forest, which is a conservation effort by the people of St. Helena to restore native/endemic plants to the healing St. Helena landscape and to provide a space for people to enjoy nature.

What YOU can do to help

The dwarf ebony isn't the only species that is endangered because of human disregard for or ignorance of natural habitats. When walking in nature or traveling, its important to follow signs and rules in order to keep both yourself and native species safe. Stay on the trail when walking so that you don't accidentally hurt any native species, and keep pets on a leash. Make sure to also clean up after your pets, as their waste can be harmful to environments (dog poop, for example, can contain contaminants that can harm the environment you're walking in and the species that live there). When in the wilderness, it's a good rule to always leave a place cleaner than when you found it---pick up your or other people's trash, and don't take things such as rocks, shells, etc. from a place. Always maintain a respectful distance from any wildlife you may encounter. And if you're going hiking away from home, make sure to clean your hiking boots before going and before coming back so that you don't spread invasive seeds into places where they can do harm.

You can also donate to support conservation efforts for the dwarf ebony and for other species. To support the dwarf ebony and other endemic St. Helena species, you can support the Millennium Forest project and the Cloud Forest project, or other projects for the conservation of St. Helena. Visitors to St. Helena's Millennium Forest can also pay to plant an endemic tree of their own, according to Mongabay! St. Helena also isn't the only place with endemic species that need protecting. You can research to see if there are endemic species you can spread awareness about or help near you!

To learn more about the dwarf ebony, go to: https://www.museumofsainthelena.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Fact-sheet-St-Helena-Ebony.pdf