| Rhaphidophora guamensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Araceae |
| Genus: | Rhaphidophora |
| Species: | R. guamensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhaphidophora guamensis P.C.Boyce (2001) | |
| Synonyms | |
None | |
Rhaphidophora guamensis is a climbing plant in the family Araceae that is endemic to the island of Guam in the Mariana Islands. [1]
Rhaphidophora guamensis is a moderately-robust, medium-sized liana. It features leptocauly (slender primary stem with many branches). It is heterophyllous, meaning that it produces two distinct kinds of leaves. [1]
The species is only known to exist on the island of Guam, where it can be found in mixed forests, coconut plantations and on limestone. [1]
Peter C. Boyce proposed 9 groups of the Rhaphidophora genus, grouping Rhaphidophora guamensis in the "Spathacea (Hollrungii) Group" with other species from Australia, New Guinea, and Micronesia ( Rhaphidophora australasica , Rhaphidophora spathacea , Rhaphidophora versteegii and Rhaphidophora waria ). [2] It is most similar to Rhaphidophora spathacea from New Guinea and the Caroline Islands but has several distinguishing features. [3]
The first herbarium specimen was collected from Mount Lamlam by Donald Anderson in 1949 for the Pacific Vegetation Project, [4] [5] later by Benjamin Stone (1962) [6] [7] and A. Rinehart (1987), [8] labeled only as "Rhaphidophora." It was eventually described in detail and named Rhaphidophora guamensis by the British botanist, Peter C. Boyce in 2001 in The Gardens' Bulletin (Singapore). [2]
A herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study.
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