Agathis montana
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Agathis montana is a species ofthe Araucaria family (Araucariaceae). It is endemic to the New Caledonia archipelago.
description
Agathis montana grows as an evergreen tree that can reach heights of 15 to 20 meters. The large crown is flattened. The light brown trunk bark flakes off in fine plates or scales and has small lenticels . The inner bark is red-brown.
The buds are spherical in shape. Young leaves are 8 to 10 centimeters long and 2.6 to 3.5 centimeters wide and are lanceolate-oval in shape and have a pointed leaf base. Older leaves have a short petiole and are arranged alternately on the branches. They are lanceolate to elliptical in shape with a length of 6 to 8 centimeters and a width of 1.5 to 2 centimeters. The end of the leaf is pointed, but has a blunt tip.
The male cones are cylindrical in shape with a length of 4 to 5 centimeters and a thickness of 0.8 to 1 centimeter. They consist of slightly serrated cone scales, which overlap like roof tiles. The spherical female cones stand on a thick stem and are about 9 inches long and around 7 inches thick. They consist of egg-shaped, blunt cone scales. The round seeds show two obovate wings.
Distribution and location
The natural range of Agathis montana is in the northeast of the New Caledonia archipelago . It occurs there only in the Massif du Panié located in the northern province of the main island Grande Terre . There you can find deposits on Mont Colnett , Mont Ignambi and Mont Panié . An occurrence described in the Roches de la Ouaième is based on a single tree for which it is unclear whether it was not planted by locals. The entire distribution area extends over an estimated area of 90 km².
The species thrives at altitudes of 1000 to 1640 meters. It often grows in almost pure stands on slopes with an incline of less than 35 °. Agathis montana seems to prefer shallow and muddy soils formed on shale and by the decomposition of biological material.
Systematics
Agathis montana is assigned to the Agathis section within the genus of the Kauri trees ( Agathis ) .
It was first described as Agathis montana in 1969 by David John de Laubenfels in Travaux du Laboratorie Forestier de Toulouse , Volume 8, Number 5, Page 2. A synonym for Agathis montana de Laub. is Salisburyodendron montana (de foliage.) AVBobrov & Melikyan .
Hazard and protection
Agathis montana is classified as "Critically Endangered" on the IUCN Red List . Twenty percent of the trees monitored in the course of placing them under protection are already dead. Five percent of the fully grown trees died between October 2012 and February 2014, which suggests a population decline of eighty percent within the next 21 years. At this rate, it is likely that there will be no full-grown tree of this species in a hundred years.
Feral pigs, which dig up the thin layer of soil and thus promote erosion and damage the roots of the trees, are considered to be one of the main sources of danger. The pigs could also act as a disease carrier for the plants. A previously unspecified Phytophthora species was found on Agathis montana , which has similarities with the species that led to a decline in the population of Agathis australis . Two species of bark beetle , which have not yet been precisely identified, were detected on dying trees in 2012; these are probably species of the genera Hylurgus and Hypocryphalus . The increasing drought could represent a further risk factor.
To protect the species, a protection program is to be started in 2015 which, among other things, also provides for the decimation of feral pigs.
Usage and cultural significance
The resin from Agathis montana is used by the local population as fuel for fireplaces. The species has so far only been planted in a few botanical collections.
Agathis montana is called Dayu Biik in Némi and Fwaî , two languages of the Kanak , which means something like "strong and flexible kauri" and indicates the resistance of the species to storms. The inhabitants see the trees on Mont Panié as guardians of this place; they are said to be in connection with the spirits of the deceased.
swell
- Christopher J. Earle: Agathis montana. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, November 23, 2012, accessed on September 13, 2014 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Christopher J. Earle: Agathis montana. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, November 23, 2012, accessed on September 13, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g Agathis montana in the endangered species Red List of IUCN 2014. Published by: F. Tron & S. Sabran, 2014. Retrieved on 13 September, 2014.
- ↑ Agathis montana at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed September 13, 2014.
- ↑ Agathis montana. In: The Plant List. www.theplantlist.org, accessed on September 13, 2014 (English).
Web links
Agathis montana. www.endemia.nc, accessed on September 13, 2014 (French, brief description, pictures and distributionmap).