Parasitaxus usta
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Parasitaxus usta |
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| Parasitaxus usta | ||||||||||||
| ( Vieill. ) De foliage. |
Parasitaxus is the only species in the monotypic genus Parasitaxus from the family of podocarpaceae (Podocarpaceae). It is in the red list of the IUCN as "endangered" ( vulnerable ) out. This species is the only known parasite within the Nacktsamer (Gymnospermae).
distribution
Parasitaxus usta is an endemic species of New Caledonia , where it occurs very widely in remote, densely forested areas (Pouebo, Bleue River, Poila) at altitudes between 400 and 1100 meters.
description
The species grows as an evergreen shrub or small tree and reaches heights of 1.0 to 1.8 m. It parasitizes via its roots on the species Falcatifolium taxoides, which also belongs to the stone slab family . The young shrub initially grows upright; its shoots are covered with light copper-red scale leaves. On older shoots, the scale leaves are dark copper-red, gray-red or bluish-red. In the upper area the shrub forms a crown with sometimes overhanging branches.
The male catkins are 4 millimeters long, up to 2 millimeters thick and sit on a stalk with leaves up to 6 millimeters long. The female flowers are 1.4 × 0.4 millimeters in size and ripen into round fruits up to 4 millimeters in size, with blueish white frosting. The seed is spherical, about 4 millimeters thick and heavily lignified inside.
Systematics
Parasitaxus usta was first described in 1862 by Eugène Vieillard as Dacrydium ustum in the journal Annales des sciences naturelles , 4th série, Botanique, volume 16, page 56. In 1972 it was placed in the genus Parasitaxus by David John de Laubenfels in the work Flore de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et dépendances , Volume 4, Page 45 . Synonyms of the species are Podocarpus ustus (Vieill.) Brongn. & Gris and Nageia usta (Vieill.) Kuntze .
literature
- Information on the species at The Gymnosperm Database. (English)
- Dan Nickrent: Is Parasitaxus Parasitic? , with links to many photos.
- Hubertus Nimsch: Species description and photos of the natural site
Web links
- Parasitaxus usta in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Conifer Specialist Group, 1998. Retrieved on 11 May, 2006.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Philippe Woltz, Ruth A. Stockey, Maryse Gondran, Jean-François Cherrier & Janine Bernard (1994) Interspecific parasitism in the Gymnosperms: unpublished data on two endemic New Caledonian Podocarpaceae using scanning electron microscopy . Acta Botanica Gallica 141: 6-7, 731-746, doi : 10.1080 / 12538078.1994.10515233
- ↑ a b c Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Parasitaxus. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved April 27, 2019.