Kew Bulletin最新文献

Summary

Telipogon leisberthvelezii Iturralde, M.M.Jiménez & H.Garzón, a new species of orchid, discovered in the Cordillera del Cóndor in southern Ecuador, is described and illustrated and its morphological similarities to other species are discussed. The new species is morphologically most similar to T. jostii (Dodson) N.H.Williams & Dressler but differs in the ellipsoid-obovoid petals with a bilobed base, the lip having a deltoid midlobe and dolabriform lateral lobes and a lower density of setae on the column. It is currently known from a single locality only, occurring as an epiphyte in lower montane forest.

The little-known and infrequently collected papilionoid legume genus Weberbauerella, is only known from outlying regions of the Atacama Desert. Presently it comprises three species, one in Chile and two in Peru. These small, woody, perennial species, enigmatic in both occurrence and form, are found growing in isolated populations in climatically extreme conditions. They are characterised by the presence of pustular glands throughout. Here we revise the genus, providing a key to the species, descriptions, distribution maps, illustrations, assessments of conservation status and notes on a northern variant population.

Ninety-two New Guinea Cyrtandra J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. names, nine Cyrtandropsis Lauterb. names and one species of Sepikea Schltr. are recognised here, presented in alphabetical order with notes on typification based on the literature and preliminary herbarium observations. A new name, Cyrtandra schlechteri, is proposed for the illegitimate name C. glabrata Schltr. Lectotypes are selected for 66 Cyrtandra names and nine Cyrtandropsis names; neotypes are designated for four Cyrtandra names. Seventeen Cyrtandra names and eight Cyrtandropsis names are considered incertae sedis due to missing type material.

Afrothismia is a genus of non-photosynthetic mycoheterotrophs from the forests of continental tropical Africa. Multiple phylogenetic inferences using molecular data recover the genus as sister to a clade comprising mycoheterotrophic Thismiaceae and the photosynthetic family Taccaceae, contrary to earlier placements of Afrothismia and Thismiaceae within Burmanniaceae. Morphological support for separating Afrothismia from the rest of Thismiaceae has depended on the zygomorphic flowers of Afrothismia (although some species of Thismia are also zygomorphic), and their clusters of root tubers, each with a terminal rootlet. The number of described species of Afrothismia has recently increased from four to 16, with seven more species as yet undescribed; these discoveries have added morphological characters that support its distinction from Thismiaceae. Most notably, the ovary in Afrothismia has a single stalked placenta, and circumscissile fruits from which seeds are exserted by placental elevation (vs in Thismiaceae, three placentas, a deliquescing fruit lid, and seeds not exserted). Afrothismia stamens are inserted in the lower part of the floral tube, where they are attached to the stigma, and individual flowers are subtended by a single large dorsal bract. In contrast, in Thismiaceae, stamens are inserted at the mouth of the tube, free of and distant from the stigma, and each flower is subtended by a loose whorl of (2 –) 3 (– 4) bracts. Here we formally characterise Afrothismiaceae and review what is known of its development, seed germination, interactions with mycorrhizal Glomeromycota, biogeography, phylogeny and pollination biology. All but one (Afrothismia insignis; Vulnerable) of the 13 species assessed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species are either Endangered or Critically Endangered; one species (A. pachyantha) is considered extinct.

Five new species of Vaccinium from New Guinea are described and illustrated, V. lamii, V. veldkampii, V. argentii, V. superum and V. staufferianum. A detailed diagnosis, morphological comparison to closely related species, ecological data, a preliminary IUCN threat assessment and a distribution map are provided for each new species. Their sectional affiliations in the current subgeneric treatment of Vaccinium are considered and amendments to relevant sections suggested, to accommodate some unusual, for the genus, morphologies.

Five new species of Vaccinium from New Guinea are described and illustrated, V. lamii, V. veldkampii, V. argentii, V. superum and V. staufferianum. A detailed diagnosis, morphological comparison to closely related species, ecological data, a preliminary IUCN threat assessment and a distribution map are provided for each new species. Their sectional affiliations in the current subgeneric treatment of Vaccinium are considered and amendments to relevant sections suggested, to accommodate some unusual, for the genus, morphologies.