Otto Warburg and his contributions to the screw pine family (Pandanaceae)

Otto Warburg (1859–1938) had a great interest in tropical botany. He travelled in South-East Asia and the South Pacific between 1885 and 1889 and brought back a considerable collection of plant specimens from this expedition later donated to the Royal Botanical Museum in Berlin. Warburg published the first comprehensive monograph on the family Pandanaceae in 1900 in the third issue of Das Pflanzenreich established and edited by Adolf Engler (1844–1930). The aim of this article is to clarify the taxonomy, nomenclature and typification of Warburg's contributions to the Pandanaceae. Considerable parts of Warburg's original material was destroyed in Berlin during World War II but duplicates survived, shared by Engler and Warburg with Ugolino Martelli (1860–1934). Martelli was an expert on the family and he assembled a precious herbarium of Pandanaceae that was later donated to the Museo di Storia Naturale dell'Università degli Studi di Firenze. Warburg published 86 new names in Pandanaceae between 1898 and 1909 (five new sections, 69 new species, five new varieties, two new combinations and five replacement names). A complete review of the material extant in B and FI led to the conclusion that 38 names needed a nomenclatural act: 34 lectotypes, three neotypes and one epitype are designated here. Twenty new synonyms are also proposed. One Freycinetia name and six Pandanus names are considered as incertae sedis. A total of 21 names published by Warburg are accepted: 11 in Freycinetia and ten in Pandanus. In addition, four names published in Pandanus by Warburg serve as the basionyms of accepted names in the genus Benstonea

\u3cem\u3eAlectryon vitiensis\u3c/em\u3e: A New Species of Sapindaceae Endemic to Fiji

A new species of Alectryon Gaertn. (Sapindaceae) endemic to the Fijian archipelago is described as A. vitiensis Buerki, Lowry, Munzinger & Callm. based on morphological and molecular evidence. It can easily be distinguished from the two congeners currently known from Fiji by its smaller leaves, subsessile leaflets, apetalous flowers, and crested fruits. A phylogenetic analysis using ITS sequence data shows that the new species is closely related to two Australian endemics, A. diversifolius (F. Muell.) S. T. Reynolds and A. oleifolius (Desf.) S. T. Reynolds, but differs in having compound leaves covered with a golden indument. Moreover, the Australian taxa are associated with dry habitats, whereas the new species from Fiji is confined to evergreen humid forests. Among apetalous species (all of which belong to a well-supported clade), A. vitiensis morphologically most closely resembles the generic type, A. excelsus Gaertn., endemic to New Zealand, but they differ from one another in the type of indument covering their branches and leaves and the arrangement, shape, and nature of the indument on their leaflets; and they belong to different clades. The new species is provisionally assigned a conservation status of “Endangered” according to the IUCN Red List criteria

Identification of priority areas for plant conservation in Madagascar using Red List criteria: rare and threatened Pandanaceae indicate sites in need of protection

A major problem in establishing effective protocols for conserving Madagascar's biodiversity is the lack of reliable information for the identification of priority sites in need of protection. Analyses of field data and information from herbarium collections for members of the plant family Pandanaceae (85 spp. of Pandanus; 6 spp. of Martellidendron) showed how risk of extinction assessments can inform conservation planning. Application of IUCN Red List categories and criteria showed that 91% of the species are threatened. Mapping occurrence revealed centres of richness and rarity as well as gaps in Madagascar's existing protected area network. Protection of 10 additional sites would be required to encompass the 19 species currently lacking representation in the reserve network, within which east coast littoral forests are particularly under represented and important. The effect of scale on assessments of risk of extinction was explored by applying different grid cell sizes to estimate area of occupancy. Using a grid cell size within the range suggested by IUCN overestimates threatened status if based solely upon specimen data. For poorly inventoried countries such as Madagascar measures of range size based on such data should be complemented with field observations to determine population size, sensitivity to disturbance, and specific threats to habitat and therefore potential population decline. The analysis of such data can make an important contribution to the conservation planning process by identifying threatened species and revealing the highest priority sites for their conservatio

