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The Genus Hydnora (Hydnoraceae) in Southern Africa and Madagascar Lytton John Musselman Jay F

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The Genus Hydnora (Hydnoraceae) in Southern Africa and Madagascar Lytton John Musselman Jay F The genus Hydnora (Hydnoraceae) in Southern Africa and Madagascar Lytton John Musselman Jay F. Bolin and Erika Maass University of Namibia The strangest plants in the world! Piperales: Hydnoraceae Prosopanche Hydnora Nickrent 2002 History of Taxonomy of Hydnora Review of our Work the Past Decade Ongoing and Future Research Holoparasitic mode and growth form of Hydnora Euphorbia gregaria Hydnora visseri Known as the CIA Flower Underground, unseen When seen, there is a big stink Obstacles to Systematic Studies Seasonal appearance of plants not predictable Type material often very poor Often in remote areas Type specimen of Hydnora triceps The Discovery of Hydnora Carl Thunberg 1743-1828 From fungus to foul flower? J. F. Gaffard Hydnum repandum Hydnora esculenta The Discovery of Hydnora “So strange is its composition that many would certainly doubt the existence of such a plant on the face of the earth." Hydnora africana Carl Thunberg 1775 Type Specimen History of Discovery Erik Acharius 1757-1819 Erik Acharius 1776 Acharius described at least one species, Aphyteia hydnora which is synonymous with Hydnora africana Johann Franz Dregé 1794-1881 Discovered and named Hydnora triceps in the 1830’s Moritz Kurt Dinter 1868-1945 named Hydnora solmsiana (= Hydnora abyssinica ) Johann Hendrik Visser 1931-1989 Rediscovered Hydnora triceps just before his untimely death A New Species of Hydnora (Hydnoraceae) from Southern Africa Jay F. Bolin , 1 , 2 , 4 Erika Maass , 3 and Lytton J. Musselman 2 1 Department of Botany, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History MRC 166, P. O. Box 37012, Washington DC, 20013-7012, U. S. A. 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529-0266, U. S. A. 3 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia 4 Author for correspondence: [email protected] Communicating Editor: Chrissen Gemmill Abstract— We describe a new species, Hydnora visseri (Hydnoraceae), a holoparasitic perennial species from the Karas Region of Namibia and the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. The new species is a distinct segregate of Hydnora africana and is restricted to transitional and winter rainfall areas of southern Namibia and northwestern South Africa. Hydnora visseri only occurs with H. africana in sympatry in a narrow geographical band where their respective host species occur together. Distinctly longer tepal lobes and the largest flower metrics in the section Euhydnora distinguish H. visseri from H. africana and Hydnora longicollis . At one known site where H. africana and H. visseri occur in sympatry, To honor the work of Johann Visser Sub-generic Taxonomy I Subgenus Neohydnora Harms Subgenus Dorhyna Decaisne II Subgenus Euhydnora Decaisne Subgenus Tricephalohydnum Harms Sub-generic Taxonomy I Subgenus Neohydnora Harms Subgenus Dorhyna Decaisne Roots terete Osmophores cucullate Hosts Fabaceae, Burseraceae Hydnora Subgenera I Subgenus Neohydnora Harms Subgenus Dorhyna Decaisne Hydnora esculenta Hydnora abyssinica Hydnora sinandevu Hydnora esculenta Endemic to Madagascar Described as being dioecious Type (P) is insufficient Hydnora esculenta Neotype has been selected Floral biology is like other species Hydnora johannis Most widespread species in the genus ranging from Oman to Northern Cape Province of South Africa First reported from southern Africa by Musselman and Visser 1987 Sub-generic Taxonomy II Subgenus Euhydnora Decaisne Subgenus Tricephalohydnum Harms Roots angled Osmophores recessed Hosts exclusively species of Euphorbia Sub-generic Taxonomy II Subgenus Euhydnora Decaisne Subgenus Tricephalohydnum Harms Hydnora africana Hydnora longicollis Hydnora triceps Hydnora visseri THE strangest plant in the world, Hydnora triceps The only evidence of Hydnora triceps Hypogeous flowering known in only two genera • Rhizanthella gardneri Rogers Southwest Australia (Orchidaceae) • Hydnora triceps Fruits First Discovered 2002 Floral Biology of Hydnora Day one Day two Day one Day two-Staminate Day one-Pistillate Day two Day two plus Day one Chamber Flower Structure Osmophore Anther Stigma Ovary Flowers Protogynous Carpellate Staminate 3-4 Days Ring restricts slowly Dichogamy Catch and Release Mechanism Marloth (1907) first noted beetle entrapment Trap and release is contingent on changes in the chamber wall texture Days PollinationFloral Biology Ecology Summary Summary Hydnora visseri • Flowering period 6-7 days • 65% of visits by Dermestes maculatus (2.4/flower) • Obligate outcrosser – Pollen Limited System • Trapping mechanism - selective - efficient - released beetles with viable pollen Hydnora spp. • Extent of thermogenesis variable • Role in scent production - gynoecial development? General Trends in Hydnora Pollination Biology: Coevolutionary “arms race” Natural predation of flowers is high Pollinator-pollen limitation Obligate outcrossing - protogyny Hypogeous flowers/plant body Thermogenesis/Trapping Mechanism Ethnobotany of Hydnora: Food Dried Hydnora as a medicine Hydnora abyssinica from market in Khartoum Recent Ethnobotanical Research Vivienne Williams has found Hydnora in markets in Mozambique and eastern South Africa, expanding the range of Hydnora abyssinica and H. africana Hydnora spp. of Southern Africa and Madagascar H. abyssinica H. triceps H. esculenta H. africana H. longicollis H. visseri Sub-generic Taxonomy Subgenus Hydnora Subgenus Neohydnora Unpublished and preliminary phylogeny of the Hydnoraceae using nuclear (ITS), mitochondrial (nad6), and chloroplast loci (accD and rpoB). Maximum parsimony bootstrap support values and Bayesian posterior probabilities displayed above and below the nodes, respectively. Unpublished and preliminary phylogeny of the Hydnoraceae using nuclear (ITS), mitochondrial (nad6), and chloroplast loci (accD and rpoB). Maximum parsimony bootstrap support values and Bayesian posterior probabilities displayed above and below the nodes, respectively. Subgenus Hydnora Unpublished and preliminary phylogeny of the Hydnoraceae using nuclear (ITS), mitochondrial (nad6), and chloroplast loci (accD and rpoB). Maximum parsimony bootstrap support values and Bayesian posterior probabilities displayed above and below the nodes, respectively. Subgenus Neohydnora Unpublished and preliminary phylogeny of the Hydnoraceae using nuclear (ITS), mitochondrial (nad6), and chloroplast loci (accD and rpoB). Maximum parsimony bootstrap support values and Bayesian posterior probabilities displayed above and below the nodes, respectively. Future Research Field work in Mozambique and Angola Nomenclatural problems Germination and development studies . Collaborators and Hydnora Hunters †Johann Visser, Stellenbosch University Piet Vorster, Department of Botany Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch ا Thanks!!.
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