Tuesday AfricaDigest (12/07): New species
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Dec 21, 2010, 8:09:02 AM12/21/10
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New mistletoe species discovered
By Victoria Gill
Science and nature reporter, BBC News
A new species of tropical mistletoe has been described by scientists
at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London.
The research team found the plant on an expedition to Mount Mabu in
northern Mozambique in 2008.
Now, just in time for Christmas, they have confirmed that Helixanthera
schizocalyxis new to science.
The plant tops a list of Kew's botanical discoveries of 2010, which
includes a Vietnamese orchid and an exceptionally rare tree from
Cameroon.
Butterfly specialist, Colin Congdon, spotted the mistletoe in the
dense foliage near the summit of Mount Mabu.
He realised that it was different from anything he had seen on the
mountains in neighbouring Malawi and Tanzania. Closer inspection back
at Kew confirmed it as a new species.
Mistletoes are "hemi-parasitic", meaning they take some of the
nutrients they need from other plants.
When birds eat the small fleshy white sweet fruits, the seeds are
wiped onto branches of trees, where they stick. Once germinated, the
root grows into the living tissue of the tree to "suck out" its
nutrients.
Giant genome
Another highlight from this year was the discovery of the largest
genome of any living species studied so far. This was found in Paris
japonica , a subalpine plant endemic to Honshu, Japan.
Its genome is 50 times the size of the human genome - so large that if
this line of genetic code was to be stretched out, it would be taller
than the tower of Big Ben.
Plants with such large genomes may be at greater risk of extinction as
biologists believe they are less able to adapt to environmental
changes.
The other plant discovery highlights from 2010 include:
Lustrous Vietnamese orchid (Dendrobium daklakense) .
This beautiful orchid, with white and orange flowers, was first
collected in 2009 by a local plant hunter in the Dak Lak province of
southern Vietnam. Botanists at Kew suspect it is already endangered.
Cameroon canopy giant (Magnistipula multinervia ) . At 41m, the
gigantic but critically endangered tree towers above the canopy of the
lush green rainforests of Korup National Park, where it was found. The
team used alpine climbing equipment to scale its heights and collect
specimens of its fruit from which to identify it. Only four of these
trees are known to exist.
New palms in Madagascar .
With the help of local palm expert, Joro Rakotoarinivo, Kew scientist
John Dransfield has described no fewer than 14 new species of
Madagascan palms this year, all of which are threatened in the wild.
Among these are Dypsis metallica , which has thick, steely-blue leaves
and Dypsis dracaenoides , which resembles a spiky dragon tree.
Medicinal aubergine ( Solanum phoxocarpum ) . Commonly known as
'Osigawai' in the local Masai language, the plant was discovered
during an expedition to Kenya's Aberdare mountainous cloud forests. It
is used medicinally by local people, but Kew scientists say it may be
poisonous.
Wild Irises from the Andes .
Researchers found three new Bolivian iris species from the genus
Mastigostyla. One of these ( Mastigostyla chuquisacensis ) is found in
the sandy hollows between rocks on sandstone mountain ridges near
Sucre. This species could become an ornamental garden plant.
Story from BBC NEWS:
-------------
The average man, who does not know what to do with his life, wants
another one which will last forever. -Anatole France, novelist,
essayist, Nobel laureate (1844-1924)
-------------
This posting is provided without permission of the copyright owner for
purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship, and research under the
"Fair Use" provisions of U.S.Government copyright laws and it may not
be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. The
sender does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the message,
which is the sole responsibility of the copyright
By Victoria Gill
Science and nature reporter, BBC News
A new species of tropical mistletoe has been described by scientists
at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London.
The research team found the plant on an expedition to Mount Mabu in
northern Mozambique in 2008.
Now, just in time for Christmas, they have confirmed that Helixanthera
schizocalyxis new to science.
The plant tops a list of Kew's botanical discoveries of 2010, which
includes a Vietnamese orchid and an exceptionally rare tree from
Cameroon.
Butterfly specialist, Colin Congdon, spotted the mistletoe in the
dense foliage near the summit of Mount Mabu.
He realised that it was different from anything he had seen on the
mountains in neighbouring Malawi and Tanzania. Closer inspection back
at Kew confirmed it as a new species.
Mistletoes are "hemi-parasitic", meaning they take some of the
nutrients they need from other plants.
When birds eat the small fleshy white sweet fruits, the seeds are
wiped onto branches of trees, where they stick. Once germinated, the
root grows into the living tissue of the tree to "suck out" its
nutrients.
Giant genome
Another highlight from this year was the discovery of the largest
genome of any living species studied so far. This was found in Paris
japonica , a subalpine plant endemic to Honshu, Japan.
Its genome is 50 times the size of the human genome - so large that if
this line of genetic code was to be stretched out, it would be taller
than the tower of Big Ben.
Plants with such large genomes may be at greater risk of extinction as
biologists believe they are less able to adapt to environmental
changes.
The other plant discovery highlights from 2010 include:
Lustrous Vietnamese orchid (Dendrobium daklakense) .
This beautiful orchid, with white and orange flowers, was first
collected in 2009 by a local plant hunter in the Dak Lak province of
southern Vietnam. Botanists at Kew suspect it is already endangered.
Cameroon canopy giant (Magnistipula multinervia ) . At 41m, the
gigantic but critically endangered tree towers above the canopy of the
lush green rainforests of Korup National Park, where it was found. The
team used alpine climbing equipment to scale its heights and collect
specimens of its fruit from which to identify it. Only four of these
trees are known to exist.
New palms in Madagascar .
With the help of local palm expert, Joro Rakotoarinivo, Kew scientist
John Dransfield has described no fewer than 14 new species of
Madagascan palms this year, all of which are threatened in the wild.
Among these are Dypsis metallica , which has thick, steely-blue leaves
and Dypsis dracaenoides , which resembles a spiky dragon tree.
Medicinal aubergine ( Solanum phoxocarpum ) . Commonly known as
'Osigawai' in the local Masai language, the plant was discovered
during an expedition to Kenya's Aberdare mountainous cloud forests. It
is used medicinally by local people, but Kew scientists say it may be
poisonous.
Wild Irises from the Andes .
Researchers found three new Bolivian iris species from the genus
Mastigostyla. One of these ( Mastigostyla chuquisacensis ) is found in
the sandy hollows between rocks on sandstone mountain ridges near
Sucre. This species could become an ornamental garden plant.
Story from BBC NEWS:
-------------
The average man, who does not know what to do with his life, wants
another one which will last forever. -Anatole France, novelist,
essayist, Nobel laureate (1844-1924)
-------------
This posting is provided without permission of the copyright owner for
purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship, and research under the
"Fair Use" provisions of U.S.Government copyright laws and it may not
be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. The
sender does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the message,
which is the sole responsibility of the copyright
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