Achyranthes atollensis

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Achyranthes atollensis
Systematics
Nuclear eudicotyledons
Order : Clove-like (Caryophyllales)
Family : Foxtail family (Amaranthaceae)
Subfamily : Amaranthoideae
Genre : Achyranthes
Type : Achyranthes atollensis
Scientific name
Achyranthes atollensis
H.St.John

Achyranthes atollensis (English name: Hawai'i Chaff Flower ) is a probably extinct Hawaiian plant species in the genus Achyranthes within the family of amaranthaceae (Amaranthaceae).

description

Achyranthes atollensis was a shrub and reached heights of 1 to 2 meters. The small obovate to elliptical leaves were 2.0 to 6.2 inches long. They were thickly covered with white or yellow trichomes . The leaf surface was dark and usually covered with straight hair.

The pseudopeared inflorescence contained small flowers .

Occurrence

Achyranthes atollensis was found on Laysan , the Midway Islands , the Kure Atoll, and the Pearl and Hermes Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands . The habitat of this plant species was dry bushland on sand-lime soils .

Taxonomy

Achyranthes atollensis was described in 1979 by Harold St. John as a species . Rafaël Herman Anna Govaerts gave her the rank of a variety Achyranthes splendens var. Atollensis in 1995 . Achyranthes atollensis is possibly identical to Achyranthes splendens var. Reflexa , a plant species that was described by Wilhelm Hillebrand in the 19th century .

die out

After a collection in 1896, it was initially considered to be extinct between 1903 and 1911. In 1923 a few specimens were discovered on Laysan during the Tanager expedition (named for the Tanager minesweeper , who was converted into a research vessel) .

The habitat of this species was greatly changed by the establishment of military bases on the various atolls. Introduced herbivores (such as rabbits) and invasive plants caused the destruction of the native coastal scrubland. Achyranthes atollensis was last detected on the Kure Atoll in 1964 . A search by the botanist Derral Herbst in 1988 was unsuccessful.

literature

  • Warren L. Wagner, Derral R. Herbst, SH Sohmer: Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i (= Bishop Museum Special Publication 97). 2 volumes. Revised edition. University of Hawai'i Press et al., Honolulu 1999.
  • Walton Beacham (Ed.): The World Wildlife Fund guide to extinct species of modern times. Volume 1: Birds of the Pacific Islands and North America. Plants of the Hawaiian Islands. Fishes of North America. Mammals of North and South Africa. Mammals of North America and the Atlantic Islands. Beacham Publishing Corp., Osprey FL 1997, ISBN 0-933833-40-7 .

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