Suchergebnisse

SummaryBethencourtia Choisy (Compositae, Senecioneae) has three species and is dedicated to Jean IV de Béthencourt (1362—ca.1425/1426), who led the first successful military European expedition to conquer the Canary Islands. The botanical history of this Canary Island genus is reviewed, and its nomenclature is revisited. The generitype, Senecio palmensis C.Sm. = B. palmensis (C.Sm.) Choisy, is illustrated (t. 1058). The names S. palmensis and S. hermosae Pit. are lectotypified. Phylogenetic relationships, conservation status, systematics, phytochemistry, and ecogeographical patterns are discussed. A list of the herbarium specimens which have been studied is given.

SummaryClavija domingensis Urb. & Ekman was one of the many Haitian endemics that were described based on collections made by the great Swedish botanist Leonard Ekman between 1924 and 1928. The species is Critically Endangered sensu IUCN (criteria c2a(i); D) and it is currently the focus of conservation initiatives in Jardin Botanique des Cayes (Haiti), Jardín Botánico Nacional Dr. Rafael M. Moscoso (Dominican Republic), and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (U.S.A.). Now known from only six localities from southern Haiti, each locality only represents a single individual. The species is illustrated based on plants grown in Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

SummaryThe Cuban endemic Plumeria filifolia Griseb. is illustrated from plants growing at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami, Florida. This species belongs to the charismatic group of plants commonly known as frangipani. Though several species are often found in cultivation, many of the endemic wild growing Caribbean species, including P. filifolia, have not yet reached their full ornamental potential. A historical overview of early collections of P. filifolia is presented, along with a detailed description, habitat, distribution map, list of known herbarium specimens and conservation status. A review of the nomenclature including the second‐step lectotypification is provided. The species complex with P. stenophylla is reviewed, and based on morphological grounds, P. stenophylla is here regarded as a distinct species. As no previous monographic revision exists, morphological and ecogeographical patterns for the rest of the genus are discussed.

Summary
Euphorbia tuckeyana is a dendroid spurge endemic to Cabo Verde. It belongs to E. subgenus Esula section Aphyllis subsection Macaronesicae, a monophyletic group of eleven species restricted to the Canaries, Madeira archipelago, the Selvagens islands, Cabo Verde, a small area of Atlantic Morocco, and Portugal, that have high horticultural potential for xeric gardens. Among them E. tuckeyana grows well in tropical environments with a summer rainy season. History of early collections and records is reviewed. The species has been previously depicted on one postage stamp and in papers focusing on the Cabo Verde flora. Three other phylogenetically distant groups of dendroid spurges, also with leaves spirally arranged in clusters located on stem tips, occur in the West Indies, Africa, and Asia. They also show high potential for tropical gardens. We present a previously unpublished ink‐drawing of E. tuckeyana that was made by the great Spanish plant illustrator Eugeni Sierra Ràfols (1919–1999). The name is lectotypified with a specimen housed in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris) that was collected by the Portuguese naturalist João da Silva Feijó in the late 18th century.

SummaryThe Madeiran endemic Echium nervosum W.T. Aiton is illustrated based on plants grown at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Its ecology; phylogenetic and taxonomic placement, and conservation status are discussed. Twenty‐nine species of Echium are endemic to the Macaronesian Islands and they represent one of the most spectacular and best known examples of adaptive radiation on oceanic islands.

Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817–1911) was 22 years old when he undertook his first natural history journey abroad. He was appointed 'Assistant Surgeon', under the command of James Clark Ross in the Antarctic Expedition 1838–1845, also known as the South Pole Magnetic Expedition. The two HMS ships The Terror and The Erebus made brief stops in the Macaronesian islands of Madeira, Tenerife (the Canaries), and Santiago (Cabo Verde) where Hooker took the opportunity to observe and collect animals, plants and minerals, so these were the first three collecting sites documented in his Antarctic Journal.

SummaryZamia decumbens Calonje, Meerman, M.P.Griff. & Hoese, a threatened cycad species from Belize, is showcased and illustrated based on field observations as well as plants cultivated in the ex situ conservation living collections of Montgomery Botanical Center (MBC) in Coral Gables, Florida. This once obscure species was described in 2009, studied in the field, and introduced into ex situ conservation collections at MBC and other botanical gardens around the world. At MBC, the living collection of Z. decumbens plants has been used to conduct additional research to advance further our knowledge about cycads and to develop guidelines for building living plant collections in support of conservation. In this contribution we discuss this species and its cultivation at the ex situ conservation collection at MBC, using it to illustrate the important role botanical gardens can play in protecting threatened species and advancing our knowledge about them.