Edwino S. Fernando

Homoplasious character combinations and generic delimitation: a case study from the Indo-Pacific arecoid palms (Arecaceae: Areceae).

The complex distributions of morphological character states in the Indo-Pacific palm tribe Areceae (Arecaceae; Arecoideae) are potentially challenging for the delimitation of its genera. In the first exhaustive sampling of all 65 genera of the Areceae, we examined relationships of two of the tribes most problematic genera, Heterospathe and Rhopaloblaste, using portions of the low-copy nuclear genes phosphoribulokinase (PRK) and RNA-polymerase II subunit B (RPB2). Both genera fell within a highly supported clade comprising all Areceae genera, but are clearly unrelated. Rhopaloblaste was strongly supported as monophyletic and is most closely related to Indian Ocean genera. Heterospathe was resolved with strong support within a clade of western Pacific genera, but with the monotypic Alsmithia nested within it. Ptychosperma micranthum, which has previously been included in both Heterospathe and Rhopaloblaste, is excluded from these and from Ptychosperma, supporting its recent placement in a new genus Dransfieldia. Morphological comparisons indicate that the crownshaft is putatively synapomorphic for the Areceae with numerous reversals within the clade and some independent origins elsewhere. The putative diagnostic characters of Heterospathe show high levels of homoplasy, and the genus can only be distinguished by a suite of characters, whereas Rhopaloblaste is more clearly defined. Our results have implications not only for the two genera in focus, but have also been influential for the new classification of the Areceae.

MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF THE TREE-OF-HEAVEN FAMILY (SIMAROUBACEAE) BASED ON CHLOROPLAST AND NUCLEAR MARKERS

Members of Simaroubaceae comprise a clade of 22 genera and ca. 100 species in the Sapindales. Previous phylogenetic analyses of the family were limited to a single gene and seven genera, and relationships among the genera remain poorly understood. Molecular data from three plastid genes (rbcL, atpB, and matK) and a nuclear gene (phyC), totaling ca. 6000 bp, are used to reconstruct the phylogeny of Simaroubaceae and clarify generic limits, employing maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian approaches. Individual analyses of genes are largely congruent, and both MP and Bayesian analyses of combined data produce well‐supported phylogenies. Nothospondias, an African genus of uncertain affiliation, is found to be a member of the family. A clade composed of Picrasma, Holacantha, and Castela is sister to the rest of the family, and enigmatic Leitneria is sister to a clade of Brucea, Soulamea, and Amaroria. A broad circumscription of Quassia is unwarranted given several well‐supported clades corresponding to traditional generic limits. Comparisons among Bayesian analyses, partitioned variously by gene and codon position, reveal that the most complex method of partitioning best explains the data under a Bayes factor criterion. However, tree topology did not change among partitioning strategies, suggesting that the phylogenetic signal is robust and resistant to model misspecification.

A new species of Rafflesia (Rafflesiaceae) from Panay Island, Philippines

One new species of Rafflesia, R. speciosa, from Panay Island, Philippines is described. A discussion of its similarities with two other species, R. patma Blume from Borneo and Sumatra, and R. kerrii Meijer from S Thailandand Malay Peninsula, is provided. The conservation status of the two other Philippine species, R. manillana Teschem. and R. schadenbergiana Gopp. is also discussed.

Rinorea niccolifera (Violaceae), a new, nickel-hyperaccumulating species from Luzon Island, Philippines

Abstract A new, nickel-hyperaccumulating species of Rinorea (Violaceae), Rinorea niccolifera Fernando, from Luzon Island, Philippines, is described and illustrated. This species is most similar to the widespread Rinorea bengalensis by its fasciculate inflorescences and smooth subglobose fruits with 3 seeds, but it differs by its glabrous ovary with shorter style (5 mm long), the summit of the staminal tube sinuate to entire and the outer surface smooth, generally smaller leaves (3–8 cm long × 2–3 cm wide), and smaller fruits (0.6–0.8 cm diameter). Rinorea niccolifera accumulates to >18,000 µg g-1 of nickel in its leaf tissues and is thus regarded as a Ni hyperaccumulator.

