Stilbocarpa | |
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Stilbocarpa polaris on Campbell Island | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Asterids |
Order: | Apiales |
Family: | Araliaceae |
Subfamily: | Aralioideae |
Genus: | Stilbocarpa |
Species: | S. polaris |
Binomial name | |
Stilbocarpa polaris (Homb. et Jacq.) Gray |
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Synonyms | |
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Stilbocarpa polaris, commonly known as the Macquarie Island Cabbage, is a species of flowering plant usually placed in the family Araliaceae. It is a megaherb, growing up to about a metre in height, native to the subantarctic islands of New Zealand and to Australia’s Macquarie Island. It was used as a food source and a scurvy preventative by early explorers and sealers. On Macquarie Island it is threatened by introduced Black Rats and European Rabbits.[1]