Myoporum viscosum, commonly known as sticky boobialla, is a shrub which is endemic to South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

. It grows to 2 metres in height and has thick leaves that are about 20 to 50 mm long and 7 to 20 mm in width. The flowers are white with a slight purplish flush and purple spots. These appear in the leaf axils in clusters of 5 to 8. The succulent, rounded purplish fruits are around 3-5 mm in diameter.

The species was first formally described by botanist Robert Brown

Robert Brown (botanist)

Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...

 in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae in 1810. For may years this species has been confused with the much more common species Myoporum petiolatum

Myoporum petiolatum

Myoporum petiolatum, commonly known as sticky boobialla, is a shrub which is endemic to Australia. It usually grows to between 0.5 and 2 metres in height with leaves that are 3 to 6 cm long and 10 to 30 mm in width....

which has thinner, noticeably petiolate

Petiole (botany)

In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...

 and non-odorous leaves. Myoporum viscosum has a restricted distribution encompassing Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...

 and the Eyre

Eyre Peninsula

Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded on the east by Spencer Gulf, the west by the Great Australian Bight, and the north by the Gawler Ranges. It is named after explorer Edward John Eyre who explored some of it in 1839-1841. The coastline was first explored by...

 and Yorke

Yorke Peninsula

The Yorke Peninsula is a peninsula located north-west and west of Adelaide in South Australia, Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. It has geographic coordinates of...

peninsulas.