Flora of Kiritimati (Christmas) Atoll, Northern Line Islands, Republic of Kiribati

This paper is a compilation and analysis of all vascular plants that have been reported on Kiritimati (Christmas) Atoll in the Northern Line Islands of the Republic of Kiribati. It is based on field inventories conducted by the authors on six field visits to the atoll between 1996 and 2012 plus available published and unpublished records of vascular plant collections and observations made on the atoll. The total number of vascular plant species that have been recorded at some time on Kiritimati, including all indigenous and introduced species (whether in cultivation or not) is 168, plus three hybrids and three additional varieties, making a total of 174 taxa. Of these, three records are doubtful, leaving a reliably reported total of 171 taxa in 166 species. Only 10 of the reported taxa were not seen by one or other of us in the period 1996–2012, and of these at least six have probably died out on the island, leaving an extant flora of around 165 reliably recorded taxa (including the hybrids and varieties) in 160 species. There have been no ferns or gymnosperms recorded on the island. Probably only 15 (9%) or perhaps up to 19 of the reliably reported species are native, and most of the present-day flora is made up of deliberate or unintentional introductions made since the date of European discovery of the atoll. Of these, at least 54 and perhaps up to 59 species have naturalized

Viability of seeds in food products proposed for field trips in Galapagos

Seeds of 14 plant species extracted from food products proposed for field trips in Galapagos were tested for viability. Strawberry Fragaria ananasa and Blackberry Rubus glaucus jams (Snob and Gustadina brands) contained no viable seeds. Schullo brand granola contained inviable Sesame Sesamum indicum seed, but Sesame in granolas prepared in Galapagos was viable. Sesame seed in bread was viable but Flax Linum usitatissimum seed in bread was not. Brown Rice Oryza sativa and Sunflower seeds Helianthus annuus were both viable. Fresh Apple Malus domestica, Naranjilla Solanum quitoense, Cucumber Cucumis sativus, Pineapple Ananas comosus, Pear Pyrus communis, Bell Pepper Capsicum annuum, Tomato Solanum lycopersicum, Grape Vinis vinifera all contained viable seeds. We recommend prohibiting any product with viable seeds from field trips to uninhabited areas. CDF Contribution Number 1009

Botanical research in the Galapagos islands : the last fifty years and the next fifty

We review recommendations made since the founding of the Charles Darwin Foundation in 1959, concerning botanical research for the conservation of Galapagos, and present our suggestions for priorities for the immediate future

News from Academy Bay

New Faces and New Projects in a New CDRS Department. International Workshop: Feral Goat Eradication Program. Geologists to Invade Galápagos. GIS in Galápagos. The Isabela Project: Off and Running. A Pig-Free Santiago: Is it a Dream or on the Horizon? The Special Law for Galápagos

Morphological and physiological responses of Galapagos endemic tree Croton scouleri to site conditions varying through its altitudinal range

: Galapagos is a natural laboratory offering a great opportunity to study plants functional traits. This study characterises morphological and ecophysiological responses of Croton scouleri, an endemic tree that habits from humid and upper elevations to semiarid lowlands, throughout an altitudinal gradient and in a manipulative experiment. Croton scouleri trees were gradually smaller with less total leaf area due to a gradual reduction in mean leaf size, and they folded their leaves at lower elevations. These results were also recorded after cutting every deep root. Two physiological traits that allowed Croton scouleri to avoid damages to the photosynthetic apparatus were detected between 30 and 150 m a.s.l. Lower variable fluorescence (Fv) and basal fluorescence (F0) keeping constant maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) denoted a drop in chlorophyll concentration. Concomitantly, the recorded increase in the Quantum efficiency of PSII ( PSII) with similar Fv/Fm means that Croton scouleri could be using cyclic electron transport as photoprotective mechanism. On the other hand, a deep root system to reach the water table allowed Croton scouleri to behave as a drought-avoider, which was reflected in: (1) unvarying water status Leaf Water Content and Relative Water Content were always higher than 69 and 58%, respectively; (2) stable and low photoinhibition levels; and (3) unvarying leaf area index. However, Croton scouleri was not able to avoid drought at altitudes lower 30 m a.s.l. where similar responses to those recorded after root cutting were recorded.Junta de Andalucía AI60/0

Proposal to conserve the name Bosea yervamora (Amaranthaceae) with a conserved type

Linnaeus (Crit. Bot.: 77. 1737) coined the genus name “Bosea” to honor Caspar Bose (1645–1700), who owned a famous garden in Leipzig (“Bose Senator Lipsiensis”). Later Linnaeus (Hort. Cliff.: 84. 1738) spelled the name as “Bosia”, provided a description and referenced earlier works, viz., Plukenet (Almagestum: 42. 1696), Sloane (Cat. Pl. Jamaica: 135 [sub Tilia]. 1696, Voy. Jamaica 2: 19 [sub Tilia], t. 158, fig. 3. 1725), Ray (Hist. Pl. 3 (24: Dendrologiæ): 88 [sub Tilia]. 1704), Walther (Design. Pl.: 24 [sub Frutex], t. 10. 1735), and Thran (Index Pl. Horti Carolsruh.: 44. 1733). Subsequently, Linnaeus (Gen. Pl., ed. 2: 102. 1742, Sp. Pl.: 225. 1753; Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 105. 1754) reverted to the original spelling, and it was validated as Bosea, monotypic when published in 1753 with B. yervamora L. as generitype. The epithet is a noun in apposition. The name B. yervamora L. is still in use to refer to the only species of Amaranthaceae endemic in the Canary Islands, where it is common in thermophilous woodlan