English: Velvetleaf soldierbush; Tree heliotrope; Veloutier; Octopus bush.
Synonym: Heliotropium arboreum;
Tournefortia argentea; Tournefortia arborea; Messerschmidia argentea.
Region: tropical Asia, southern China,
Madagascar, northern Australia, Micronesia, Polynesia.
Habitat: littoral zones.
Content: rosmarinic acid.
Use: leaves as famine food; wood for handicrafts, tools, frames for swim goggles, firewood.
BotanyShrub or small tree; ± 3 m tall; about 5 m wide.