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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Jul 10.
Published in final edited form as: Novon (St Louis). 2008 Dec 16;18(4):421–424. doi: 10.3417/2007101

A new threatened species of Pandanaceae from northwestern Madagascar, Pandanus sermolliana

Martin W Callmander 1, Sven Buerki 2, Sebastien Wohlhauser 3
PMCID: PMC3132438  NIHMSID: NIHMS301804  PMID: 21750602

Abstract

Pandanus sermolliana Callmander & Buerki (Pandanaceae) is described from humid forests in the Galoka mountain chain in northwestern Madagascar. The new species can be easily distinguished from the other members of the genus it most closely resembles, P. insuetus Huynh and P. perrieri Martelli, by several morphological characters including drupes that are incompletely fused, with each of the dome-like carpels separated from the base of the pileus, and stigmas that are sub-vertical or rarely sub-horizontal, slightly spinescent, and raised on an incompletely united base. This distinctive species is rare and is classified as Critically Endangered based on IUCN threat criteria.

Keywords: Madagascar, Pandanus, Pandanaceae, IUCN Red List

Introduction

The paleotropical genus Pandanus Parkinson comprises some 600 species of trees and shrubs divided in ten subgenera and 59 sections (Stone, 1974; Callmander & Laivao, 2003). Madagascar is one of the major centers of diversity of the genus with 90 species, all except one of which belong to subg. Vinsonia (Gaudich.) Warb. Only P. perrieri Martelli, described on the basis of fragmentary material, has been placed in subg. Pandanus sect. Pandanus.

Over the last 10 years, in preparation for a treatment of Pandanaceae for the Flore de Madagascar and des Comores, we have collected more than 200 specimens from all of Madagascar's phytogeographic regions as well as from the surrounding islands. We have also examined herbarium specimens from all of the major herbaria with significant holdings of the genus from Madagascar, viz. those in Antananarivo (TAN, TEF), Florence (FI), Geneva (G), Neuchâtel (NEU), Paris (P) and St. Louis (MO), and have published a series of taxonomic revisions and notes on the group (Laivao et al., 2000, 2006, 2007; Callmander et al., 2001, 2003a,b,c; Callmander & Laivao, 2002). These studies provided the basis for assessing the conservation status of all Malagasy Pandanaceae following the IUCN Red List criteria (2001) and for identifying priority areas for conserving members of the family (Callmander et al., 2007).

During the last 3 years we have conducted an intensive botanical inventory of a poorly known portion of Madagascar's northern mountains, situated between the Marojejy and Tsaratanana massifs, aimed at improving our understanding of the region's biogeography and providing conservation recommendations of these biologically important, highly threatened forests (Guillaumet et al., in press). As part of this study, we visited the southern part of the Galoka massif, including the Kalabenono hills, a poorly explored mountain chain situated at the northern edge of the Sambirano region in northwestern Madagascar. Our field work in this area, which has thus far generated more than 500 collections, clearly indicates that the massif contains many new species, including taxa in the following families: Anacardiaceae (Randrianasolo & Lowry, in press), Araliaceae, Burseraceae, Euphorbiaceae and Lamiaceae. Among our many discoveries, we also collected a remarkable new species of Pandanaceae, which we describe here.

Description

Pandanus sermolliana Callmander & Buerki, sp. nov. TYPE: Madagascar. Prov. Antsiranana. Chaîne Galoka, Mont Galoka, Fokontany Anketrabe-Belinta, lisière de forêt dense humide, 13°35′3.3″S, 048°43′29.6″E, 820 m, 5 Feb. 2005, M. W. Callmander, S. Buerki & S. Wohlhauser 367 (holotype, MO; isotypes, G, P, PH, TAN). Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Figure 1

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Pandanus sermolliana Callmander & Buerki. —A. Lateral view and longitudinal section of a monoloculate drupe. —B. Syncarp. —C. Apex and base of a leaf. —D. Habit. —E. Lateral view of a pluricarpellate drupe showing the stigmas. —F. Longitudinal section of a pluriloculate drupe. Drawn from the holotype, Callmander et al. 367 (MO).

Haec species quoad drupas incomplete connatas ad Pandanum perrieri Martelli maxime accedit, sed ab eo druparum quoque carpello tholiformi ex pilei base separato atque stigmatibus subverticalibus (raro subhorizontalibus) parum spinescentibus super basem incomplete unitam elevatis distinguitur.

Tree to 5–6 m tall, stem prickly, 7–8 cm diam., erect, branched; prop roots present. Leaves gradually attenuate in the distal part, 210–240 × 4.5–5 cm in the middle, 5.5–6 cm near the sheath, apex attenuate; leaves coriaceous when dry; auricles lacking, blade densely alveolate on abaxial surface, longitudinal and transverse veins visible on both surfaces; prickles brownish; marginal prickles beginning at 15–17 cm above the base and extending to the apex, antrorse, 4 mm in the lower third, 3–8 mm apart, strong, to 2 mm in the mid third, 12–18 mm apart, to 1 mm in the distal third, 3–(6) mm apart; midrib armed, prickles small (< 0.5 mm), randomly disposed (2–7 cm apart) and slightly prominent, antrorse in the upper half, then larger (0.5–1 mm), regularly disposed, spaced (3–6 mm apart) and prominent; sheath 16–17 cm long, 6 cm wide at apex, 8–9 cm at base. Infructescence terminal, the solitary syncarp erect on a straight peduncle; syncarp 15–16 × 13–14 cm, sub-spherical; core 3 × 2 cm; peduncle 17–21 cm long, 2–2.5 cm wide at apex, 1.5–1.8 cm in the middle, straight, trigonous, veins visible, first bract borne 7 cm from the base of syncarp, 6 to 7 bracts on entire peduncle. Drupes 12 to 18, connate in the mature syncarp, 60–75 mm high, 50–70 mm wide, 35–55 mm thick, 4–(5) angled; pileus convex, distal (1/2−)1/3 free; carpels (1 to)5(to 7), incompletely united, each carpel with a dome-like apex; apical sinuses 2–5 mm deep, V–shaped; stigmas (1 to)5(to 7), 3–4 mm high; somewhat spinescent, sub-vertical, rarely sub-horizontal, raised on an incompletely united base, laterally disposed on the margin of a slightly concave plateau; endocarp 20–25 mm long in the center, shortened on both sides, 40–65 mm wide, 10 mm away from the stigmas; seed locule oblong, 15 × 7 mm, superior mesocarp narrow and compact; inferior mesocarp thick and fibrous. Male flowers unknown.

