More gesneriads from the Solomon Islands

As I have continued my explorations of the Solomons, I have encountered several more species of Cyrtandra, this time on Kolombangara Island.

The first species we came across was Cyrtandra filibracteata.


C. filibracteata is a common understory shrub found throughout Kolombangara and presumably most of the Solomon Islands. The species’ red flowers suggest bird pollination. It is apparently tolerant of disturbance and occurs in large numbers along alluvial plains, landslides and recovering deforested areas. Among forests near sites we visited it can be found growing in a variety of areas including hillsides, gorges and along streams and riverbanks. The species can be easily identified by the large 3-5 cm inflorescence clumps growing on the woody trunks and stems. These clusters superficially resemble epiphytes growing on the tree but are in fact a part of it.

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We also saw a few specimens of what I previously called Cyrtandra cominsii. I now believe this identification to be incorrect and have started calling this "C. sp. A." I don't think it is a "new" species but I am having difficulty in positively identifying it.


C. sp. A is common along wet, umpland areas, particularly along stream and river banks, and should be readily identifiable using herbarium records. This species appears to be more susceptible to disturbance and/or adverse conditions than C. filibracteata and was found in far fewer numbers. The long, often white petioles, clustered at the top of stout, large-diameter stems, is perhaps the most recognizable feature of this species. Inflorescences in the leaf axils accumulate decaying flowers and other debris forming a layer of thick sludge from which the ripening, white fruit emerge.

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What is more likely C. cominsii or a closely related species is pictured here.


This species appears to be part of a group of cyrtandras that are distributed throughout the Pacific. Related species are principally found in the Solomon islands, Fiji and Samoa, but can be found as far away as Micronesia and Tonga. A remarkable feature of the current collections is their location: they were made at about 600 meters elevation. Other members of this lineage are commonly associated with ranges at or below 400 meters. Additional study is warranted.

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Also at higher elevations, we found Cyrtandra subulabractea.


C. subulabractea is related to but markedly distinct from C. filibracteata, most notably in the placement and number of flowers along the branches and stems. Calyces are markedly different as well. Both species have red flowers that distinguish them from the other cyrtandras of the Solomons. C. subulabractea may represent a higher elevation counterpart to C. filibracteata, but more detailed distribution surveys are required to confirm this.



The pollinator for these species, while unknown, is possibly one of two bird species (C. Filardi and A. Uy. pers. comm.). Detailed study of pollinator visitation will be required to better understand the ecological roles of these species in the Solomon Islands.

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Here is a photograph of another species of Cyrtandra that I have yet to identify.


It is of close affinity to Cyrtandra sp. A, but differs in the smaller, herbaceous habit and linear, glabrous inflorescence bracts. The only collection of this species was made at over 600 meters.


No members of the related species C. sp. A were seen near the same area, suggesting that this species may be a higher-elevation ecological replacement of the other. More distribution data will be required to evaluate this hypothesis.

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Finally, we found a population of C. erectiloba, the species found only at 900 meters on Isabel Island. This population, however, was found growing at 400 meters. The species apparently has a greater elevational tollerance than I first hypothesized.

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My time on Kolombangara was a fantastic journey made all the better by the hospitality and kindness extended to me by the staff of Kolombangara Forest Products Ltd. KFPL staff exemplified why the Solomon Islands are known as the "friendly isles." In particular, I’d like to acknowledge Simon LaGassicke, Vaeno Vigulu, Derol Sikua, Grayton Saghelama, Sue Vave, Tim Bula and Ferguson Vaghi for their direct assistance. For more on my adventures on Kolombangara, please check out my other blog "Extreme Botany" hosted by Sarasota Magazine.

Thank you for the continued interest and support!

~JRC

Gesneriads from Isabel Island.

I encountered my first Solomon Islands native gesneriads last week while on Isabel Island. The region has been tragically logged in the last decade, so finding them took quite some effort. We hired a guide and two porters from the inland village of Tirotonga to attempt a summit of the highest peak on the island, Mt. Kubonito - a 1200 meter mountain that can only be reached through kilometers of winding, difficult mountain trails. After much toil, we reached intact, solid habitat and Cyrtandra and other gesneriads were located. The team was instrumental in making this happen and both members from the Forestry Minisitry and the Tirotonga men were excellent at spotting gesneriads. This was good, because I had to keep my eyes firmly planted on the trail most of the time!

