Araucaria luxurians
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| ( Brongn. & Gris ) de Laub. |
Araucaria luxurians is a species of the genus Araucaria ( Araucaria ). It is an endangered endemic to the New Caledonia islands of Grande Terre and Ile d'Art .
description
Araucaria luxurians grows as a columnar, evergreen tree that can reach heights of up to 30 meters. The dense crown is rounded. The gray bark peels off in thin strips. The branches, 1 to 1.8 centimeters thick, split in a fan shape at their ends.
On young specimens, the leaves are scale-like and ovate with a length of 6 to 12 millimeters. On older specimens, the roof-tile-like, scale-like leaves are ovate with a length of 5 to 7 millimeters and a width of 4 to 5 millimeters with a pronounced central rib.
The male cones are cylindrical in shape with a length of 12 to 17 centimeters and a diameter of 2.5 to 2.8 centimeters. They contain oval microsporophylls with 12 to 15 pollen sacs. The female cones have a length of 10 to 12 centimeters and a diameter of 8 to 10 centimeters. The seeds, which are elongated at a size of 3 to 3.5 centimeters, have a triangular wing.
Occurrence
The natural range of Araucaria luxurians is in the south of the island of Grande Terre, which belongs to New Caledonia . It occurs there near the coast. Another isolated occurrence is on the Ile d'Art, which belongs to the Belep Islands .
Araucaria luxurians thrives at altitudes between 200 and 1400 meters. This species grows on soils that develop on ultramafic rocks . It occurs mainly in moist, evergreen forests, on cliffs, along rivers and on steep slopes.
Systematics
Araucaria luxurians belongs to the section Eutacta within the genus of the Araucaria ( Araucaria ). It was first described as the variety Araucaria cookii var. Luxurians in 1871 by Adolphe Brongniart and Jean Antoine Arthur Gris in Annales des Sciences Naturelles; Botanique, sér. 5 , 13, p. 354. David John de Laubenfels gave it the rank of an independent species Araucaria luxurians in 1972 in Flore de la Nouvelle Calédonie et Dépendances , 4, p. 92 . A synonym for Araucaria luxurians (Brongn. & Gris) de Laub. is Araucaria columnaris f. luxurians (Brongn. & Gris) EHWilson .
Hazard and protection
Araucaria luxurians is listed as "critically endangered" on the IUCN Red List . The total population is estimated to be fewer than 2,500 fully grown specimens, with none of the known populations exceeding 250 trees. More than half of the trees grow in stands that are mostly more than 50 kilometers apart. Due to the great distance between the populations, genetic exchange and repopulation from other areas of the distribution area are not possible. Mining and related activities such as road construction and spoil storage are named as the main risk factor . In addition, land reclamation for settlement construction, forest fires and the erosion that occurs near the coast represent a danger.
swell
- Christopher J. Earle: Araucaria luxurians. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, December 12, 2010, accessed June 10, 2011 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Christopher J. Earle: Araucaria luxurians. In: The Gymnosperm Database. www.conifers.org, December 12, 2010, accessed June 10, 2011 .
- ↑ a b c Araucaria luxurians in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2010. Posted by: Thomas, P., 2009. Accessed June 10, 2011th
- ↑ Araucaria luxurians at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed June 10, 2011.
Web links
Araucaria luxurians. www.endemia.nc, accessed on June 10, 2011 (French, brief description, images and distributionmap).