Achyranthes mangarevica
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| Achyranthes mangarevica | ||||||||||||
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Achyranthes mangarevica is a presumably extinct plant species from the genus Achyranthes within the foxtail family(Amaranthaceae). It was endemic to the Gambier island of Mangareva in the South Pacific .
features
Achyranthes mangarevica was a small tree that reached a height of 5 to 7 meters. The bark was green to gray. The elongated, pointed, oppositely arranged leaves were about eight centimeters long and left circular scars on the small branches. The flowers were densely packed in opposite spikes and formed regularly branched, terminal panicles. The individual flowers were about 4 millimeters long with 5 straw-colored thin bracts, which were covered on the outside with dense, long, soft, creamy white hairs. The 5 stamens and 5 hand-shaped staminodes were fused together at the base to form a stamina ring.
habitat
The habitat of Achyranthes mangarevica was a wet forest on a basalt slope on Mount Mokoto on Mangareva at a height of 290 m.
status
This species has not been detected since its discovery in 1934. A large part of the habitat in which this species was found was largely destroyed by fire and goats.
literature
- Gren Lucas, Hugh Synge, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Threatened Plants Committee: The IUCN plant red data book: comprising red data sheets on 250 selected plants threatened on a world scale . IUCN, 1978. ISBN 9782880322021