Polyscias lionnetii
Gastonia lionnetii is a flowering plant in the family of Araliaceae ( Araliaceae ). This extremely rare species is endemic to the Seychelles island of Mahé.
Description
Vegetative characteristics
Gastonia lionnetii grows as a tree reaching a height of up to 5 meters. The gray-brown bark is easily cracked. The leaf blade is imparipinnate with three to four Fiederblattpaaren. The nine or ten secondary leaf veins are schlingläufig ( brochidodrom ) and the leaf surface is covered with bubbles.
Generative features
The standing on a 1.5 to 2.5 cm long inflorescence stem, erect, up to 40 cm high overall inflorescence is branched and consist of five to six part racemose inflorescences turn doldigen part inflorescences contain. The doldigen part inflorescences have six to nine flowers, perishable bracts. The flower stem is 1 to 1.5 cm long. The bowl-shaped, creamy yellow flower has a diameter of 10 to 15 mm. The five petals fused at about two-thirds of its length. There are 26 to 29 stamens present. The ovary is nine-to elfkammerig. There are 8 to 13 scars. The purple - black berries have a diameter of 8-9 mm.
Habitat and conservation status
Gastonia lionnetii is " critically endangered " by the IUCN ( " critically endangered " ) classified. Currently, there are only two full-grown trees in the wild. A copy grows in a secondary forest near Mission, the other on a tea plantation in Casse Dent. The somewhat overgrown place to mission in 1994 carefully cleared and selected endemic trees remained. A seedling near probably comes from the parent plant. The disadvantage for the continued existence of this kind that the young plants do not survive long and the continuing deforestation in this place.
Taxonomy
The first description of Gastonia lionnetii taken in 1987 by Francis Friedmann in the Bulletin du Muséum National d' Histoire Naturelle, Section B, Adansonia. Botanique Phytochimie, 8, pp. 253 A synonym for Gastonia lionnetii F.Friedmann is Polyscias lionnetii ( F.Friedmann ) Lowry & GMPlunkett (published in Porter Prescott Lowry II & Gregory M.Plunkett: Recircumscription of Polyscias ( Araliaceae ) to include six related genera, with a new question eric classification and a synopsis of species, In: Plant Diversity and Evolution, Volume 128, 2010, p 79). The specific epithet honors the lionnetii living in the Seychelles Mauritian naturalist Guy Lionnet. The type material with the Herbarnummer Friedmann 3902 was collected on the road to the mission and Casse Dent, at an altitude of 400 meters, Mahe, Seychelles.