The first species we found is most likely related to Cyrtandra fulvo-villosa or C. cominsii. It is a large monopodial shrub with tight rosettes of large, petiolate leaves. Notice the length of the greenish-white petioles; they are at least 30-40 cm! The flowers are born in tight clusters in the leaf axils.



The man pictured with this specimen is Hudson, our guide from Tirotonga village.

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The next gesneriad we came across was Aeshynanthus solomonensis. This was my first Aeschynanthus sighting in the field, so I was very excited to find it. Although it is typical for the genus, its range is unique - it is the only known Aeschynanthus found in the Solomons and yet it is quite common throughout the archipelago. I am curious to know how it is related to other species living further West.


The calyx is rather small on A. solomonensis (less than 1 cm), and the lobes are tinged with pink. The corolla is dark pink to sometimes red and the throat is lined with wine red markings. The leaves are glossy and dark green above, lighter green below.

Some areas of the trail were littered with fallen red blossoms from populations that could be seen in the canopy above.

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Another species of Cyrtandra that we found I believe is C. laciniata. However, it differs in several respects from Gillett's 1975 description of the species, warranting further investigation.


It is a large shrub with dense hairs along the stems and leaves. The calyces are greenish white and the flowers are small and white or pale yellow.

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On a hellacious treck to the sumit of Mt. Kubonitu, we located an amazing little population of Cyrtandra erectiloba. This species, often found growing above 900 meters in cloud forest, is most likely part of a lineage that is different than all other Pacific species of Cyrtandra. C. erectiloba and related species found in Southeast Asia are characterized by nearly glabrous, stout leaves that superficially resemble oak or chestnut leaves.


The leaves are also pseudo-alternate; the opposite leaf of a pair is reduced to a scale-like bract, similar to what is seen in many species of Columnea. If it had not been for the characteristic flowers, I don't know if I would have recognized it as a Cyrtandra!


Note also the white, inflated calyx. Flowers in this species are born on hard, wood stems, among leaves as well as along leafless sections of stem (not shown).

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We were also fortunate enough to find the only known species in the genus Coronanthera from the Solomons, C. grandis. This species is indeed grand as it's namesake suggests - individuals were several meters tall and were serious trees.


Note the long, pendulous inflorescences. The leaves and overall habit are quite similar to many species of Cyrtandra that I have observed in the field. These two genera in fact belong to different subfamilies.


The flowers are small, ~1 cm, and urn shaped. the flowers are also rather similar to some species of Cyrtandra, but there are four distinct stamens. Most species of Cyrtandra have only two.


The fruit of Coronanthera, a hard capsule that dehisces along two or four openings, best differentiates this group from Cyrtandra.

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I am now in the Western Province on the Island of Ghizo. I will be resuming collecting in a week or so in this area, so look for more posts in the coming weeks on the Gesneriads of the Solomon Islands. To read more about the stories behind these plant encounters, please visit my other blog, hosted by Sarasota Magazine (www.sarasotamagazine.com): Extreme Botany.

JRC
Ghizo Island, Western Province, Solomon Islands

My travel log at Sarasota Magazine

Hello from the Solomon Islands. I am in day five (or is it six?!) of this two month long adventure. The first gesneriad I've seen? An Episcia hybrid growing in a pot near the hotel I am staying in!

I will have more to say on this blog about the research and science as it develops. For now, I am posting travel updates on my other blog at Sarasota Magazine's webpage:

www.sarasotamagazine.com

If interested, please click on the above link. You will find a pull down menu named "blogs." Mine is the one titled "Extreme Botany." Here you will find the more "human interest" side of my travels. What happened that day. What I ate. What made me sick. What I am sick of. Oh, yes, and what makes me happy to be here!

Thanks for the interest. More soon...

~JRC
Honiara, Solomon Islands

Herald-Tribune Article on the Vidaver Expedition

I was interviewed last week by Jack McClintock, a correspondent for the Sarasota Herald Tribune. Jack is a freelance journalist, specializing in science writing. His articles have been published in various places including Discover Magazine.