Malagasy Dracaena Vand. ex L. (Ruscaceae): an investigation of discrepancies between morphological features and spatial genetic structure at a small evolutionary scale

Abstract Malagasy Dracaena (Ruscaceae) are divided into four species and 14 varieties, all of them showing a high level of morphological diversity and a putatively artefactual circumscription. In order to reveal relationships between those entangled entities, a span of Malagasy Dracaena were sampled and analyzed using cpDNA sequences and AFLP. The cpDNA analyses resolved three biogeographic clades that are mostly inconsistent with morphology, since similar phenotypes are found across the three clades. Bayesian inference clustering analyses based on the AFLP were not in accordance with the cpDNA analysis. This result might be explained by (1) a recent origin of the Malagasy species of Dracaena with an incomplete sorting of chloroplast lineages; (2) a high amount of hybridizations; (3) a complex migration pattern. Interestingly, when the AFLP are analyzed using the parsimony criterion, a trend towards a directional evolution of inflorescence types and ecological features was observed. This might be considered either as phenotypic plasticity and/or as the result of fast evolution in flower characters according to habitat preferences. Overall, our results point to the difficulty of defining evolutionarily significant units in Malagasy Dracaena, emphasizing the complex speciation processes taking place in tropical regions

Renaud Paulian et le programme du CNRS sur les hautes montagnes à Madagascar : étage <i>vs</i> domaine

Le programme intitulé « Étude des écosystèmes montagnards dans la région malgache » (RCP 225/CNRS ; responsable : Recteur Renaud Paulian) avait pour ambition de dégager leurs caractères généraux, l’origine des éléments constitutifs et de tester la validité d’un Domaine malgache des Hautes Montagnes proposé par Humbert dès 1951. De 1970 à 1973, trois campagnes (Andringitra ; Chaînes anosyennes et Ankaratra ; Itremo, Ibity et Marojejy) ont permis une caractérisation écologique des milieux particuliers ainsi que des analyses de systématique sur certains taxa connus pour leur intérêt biogéographique. La succession altitudinale des formations végétales, définies par des critères physionomiques et structuraux, est précisée par massif. Le dernier étage caractérisé par le fourré éricoïde et ses groupements associés ne correspond pas à l’Étage des Hautes Montagnes de l’Est africain. Des groupes de la faune (invertébrés hexapodes : Collemboles et Dermaptères) indiquent une disjonction entre les massifs du Nord (Tsaratanana, Marojejy), ceux du Centre et du Sud ; des éléments de la flore (Pandanaceae, Araliaceae, Asteraceae) sont en cours d’analyse dans le même sens. Le Domaine des Hautes montagnes à Madagascar est une réalité écologique mais ne peut être défini floristiquement ; chaque massif montagneux est une entité phytogéographique d’étages de végétation interdépendants inclus dans les différents Sous-Domaines du Centre. Les groupes peu mobiles de la faune indiquent globalement une dépendance trophique et bioclimatique (effet tampon du climat intraforestier) vis-à-vis des étages de végétation, mais peuvent réagir à des microclimats locaux par des décalages à leurs limites.The project entitled “Study of montane ecosystems in the Malagasy region” (RCP 225/CNRS, directed by Renaud Paulian) aimed to elucidate the general features of these ecosystems and the origin of their constituent elements, and to test the validity of the High Mountain Domain proposed by Humbert in 1951. From 1970 to 1973, three expeditions (to the Andringitra, Anosy, Ankaratra, Itremo, Ibity and Marojejy massifs) provided informations to characterize the ecology of these particular environments and to analyse systematically certain groups well-known for their biogeographic interest. The altitudinal succession of plant formations, defined by physiognomic and structural criteria, were detailed for each massif. The highest belt, characterized by an ericoid bush and related associations, does not correspond to the High Mountain formation of East Africa. Data on several faunal groups, including invertebrates (Hexapoda: Collembola and Dermaptera), indicate a disjunction between the northern montane massifs (Tsaratanana and Marojejy) and the remainder in the Center and South; several floristic groups (Pandanaceae, Araliaceae and Asteraceae) are currently being analyzed in a similar manner. Madagascar’s High Mountain Domain is an ecological reality, but it can not be defined floristically, as each massif represents a separate phytogeographic entity with interdependent vegetation belts included within the various sub-domains of the island’s Central Domain. Faunal groups with limited mobility broadly indicate a trophic and bioclimatic dependence (buffer effect of the intra-forest climate) with regard to vegetation belt, but can respond to local microclimates by a shift at the limits of their ranges.</p