Observations

Pandanus sermolliana is remarkable in having an infructescence and drupes that are among the largest known on Madagascar, comparable only with those of P. insuetus and P. perrieri. Our new species can, however, be geographically separated from P. insuetus, which is endemic to lowland forests of the Masoala peninsula (ca. 280 km to the east). Pandanus sermolliana also differs morphologically from P. insuetus in having no prominent auricles at the base of its leaves (vs. large auricle 17 × 14 cm in P. insuetus), stigmas laterally disposed on the margin of a slightly concave plateau on each carpels of the drupe (vs. gathered in a circle at the apex of the drupe 6–10 mm apart from another in P. insuetus) (Laivao et al., 2006).

Morphologically, P. sermolliana closely resembles P. perrieri, with which it shares incompletely fused drupes and leaves that lack large auricles. Our new species can, however, be distinguished from P. perrieri by having drupes that are incompletely fused, with each of the dome-like carpels separated from the base of the pileus (vs. flat and fused in the distal 1/3 of the pileus in P. perrieri) and stigmas that are sub-vertical or rarely sub-horizontal, only slightly spinescent, and raised on an incompletely merged base (vs. sub-horizontal or rarely sub-vertical, flat to deltoid, and not raised in P. perrieri).

Distribution and habitat

Our new species is only known from the Kalabenono-Galoka massif in northwestern Madagascar, in montane forest at an elevation of ca. 500-800 m.

Etymology

This species is named in honour of Rodolfo E. G. Pichi-Sermolli (1912–2005), who published many works on tropical African phytogeography and taxonomy, and made an important contribution to our understanding of Malagasy Pandanaceae. When one of the most influential specialists of the family, Ugolino Martelli, died in 1934, he left behind a manuscript based on the collections made by Henri Perrier de la Bâthie in Madagascar, which Pichi-Sermolli brought to completion and published in 1951. Several decades later, Stone (1975) published P. pichi-sermollii B. C. Stone in his honor, but that species was recently placed in synonymy under P. guillaumetii B. C. Stone (Laivao et al., 2007). Here we once again honor Pichi-Sermolli by describing P. sermolliana.

Conservation status

Pandanus sermolliana has an area of occupancy of 18 km2, and comprises 2 known sub-populations, neither of which is located in a protected area. Using the methodology of Callmander et al. (2007) based on the IUCN's Red List threat criteria (2001), we therefore assigned a preliminary status of Critically Endangered (CR A3c; C2a(i); D).

Paratypes

MADAGASCAR. Prov. Antsiranana. Ambilobe, Beramanja, Anketrabe, forêt de Kalabenono, haut de crête, sol profond, 690 m, 13°38′36″S, 48°40′25″E, 25 Nov. 2006. M. W. Callmander, Jo Vasaha and Malaza 596 (G, MO, P, US, TAN).

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza, ANGAP (Association Nationale pour la gestion des Aires Protégées) and the Missouri Botanical Garden's office in Antananarivo for assistance in Madagascar. Prof. Philippe Küpfer (Université de Neuchâtel) is acknowledged for his tireless support before and during this study. We thank Laurent Gautier, Louis Nusbaumer, Patrick Ranirison and Nicolas Fumeaux of the Conservatory and Botanical Garden of Geneva, Switzerland (CJBG) for assistance during the study; Pete Lowry and Roy Gereau (Missouri Botanical Garden) for respectively improving an earlier version of the manuscript and for preparing the Latin diagnosis. Roger Lala Andriamiarisoa (Missouri Botanical Garden-Madagascar) provided the fine illustrations. The authors are also grateful to the staff of the herbaria in Antananarivo, Geneva, St. Louis, Neuchâtel and Paris for access to collections. Financial support was provided to the authors by the Swiss Embassy in Antananarivo and to the first author by Conservation International-Madagascar (convention 474), the National Geographic Society (grant no. 8114-06), and the International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups (ICBG). Financial support for the ICBG project was provided by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Cooperative Agreement U01 TW000313.

Contributor Information

Martin W. Callmander, Email: martin.callmander@mobot–mg.org., Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166–0299, USA.; Université de Neuchâtel, Laboratoire de Botanique Evolutive, Rue Emile-Argand 11, Case postale 158, 2009 Neuchâtel, Suisse

Sven Buerki, Université de Neuchâtel, Laboratoire de Botanique Evolutive, Rue Emile-Argand 11, Case postale, 158, 2009 Neuchatel, Suisse.

Sebastien Wohlhauser, Association Fanamby, Lot II K 40, Ankadivato, MG-101 Antananarivo, Madagascar.

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