Suchergebnisse

SummaryWikstroemia pseudoretusa Koidz., endemic to the Ogasawara Islands, Japan is illustrated as Plate 1114 from an ex‐situ collection conserved in the glasshouse of the Koishikawa Botanical Gardens, Tokyo.

SummaryRadermachera sinica (Hance) Hemsl., is illustrated. Its history is described, and its survival and flowering in cultivation in London are recorded.

SummaryRhododendron poilanei Dop, from Vietnam and southwestern China is illustrated and its relationship with other species in section Peudovireya is discussed.

SummaryMelastoma candidum D.Don var. alessandrense S.Kobayashi is an evergreen shrub endemic to Kita‐iwoto Island, an oceanic volcanic island in the subtropical northwestern Pacific Ocean. Here we provide illustrations to show the morphological features of this species and demonstrate the unique natural environment which is its habitat, where few people in the world have ever been.

SummaryCrepidiastrum grandicollum (Koidz.) Nakai (Compositae: Lactuceae: Crepidinae) is described and illustrated. The current synonymy is provided, together with type citations for each of the names and statements of the type material. A selection of verified illustrations of the species in the literature is provided. Statements of the species' distribution, habitat and ecological preferences (with observations on the phytosociological classification), phenology, conservation status, and the etymology of both generic and specific epithets are given along with vernacular names, some of which are apparently literal translations of the Latin binomial. Cultivation, propagation, and availability notes are provided, although the species is Critically Endangered and currently only cultivated Koishikawa Botanical Garden, University of Tokyo, Japan, as part of the Ministry of the Environment's Rare Wild Fauna and Flora Species Protection and Breeding Project. Discussions include pollination syndromes in Crepidiastrum in the Bonin Islands, the intricacies of the involvement of the Honey Bee in their pollination (compared with conservation measures) and the displacement of native insect pollinators, mention of seed/achene dispersal and evolution within the genus, conservation proposals, including the use of exclosures to prevent destruction by feral goats (Capra hircus), and electric fences, adhesive traps and Teflon™ sheets to help control the lizard known as the Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis); typhoon damage and the potential for issues with ants ‐ Pheidole (Westwood) spp. (including the African Big‐headed Ant, P. megacephala) are also mentioned. Some consideration for the rôle of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) associations with the endemics in conservation programmes should not be overlooked. Attention is drawn to observations on some bizarre web sites with somewhat bogus information on the species, and why they should be disregarded.

SummaryThe genus Vincetoxicum Wolf is one of the most species‐rich genera in the Apocynaceae and has diversified in Japan. Vincetoxicum magnificum (Nakai) Kitag. is a perennial herb endemic to Japan. Most Japanese Vincetoxicum species flower in summer to autumn, whereas V. magnificum flowers in spring. Here we provide images of Japanese Vincetoxicum species in their natural habitats and a colour painting, detailed illustrations, photos, and a full description of V. magnificum.

SummaryAgapetes oxycoccoides J. Murata, Nob. Tanaka & Ohi‐Toma from Kachin State, Myanmar is described and illustrated. In its floral morphology, this species is very similar to Vaccinium oxycoccos L. Extrafloral nectaries on the margins of young leaves of this species and of A. moorei Hook.f. are reported here for the first time.

SummaryBreynia vitis‐idaea (Burm.f.) C.E.C.Fisch. is illustrated and its remarkable mutualism with a seed‐parasitic moth pollinator is described. The species is cultivated in the glasshouse of Koishikawa Botanical Garden together with its specific moth pollinator, which helps the plant to produce showy red fruits throughout the year.

SummaryThe widely‐distributed genus Euonymus, the spindle‐tree, includes over 140 accepted species, many of which are well known in cultivation. Here we describe and illustrate one of the tallest species, Euonymus chibae Makino. The discovery, pollination biology, and conservation of this species is discussed, and a lectotype is proposed in addition to the detailed description.

SummaryA specimen of Agapetes from Myanmar is described and illustrated as Agapetes grandiflora Hook.f., as a result of comparison with A. burmanica W.E.Evans, A. macrantha (Hook.) Hook.f. and A. variegata (Roxb.) D.Don ex G.Don. This species has extrafloral nectaries on the margins of young leaves and at the apex of calyx lobes.

SummaryThe Chinese horse‐chestnut, Aesculus chinensis, is illustrated from a tree cultivated at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. This tree was grown from seeds originally imported from China by Dr Purdom, from whom Kew obtained a plant. A detailed description accompanies this excellent illustration. The taxonomy, ecology, cytology and etymology are also discussed. The introduction of this species into western horticulture and methods of propagation and cultivation are given.

SummaryEchinops wakhanicus Rech.f. (Compositae: Cardueae: Echinopsinae) is described and illustrated, and its taxonomic position discussed. Field observations and seed collection of the species are mentioned. The genus Echinops is discussed, and comments made on its infrageneric classification, and the placement of E. wakhanicus in sect. Oligolepis. The terminology used in describing the flowering structure in the genus is discussed; the term synflorescence is preferred. Tribal and subtribal relationships are mentioned. Cultivation requirements are also outlined and, whilst certainly unavailable commercially, it is also unlikely to be found in botanical gardens, except in Tajikistan. Spanning the borders of Afghanistan and Tajikistan, the Conservation Status (of Endangered) in Tajikistan is not reflected in the species' wider distribution on the other side of the Panj River in Afghanistan, where it is considered of Least Concern. The variable spination at the apex of some of the synflorescences is commented on.

SummaryRhododendron starlingii Rushforth & Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, from Fan Si Pan, Vietnam's highest mountain, is described as a new species and illustrated. It is related to R. crenulatum from Pu Bia, Laos' highest mountain, but differs in several characters.

SummaryIn the Library of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, there are some books and manuscripts which were made in Japan and whose background is uncertain. One of these is (Honzo Zufu) which consists of illustrations and descriptions of plants compiled in the first half of 19th century. Kew's Honzo Zufu was exhibited in the 'Flora Japonica' show at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery on 17th September 2016 to 5th March 2017. 'Flora Japonica' showed works of contemporary Japanese botanical artists and important illustrated books of Japanese plants made between the 17th and 20th centuries. The illustrations of Honzo Zufu are also used for the Kew's Floral Illustrated Calendar 2019. In this article, we describe Kew's copy of Honzo Zufu and tell the story about how it came to be in the possession of the Library.