The discovery, naming and typification of Michauxia campanuloides (Campanulaceae) with notes on its introduction into cultivation

Michauxia campanuloides (Campanulaceae) is a biennial to short-lived perennial characterized by white to purple-suffused, deeply lobed corollas with narrow and strongly reflexed corolla lobes. It occurs widely on the eastern fringe of the Mediterranean area in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Israel. First collected by Leonhard Rauwolf as early as 1575, it was made known by him through the publication of a description and an illustration. His herbarium specimen, among the first collected in the Near East, survives in Leiden. More than two centuries had to pass until André Michaux and, independently, Jean Jacques Houtou de Labillardière collected M. campanuloides again and made specimens and seeds available to the botanical community in Paris. On the basis of living material, but including references to herbarium specimens, Charles-Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle was the first to provide a binomial for this striking plant. This paper focuses on the widely unappreciated record of herbarium specimens and printed illustrations, and lists and comments on early specimens collected in the wild as well as those cultivated in botanical gardens up to 1800. In addition, the name M. campanuloides is properly lectotypified

Validation d’une nouvelle espèce endémique de Nouvelle-Calédonie : &lt;i&gt;Pandanus bernardii&lt;/i&gt; H.St.John ex Callm., sp. nov. (Pandanaceae) et de sa section monospécifique : &lt;i&gt;Pandanus&lt;/i&gt; Parkinson sect. &lt;i&gt;Bernardia&lt;/i&gt; B.C.Stone ex Callm., sect. nov.

Une espèce nouvelle caractéristique, Pandanus bernardii H.St.John ex Callm., sp. nov., endémique de Nouvelle Calédonie, est décrite. La nouvelle espèce diffère des autres espèces du genre par l’ornementation de ses drupes et de l’agencement et la forme des stigmates. Cette espèce nouvelle a déjà été reconnue par H.St.John et B.C. Stone mais n’a jamais été validement publiée. La section monospécifique: Pandanus Parkinson sect. Bernardia B.C.Stone ex Callm., sect. nov., validée ici, est nécessaire pour accommoder la morphologie unique de cette nouvelle espèce. Des dessins au trait sont fournis pour ce taxon nouveau, ainsi qu’une discussion sur ses affinités morphologiques et l’évaluation préliminaire de son risque d’extinction selon les Catégories et les Critères de la Liste Rouge de l’UICN.A distinctive new species, Pandanus bernardii H.St.John ex Callm., sp. nov., endemic from New Caledonia, is described. The new species differs from other members of the genus in by the ornamentation of its drupes and the arrangement and shape of its stigmas. The species was already recognized by both H.St.John and B.C. Stone but was never validly published. The monospecific section: Pandanus Parkinson sect. Bernardia B.C.Stone ex Callm., sect. nov., validated here, is required to accommodate the unique morphology of the new species. Line drawings are provided for the new species, along with discussions of its morphological affinities and preliminary assessment of extinction risk following IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.</p

Rediscovery of the Genus Tsingya Capuron (Sapindaceae) and Its Phylogenetic Position.

Fig. 2. – Herbarium scan of Tsingya bemarana Capuron collected by Hanitrarivo, Bolliger & RakotozaFy 167 kept at G showing the pyriform fruit.Published as part of Buerki, Sven, Doherty, Rebecca, Gautier, Laurent & Callmander, Martin W., 2014, Rediscovery of the genus Tsingya Capuron (Sapindaceae) and its phylogenetic position, pp. 195-200 in Candollea 69 (2) on page 198, DOI: 10.15553/c2014v692a12, http://zenodo.org/record/576194