The genus Heterospathe (Palmae : Arecoideae) in the Philippines

Heterospathe, an arecoid genus belonging to the subtribe Iguanurinae (Dransfield & Uhl 1986; Uhl & Dransfield 1987), is confined to the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Micronesia, Moluccas and the Philippines (Map 1). The genus was established by Scheffer (1876) based on Heterospathe elata, originally collected from Ambon. There are about 32 species (Moore 1973; Uhl & Dransfield 1987) hitherto known in the genus varying from small, undergrowth, acaulescent palms to tall tree palms. The genus is generally regarded as largely Papuasian or East Malesian as most of its closest relatives occur there, but it has its westernmost limit in the Philippines. Heterospathe has been partially revised by Moore (1969, 1970) and a full emended generic description has been provided also by Moore (1969) and more recently by Uhl & Dransfield (1987). Beccari (1919a) and Merrill (1922) both listed four species of Heterospathe from the Philippines. Moore (1970) eventually referred back to Heterospathe all three Philippine species of Rhopaloblaste (Martelli 1934, 1935) which were originally described by Beccari (1909, 1919a, 1919b) in Heterospathe and Ptychoraphis. Moore (1970), however, did not make actual transfer combinations of two epithets owing to the need for further study of the species. Much earlier, Beccari in a paper edited by Martelli (1935) referred one species, Ptychoraphis cagayanensis, back to Heterospathe. There were, thus, eight species of Heterospathe known from the Philippines until recently. Intensive collecting in recent years of more complete herbarium material has revealed a much wider range of variation within Heterospathe and has also turned up several new species. There are now 11 known species of Heterospathe from the Philippines; four of these are new and are described below.

Rafflesia consueloae (Rafflesiaceae), the smallest among giants; a new species from Luzon Island, Philippines

Abstract A new species of Rafflesia (Rafflesiaceae) from Luzon Island, Philippines, Rafflesia consueloae Galindon, Ong & Fernando, is described and illustrated. It is distinct from all other species of Rafflesia in its small-sized flowers, the upright perigone lobes, and prominently cream-white disk surface that is often devoid of processes. Its small-sized flowers, with an average diameter of 9.73 cm when fully expanded, make it the smallest of the largest flowers in the world.

Nickel-hyperaccumulating species of Phyllanthus (Phyllanthaceae) from the Philippines

Botanical exploration on ultramafic sites in Palawan, Surigao and Zambales has resulted in the discovery of a new hypernickelophore species (nickel (Ni) concentration >1%) of Phyllanthus (Phyllanthaceae). This paper reports in detail the Ni uptake of populations of P. erythrotrichus in Candelaria, Masinloc and Santa Cruz, Zambales, and confirms the status of P. securinegoides in Taganito, Surigao del Norte, which had been analysed only through herbarium specimens, and these were compared with a known hypernickelophore, P. balgooyi, which was collected in Narra and Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Nickel content of the dried leaves, stems and root tissues was quantified using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. P. erythrotrichus and P. securinegoides both had more than 10 000 µg g–1 Ni in the leaves, whereas the roots had 1195 µg g–1 and 4636 µg g–1. P. balgooyi accumulated 6319 µg g–1 of Ni in the leaves, whereas the roots had a higher Ni concentration of up to 8116 µg g–1, respectively. All three species had values of translocation factor and enrichment factor of >1.0, implying that all species have great potential in phytoremediation, specifically, phytoextraction of Ni. These three species of Phyllanthus are prominent in ultramafic scrub communities and, hence, should be used in ecological restoration of mined-out Ni lateritic areas. The implications of the unique adaptation of these species are also discussed in relation to a conservation strategy for their natural populations.

Daemonorops sedisspirituum, a new species of Daemonorops Blume (Arecaceae: Calamoideae) from Java

SummaryA new species of the rattan genus Daemonorops is recorded for Java, Daemonorops sedisspirituum. D. sedisspirituum is closely allied to D. hirsuta and D. oblonga but differs in stem size, sheath armature, and seed surface.

Information management of plant biodiversity in tropical forests

This study was carried out to collect and compile the information on plant species in Southeast Asian tropical forests and to provide them as a useful tool for the conservation of plant biodiversity. Tropical plant guidebook entitled “Flowering Plants and Ferns of Mt Makiling” was published. 337 taxa including 293 flowering plants and 44 ferns that are living in Mt. Makiling and nearby areas of the Philippines were included in this book. “ASEAN Tropical Plant Database” was developed and served through the homepage of National Institute of Environmental Research in Korea (http://tropicalplant.nier.go.kr). 573 endemic or introduced plant species living in Southeast Asian tropical forests were listed in this database. All of the data on plant species included in the guidebook and database were obtained from the field study and literature survey. More than 1,000 and 1,500 photos taken from the field survey were also printed on the book and database, respectively.