Lophomyrtus bullata

Lophomyrtus bullata
	1854 illustration by Walter Hood Fitch
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Lophomyrtus
Species:	L. bullata
Binomial name
	Lophomyrtus bullata; Burret

Lophomyrtus bullata, also known by its Māori name of ramarama, is a species of evergreen myrtle shrub in the genus Lophomyrtus, family Myrtaceae. It is found in New Zealand.

Ramarama growing in Auckland Botanic Gardens

Lophomyrtus bullata grows to a height of 8 metres, producing many branches closely packed together. The leaves are oval shaped, thick, shiny and bubbled, varying in colour from dark green to yellow green. They can also appear spotted with red, maroon, or blackish marks.

Ramarama flowers between November and March, and subsequently fruits from January through to June.[1]

As of 2020, ramarama has become severely threatened by myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii), a pathogenic fungus that arrived in New Zealand in 2017.[2]

References

"Ramarama (Lophomyrtus bullata)". Taranaki Educational Resource: Research, Analysis and Information Network. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
Neilson, Michael (3 December 2020). "Myrtle rust ravaging East Cape, with ramarama dying and pōhutukawa infected for the first time". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2020.

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[1] "Ramarama (Lophomyrtus bullata)". Taranaki Educational Resource: Research, Analysis and Information Network. Retrieved 3 April 2012.

[2] Neilson, Michael (3 December 2020). "Myrtle rust ravaging East Cape, with ramarama dying and pōhutukawa infected for the first time". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 4 December 2020.