Pinitol is a major carbohydrate in leaves of some coastal plants indigenous to New Zealand

D-pinitol (an O-methyl inositol) is identified as a major soluble carbohydrate in the leaves and other parts of the parapara, Heimerliodendron brunonianum. Leaves of two other members of the Nyctaginaceae, Mirabilis jalapa and Bougainvillea glabra, show the same feature; a high pinitol content may be a family characteristic. Four other native coastal species from three other plant families, Tetragonia trigyna, Disphyma australe, Carmichaelia aligera, and Spergularia marginata, also show pinitol as their major soluble carbohydrate in the leaves, but Euphorbia glauca does not. The possibility that presence of pinitol contributes to the ecological behaviour of these native species, in conferring resistance to salinity stress, is discussed.