Metrosideros boninensis

Metrosideros boninensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to the Bonin Islands archipelago and is found exclusively on Chichijima Island, excepting for two remaining trees located on neighboring Anijima Island.^[1] M. boninensis is classified as 'endangered' in the Japanese Red Data Book and, although there were 326 plants recorded in 2004, genetic diversity of M. boninensis is extremely low. It is the northernmost species of the Metrosideros genus.^[2]

Metrosideros boninensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Metrosideros
Species:	M. boninensis
Binomial name
Metrosideros boninensis (Hayata ex Koidz.) Tuyama
Synonyms
Eugenia boninensis Hayata ex Koidz.

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by botanist Bunzō Hayata in 1918, as Eugenia boninensis. This was corrected to M. boninensis in 1938 by Takasi Tuyama.^[3]

Cultivars

There are no known cultivars of M. boninensis available, and the plant is not widely available in plant nurseries.