You can read his article on the up-coming Vidaver Expedition at the Herald-Tribune's website:

Selby Botanist to Brave Jungle to Find Flowers

Background Info on the Solomon Islands

22 April 2009 (10 days until departure)

The Solomon Islands, located at 9° 41.25'S 160° 13.00' E, are a group of oceanic islands that were formed about 25 million years ago. There are over 900 islands that make up the archepelagio, Guadalcanal being the largest. The Solomons are known as outer-arc islands - the islands were formed from the collision between two (or more) tectonic plates resulting in the upheaval of land. The region is known as the Andesite Line. Unlike continents and continental islands (chunks of land broken off from continents such as New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea), the Solomons are thought to be true oceanic islands that have always been separated by water from other neighboring landmasses.

The fact that the Solomon have been separated throughout their history is of great importance in understanding how and why species evolve on islands. Plants, such as the gesneriads I study, had to have made it to the Solomons by some means of dispersal. The question is how did new species form because of or following this dispersal and how did this lead to the great diversity we see in the Solomons and other oceanic islands of the Pacific? One main goal of the Vidaver Expedition is to collect plant specimens to further study this phenomenon.

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Announcing the Dr. Anne Vidaver Expedition to the Solomon Islands, 2 May – 26 June, 2009

(Sarasota, FL – April 20, 2009): As part of on-going work at the Gesneriad Research Center, Dr. John R. Clark of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, will conduct an expedition to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific from May 2 – June 26, 2009. The expedition is generously funded by Dr. Anne Vidaver, an ardent supporter of research on the gesneriad plant family.

The Solomon Islands, located northeast of Australia and east of Papua New Guinea, is a biologically-rich part of the world representing some of the last large tracts of lowland and mountain island forest in the world. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the biodiversity of the Solomons is greatly threatened by deforestation for logging and subsistence agriculture.

Dr. Clark, along with collaborators from the Ministry of Environment, Solomon Islands, and the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, will be conducting plant diversity studies in this poorly-known and increasingly threatened part of the world. Specimens and data collected during this expedition will be used for inventory, classification and conservation efforts. To learn more about the Vidaver Expedition and to follow Dr. Clark’s progress go to http://gesneriadresearchcenter.blogspot.com.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a respected center for research and education as well as a famous orchid showplace. The Gardens is located at 900 South Palm Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. It is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the exception of Christmas day. For further information call (941) 366-5731 or visit www.selby.org.

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Announcing: World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010

The Gesneriad Research Center at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is pleased to announce

World Gesneriad Research Conference 2010

WGRC 2010 will be a three-day scientific meeting to be held in Sarasota, Florida in September or October 2010 focused on research in Gesneriaceae. Experts and students are invited to make presentations about research on Gesneriaceae and to discuss, promote and plan for continued research-based advancements in this important plant family. Plant enthusiasts and horticulturalists will also be encouraged to attend the presentations and to
participate in discussion groups. Associated activities such as field trips will be a major part of WGRC 2010; these activities will be open to all conference attendees.

We are soliciting ideas and proposals for activities at WGRC 2010. Possible topics of interest include systematics, biogeography and ancestral range history, taxonomy and monography, pollination biology and ecology, conservation, horticulture, etc.

STEERING COMMITTEE

John L. Clark, University of Alabama
John R. Clark, Gesneriad Research Center
Eric H. Roalson, Washington State University
Laurence E. Skog, Smithsonian Institution

Bruce K. Holst, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Jeanne Katzenstein, The Gesneriad Society, Inc.
Melissa McDowell, Suncoast Chapter, The Gesneriad Society, Inc.
Peter Shalit, The Gesneriad Society, Inc.

TO PARTICIPATE

To participate and/or to receive additional information please send an email to the Committee Chair, John R. Clark, at gesneriadresearch@gmail.com by 15 April 2009 with the following information:

Name, Institution, mailing and email address, current position.

Research Interests.

Symposia concept(s).

How you wish to participate (poster, oral presentation, symposium chair, other).

Which month you prefer the conference to be held (September or October 2010).

Potential conflicts that should be considered (e.g., other meetings).

NOTE: Please forward this mailing to other researchers and students that may be interested in participating. You may receive this message more than once.

Sincerely,

WGRC 2010 Steering Committee