Kadua nukuhivensis
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| Kadua nukuhivensis | ||||||||||||
| ( Lorence & J.Florence ) WLWagner & Lorence |
Kadua nukuhivensis is a plant from the genus Kadua in the family of the Rubiaceae (Rubiaceae). It occurs endemically only on one island of the Marquesas Islands in the southern Pacific.
description
Vegetative characteristics
Kadua nukuhivensis grows as a shrub or small tree that can reach heights of 2.5 to 6 meters and trunk diameters of up to 0.2 meters. All shoots are hairless. The 0.7 to 0.9 centimeter thick cylindrical branches have compressed internodes . The bark is gray to black-brown.
The constantly against arranged on the branches leaves are divided into a petiole and leaf blade. The furrowed petiole is 0.8 to 1.3 inches long and 0.2 to 0.3 inches thick. The simple, paper-like to slightly leathery leaf blade is 8 to 18 centimeters long and 6 to 10.5 centimeters wide and obovate to elliptical and obovate to oblong. The base of the spreader tapers in a wedge shape, the tip of the spreader is blunt or rounded and the entire edge of the spreader can be slightly bent back. Seven to nine conspicuous lateral nerves branch off from each side of the leaf median nerve, which is furrowed at the top.
The inter- and intrapetiolaren stipules are similar to the foliage leaves, are fused with the base of the petiole, thereby forming a cup-shaped sheath having a pointed tip. The triangular leaf sheath is 2.5 to 3 millimeters long and 5 to 6 millimeters wide.
Generative characteristics
The terminal, very rarely also lateral zymous, umbrella-like inflorescences are 7 to 13 centimeters long. The strong and compressed inflorescence stalk is 3 to 6 centimeters long, but it can also be completely absent. The inflorescences contain 12 to 30 individual flowers.
The four-fold, fragrant flowers are radial symmetry and probably dimorphic . The upside-down cone-shaped flower cup is around 3 millimeters long. The sepals are fused together to form an approximately 2 millimeter long, cup-shaped calyx tube. The calyx lobes are triangular in shape with a size of 0.3 to 0.5 millimeters. The fleshy, white to pale pink petals are fused together in the shape of a salver. The corolla tube reaches a length of 2.6 to 2.8 centimeters and a diameter of around 2 millimeters. The four bent-back corolla lobes are linear-lanceolate with a length of 1 to 1.5 centimeters and a width of 0.3 to 0.5 centimeters and have a hook-shaped, bent-back appendage at the tip. The 3 to 4 millimeter long stamens are inserted close to the base of the corolla tube. The stylus is 1.7 to 1.9 centimeters long and the double-lobed scar is about 3 millimeters in size.
The capsule fruits are 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters long and 0.7 to 1.4 centimeters thick, circular to pear-shaped and stand on a sturdy, approximately 0.6 centimeter long stem. The blunt tip of the capsule fruit is divided into several segments. Each of the fruits contains several dark brown seeds, which are 1 to 1.3 millimeters long and 0.5 to 0.9 millimeters wide. They are broadly elliptical to irregularly shaped and the seed coat is warty.
distribution
The natural range of Kadua nukuhivensis is on the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific . Kadua nukuhivensis is an endemic species found only on the island of Nuku Hiva . As far as is known so far, the distribution area includes the windward side of the mountains in the Terre Déserte region , in the upper Tapuaehu valley.
Kadua nukuhivensis thrives at altitudes of 1000 to 1065 meters. The species grows there in damp forests and in the bushland along mountain ridges. In these woods different species grow of Cyrtandra , Hernandia , holly ( Ilex ) Melicope , iron wood ( Metrosideros ), crushing bushes ( Psychotria ) and Weinmannia and numerous Pteridophyte while different in the bush types of Alsophila , two teeth ( Biden ) Dicranopteris , Elaphoglossum , Freycinetia , Lampenputzer grasses ( Pennisetum ) and Styphelia grow.
Taxonomy
It was first described as Hedyotis nukuhivensis in 2000 by David H. Lorence and Jacques Florence in Adansonia . In 2005 Warren L. Wagner and David H. Lorence transferred the species as Kadua nukuhivensis in Systematic Botany to the genus Kadua . The specific epithet nukuhivensis refers to the range of the species.
Kadua nukuhivensis is very similar to Kadua tahuatensis in terms of its morphological appearance. Molecular studies have shown that they are sister species.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i David H. Lorence, Warren L. Wagner: Revision of Kadua (Rubiaceae) in the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia, with description of the new species K. lichtlei . In: PhytoKeys . No. 4 , 2011, ISSN 1314-2003 , p. 125-138 , doi : 10.3897 / phytokeys.4.1601 .
- ↑ Kadua nukuhivensis at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed December 21, 2016.
