Malaxis seychellarum

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Malaxis seychellarum
Malaxis seychellarum (cropped).jpg
M. seychellarum photographed on the island of Mahé, Seychelles
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Genus: Malaxis
Species:
M. seychellarum
Binomial name
Malaxis seychellarum
Synonyms [2]
  • Liparis seychellarumKraenzl.
  • Microstylis seychellarum(Kraenzl.) Schltr.
  • Microstylis thomassetii Rolfe
  • Seidenfia seychellarum(Kraenzl.) Szlach.

Malaxis seychellarum is a species of orchid endemic to the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. First described in 1902, it is now considered a vulnerable species.

Contents

Taxonomy and history

This species was first described in 1902 by German botanist Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Kraenzlin as Liparis seychellarum, placing it in the genus Liparis . [3] Kraenzlin's description was based on a type specimen collected by fellow German botanist Andreas Schimper, who visited the Seychelles in 1898 as a member of the Valdivia expedition. [4] Another German botanist, Rudolf Schlechter, transferred this species to the genus Microstylis (now a synonym of Malaxis ) in 1915. [5] English botanist Robert Allen Rolfe would posthumously describe this species in 1922 under the name Microstylis thomassetii based on type material collected in 1901. [6] Fellow English botanist V. S. Summerhayes listed Rolfe's name as a junior synonym of Microstylis seychellarum in 1931, and would later transfer this species to the genus Malaxis in 1953. [7] [8] Polish botanist Dariusz Szlachetko moved this species into the genus Seidenfia in 1995, however, this change was not widely accepted, and Seidenfia seychellarum is considered a junior synonym of Malaxis seychellarum. [4]

Distribution and habitat

M. seychellarum is restricted to the islands of Mahé and Silhouette in the Seychelles, where it occurs in montane forests dominated by Dillenia and Northea trees at altitudes of 400–750 m (1,310–2,460 ft). [1] [9] It grows in damp humus or on mossy rocks, trees, and tree ferns in shaded areas. [4]

Description

M. seychellarum is a medium to large plant growing 10–33 cm (3.9–13.0 in) tall. The pseudobulbs are stem-like and bulbous at the base, measuring 5–8 cm (2.0–3.1 in) long and 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) in diameter. Each pseudobulb is covered with two or three overlapping stem-sheaths and bears two to five leaves starting half way up the stem. The leaves are thin, elliptic to ovate-elliptic in shape, measuring 7–20 cm (2.8–7.9 in) long and 2.5–7 cm (0.98–2.76 in) wide. The leaves may be green or purplish-green. The inflorescence is erect, measuring up to 30 cm (12 in) long and densely packed with up to 50 flowers that open in succession. The flowers are small, measuring approximately 5 mm (0.20 in) by 6 mm (0.24 in), and variable in colour, ranging from yellow to green to purple. [4]

Ecology

M. seychellarum is capable of growing as an epiphyte, lithophyte, or as a terrestrial plant in humus-rich soils. [1] [2] [4] It appears to flower year-round, though the primary flowering season lasts from November to May. [4]

Conservation status

M. seychellarum is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature under criteria B1ab(iii), B2ab(iii), and D2, based on its restricted area of occupancy, the number of locations at which this species is present, and the risk of habitat degradation. M. seychellarum is present within protected national parks, however, invasive species and climate change threaten its habitat. [1]

Related Research Articles

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Oeceoclades seychellarum is a terrestrial orchid species in the genus Oeceoclades that was endemic to the island of Mahé in the Seychelles but is now considered to be extinct. Its sepals and petals are yellowish-white, while the labellum is white with some streaks. This species is only represented by the type specimen, collected in May 1902 from the Cascade Estate on the island of Mahé at an elevation of 900 feet (270 m) in what was then a mountain forest. The location from which the type specimen was collected is now degraded by human activity and invasive plants. Oeceoclades seychellarum was listed as being cultivated at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1905, but not after that date.

Malaxis boninensis is a species of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceae, native to the Bonin Islands and the Volcano Islands, both belonging to Japan. It grows on the ground from pseudobulbs. It was first described by Gen-ichi Koidzumi in 1918, as Microstylis boninensis, and transferred to Malaxis by Kunio Nakajima in 1975.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gerlach, J. (2011). "Malaxis seychellarum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2011: e.T193435A8860249. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T193435A8860249.en . Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Malaxis seychellarum (Kraenzl.) Summerh". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  3. ↑ Kraenzlin, F. (1904). "Orchidaceae africanae. VII". Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie (in German). 33: 60. ISSN   0006-8152. LCCN   2007219232. OCLC   1536907. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2018– via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hermans, Johan; Verlynde, Simon; Cribb, Phillip; Ramandimbisoa, Brigitte; Hervouet, Jean-Michel; Bernet, Patrice (2020). "Malaxideae (Orchidaceae) in Madagascar, the Mascarenes, Seychelles and Comoro Islands". Kew Bulletin. 75 (1): 164-167. Bibcode:2020KewBu..75....1H. doi: 10.1007/S12225-019-9851-0 .
  5. ↑ Schlechter, R. (1915). "Kritische Aufzählung der bisher von Madagaskar, den Maskarenen, Komoren und Seychellen bekanntgewordenen Orchidaceen". Beihefte zum Botanischen Centralblatt (in German). 33 (2): 411. OCLC   21097365 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  6. ↑ Rolfe, R.A. (1922). "New Orchids: Decas XLIX". Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (in Latin). 1922. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: 24. OCLC   7052979 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  7. ↑ Summerhayes, V. S. (1931). "An Enumeration of the Angiosperms of the Seychelles Archipelago". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London . 19 (2): 292. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1931.tb00129.x. ISSN   1945-9467.
  8. ↑ Summerhayes, V. S. (1953). "African Orchids: XXII". Kew Bulletin . 8 (4): 578. Bibcode:1953KewBu...8..575S. doi:10.2307/4117387. ISSN   0075-5974. JSTOR   4117387.
  9. ↑ Margońska, Hanna B.; Szlachetko, Dariusz L. (2001). "Materials to the revision of the genus Seidenfia (Orchidaceae, Malaxidinae) with a description of a new species". Polish Botanical Journal. 46 (1): 59.
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