Pemphis

Abstract: Mainly associated with low-lying very rough, sharp ‘champignon’ or pitted limestone, this formation is almost entirely composed of Pemphis acidula bushes. It is a distinctive sclerophyll scrub that often forms a narrow belt outlining mangrove areas. There are also broader belts along part of the lagoon coast and on part of the north coast and south coast west of Dune d’Messe. On Aldabra the few associated plant species include the Aldabran endemics Sideroxylon inerme (Sapotaceae) and more locally Vernonia aldabrensis (Asteraceae). Pemphis scrub is also an important vegetation type on Astove, Europa and Cosmoleda, but has a restricted distribution being found no further north than the southern Amirantes and Providence and is absent from the granitic Seychelles. Comoran Mixed Scrub and Scrub Woodland Comprising open broad-leaf evergreen formations this vegetation usually forms stands ranging from 3-5 m tall but can reach 7 m. It occupies large areas of the raised limestone islands and supports most of the endemic species. On Aldabra it contains about 50 species of shrubs and small trees. The most conspicuous of these are Apodytes dimidiata, Canthium bibracteatum, Euphorbis abbottii, Ficus avi-avi, F. consimilis, F. nautarum, F. thonningii, Maytenus senegalensis, Mystroxylon aethiopicum, Ochno ciliata, Pandanus vandermeeschii, Polysphaeria multiflora, Terminalia fatraea and the Aldabran endemics Erythroxylon acranthum (Erythroxylaceae), Grewia aldabrensis, G. salicifolia (Tiliaceae) and Sideroxylon inerme (Sapotaceae). Less frequent but still notable are Allophylus alnifolia, Dracaena reflexa, Guettarda speciosa, Jasminum elegans, Phyllanthus cheloniphorbe, Scaevola taccada, Sarcostemma viminea and the Aldabran endemics Acalypha claoxyloides (Euphorbiaceae), Clerodendron glabrum (Verbenaceae), Flacourtia ramontschii (Salicaceae), Secamone freyeri (Apocynaceae) and Terenna supra-axillaris (Rubiaceae). Among the field layer species are various herbs including several sedges and the conspicuous succulent Lomatophyllum borbonicum. On Aldabra, but no longer on other islands, several species of this formation are browsed by tortoises and there is often a distinct browse line at about 0.6 m. Many of the trees seem to be arranged in rows and generally lean in a westward direction. This curious arrangement is thought to be due to the prevailing Trade Winds.

Abstract: Mangrove forests are a valuable economic resource as important breeding grounds and nursery sites for various animal species, stabilizing coastal lands and offering protection against storms, tsunamis, and sea level rise. Mangrove forest growing along the coastline of Serewe Gulf. The Serewe Gulf has great potential in tourism and sea cultivation sector. The research was conducted in the Serewe Gulf of Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara for 2 months (November up to December 2016). The objective of this research is to determine the diversity of mangrove in the Serewe Gulf, Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara using belt transect method. The identification result shows that there are 9 families with 9 types such as Rhizophoraceae (Rhizophora mucronata), Avicenniaceae (Avicennia officinalis), Sonneratiaceae (Sonneratia alba), Casuarinaceae (Casuarina equisetifolia), Bignoniaceae (Dilochnadrone sthaceae), Malvaceae (Hibiscus tiliaceus), Lythraceae (Pemphis adicula), Aizoaceae (Sesivium portulacastrum), and Euphorbiaceae (Ricinus communis). The diversity of mangrove types in the research area is in medium rate with H’ index of 1.668.

Abstract: The new monotypic genus Koehneria is described, based on Pemphis madagascariensis, one of two species of the lythraceous genus Pemphis. It is distinguished from Pemphis acidula and other members of the Lythraceae by a combination of characters including: glandular trichomes, strongly reflexed calyx lobes, doubled episepalous stamens, a conspicuous ovary stipe, elongated inner epidermal cells of the ovary wall, septifragal capsule dehiscence, 3-pseudocolpate pollen, and wood with septate fibers, scanty parenchyma, and erect ray cells. Morphological, palynological, and anatomical comparison of Koehneria is made to the Old World genera Pemphis, Lagerstroemia, Woodfordia, and the New World genera Adenaria and Pehria. The last three genera share with Koehneria a three-character synapomorphy absent from Pemphis and Lagerstroemia and all other genera of the family. A common ancestral origin is postulated for Koehneria, Woodfordia, Adenaria, and Pehria, but subsequent extensive morphological divergence, together with wide geographic dispersal and extinction of intervening forms, limits understanding of more specific inter-generic relationships.

Abstract: The Lythraceae (Myrtales) are a family of 28 genera and ca. 600 species constituting with the Combretaceae and sister family Onagraceae a major lineage of the Myrtales and including the former Sonneratiaceae, Duabangaceae, Punicaceae, and Trapaceae. The fossil record of the family is extensive and significant new discoveries have been added to the record in recent years. This review provides a vetted summary of fossils attributed to the Lythraceae, their geographic distributions, and their stratigraphic ranges. It anticipates the use of the information to generate robustly dated molecular phylogenies to accurately reconstruct the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the family. Fossils of 44 genera or form genera have been attributed to the Lythraceae; 24 are accepted here as lythracean. Fourteen of the 28 modern genera have fossil representatives: Adenaria, Crenea, Cuphea, Decodon, Duabanga, Lafoensia, Lagerstroemia, Lawsonia, Lythrum, Pemphis, Punica, Sonneratia, Trapa, and Woodfordia. Ten extinct genera are recognized. The most common kinds of fossil remains are seeds and pollen. The only fossil flower confidently accepted in the family is the extinct genus Sahnianthus from the Early Paleocene of India. The oldest confirmed evidence of the Lythraceae is pollen of Lythrum/Peplis from the Late Cretaceous (early Campanian, 82−81 Ma) of Wyoming. Seeds of Decodon from the late Campanian (73.5 Ma) of northern Mexico are next oldest. Sonneratia, Lagerstroemia, and extinct Sahnianthus first appear in the Paleocene of the Indian subcontinent; extinct Hemitrapa fruits first occur in the Paleocene of northwestern North America. Diversification of the Lythraceae occurred primarily during two major periods of global temperature change, during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum and from the middle Miocene forward when temperatures decreased markedly and seasonality and dry-adapted vegetation types became more prominent. Fossils of the Lythraceae from South America and Africa are limited in number. The few dates available for South American genera are comparatively young and diversification of the largest genus, Cuphea (ca. 240 species), was mainly a Quaternary event. A phylogeny of the family is briefly explored and examples of specialized characters occurring in the oldest known genera are noted. The fossil record of the Lythraceae is presently too fragmentary to confidently reconstruct the early history of the family. The record indicates, however, that the family was well-diversified and widely dispersed globally over a wide latitudinal range by the end of the Paleocene.