| Ramosmania rodriguesii | |
|---|---|
| 'Ramosmania rodriguesii in cultivation at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Genus: | Ramosmania Tirveng. & Verdc. |
| Species | |
|
Ramosmania heterophylla |
|
Café marron or Ramosmania rodriguesii is native to the island of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean.
It was thought Ramosmania rodriguesii was extinct until a single surviving tree was spotted by a schoolboy in 1980, who was shown a drawing of the plant by his teacher. The only image of the plant was made in 1877, by a European visitor, passing through Rodrigues. By the 1950s, it was presumed to be extinct. Cuttings were taken to Kew Gardens, and although the plant regularly flowers, it never produced seed until horticulturists discovered how to pollinate the flowers.
In 2003 the café marron bore its first fruit with viable seeds. Slow but steady efforts have been made to grow more café marron trees and speed up the pollination process.[1] Ramosmania rodriguesii is a Critically endangered plant species.