Corresponding author: David H. Lorence (
Academic editor: Viki Funk
Intensive botanical exploration of the Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia) for the Vascular Flora of the Marquesas Islands and Flore de la Polynésie française projects has resulted in numerous additional new collections from these islands. Study of these collections has brought to light 11 new species of pteridophytes (ferns and lycophytes) which are described herein:
The only recent treatment of the Marquesan pteridophytes (=ferns and lycophytes, used interchangeably herein) is Forrest and Elizabeth Brown’s Flora of Southeastern Polynesia(Brown & Brown 1931). This is essentially a report on the plants collected by the Browns on the Bayard Dominick Expedition (1921–1922), by E. H. Quayle, B. W. Jones, and R. Beck on the Whitney Expedition (1921–1922), and by the Pacific Entomological Survey (1929–1932) (Lorence and Wagner 1997). The Browns’ flora did not include earlier collections not then represented in the Bishop Museum, except as they may have been recorded in the French Polynesian flora of
This paper increases our knowledge of the Marquesan pteridophyte flora by describing 11 new species and proposing one new combination. The present contribution forms part of a series of precursor publications with the goal of producing the first complete Vascular Flora of the Marquesas Islands (Lorence and Wagner 1997). Currently available online as a Web-based flora with a searchable database of descriptions, photos, literature and specimens, it may be accessed at http://botany.si.edu/pacificislandbiodiversity/marquesasflora/index.htm. This project will provide a comprehensive treatment of all Marquesan pteridophytes, for which the essentially completed treatment is now available on the website. A primary goal is to publish the Vascular Flora of the Marquesas Islands as a two volume printed work. A second goal involves collaboration on the Flora of French Polynesia project headed by Jacques Florence under the auspices of the French Institute pour la Recherche et Developpement (IRD, formerly ORSTOM). To date only two volumes of the modern
Orthographic variation exists for certain of the Marquesas Islands. For the sake of consistency we herein utilize the names accepted by the French Polynesian Government (see website at: www.presidence.pf) for the islands. In the following list accepted names are in boldface and alternative spellings are listed in parentheses:
As the Marquesan environment is under serious threat from human impacts, feral animals, and weeds (
All measurements given herein are taken from dried herbarium specimens, although certain features such as shapes were supplemented with information from field notes and photos. Measurements are presented in the descriptions as follows: length × width, followed by units of measurement (mm or cm). All specimens cited in this paper have been seen by the authors. Specimens from the following herbaria were studied: AD, BISH, BR, K, MO, NY, P, PAP, PTBG, and US. The area of occupancy (distribution) was calculated using herbarium collection data and field observations, and the conservation status is proposed following the IUCN Red List Category criteria (
Key to
1a | Sterile fronds 1-pinnate, nearly all the pinnules contracted at their bases and free from rachis, the apex with a conform terminal pinna similar to lateral pinnae |
|
1b | Sterile fronds entire, pinnatifid, or pinnatisect with the segments adnate and not contracted at their bases, or rarely the basal segments pinnate and the basiscopic base contracted and not adnate, the apex lacking conform terminal pinna | 2 |
2a | Sterile fronds entire or sometimes irregularly pinnatifid toward middle and base |
|
2b | Sterile fronds pinnatisect or rarely the basal segments pinnate |
|
Known from the Marquesas Islands (Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou, Hiva Oa, Tahuata, and Fatu Hiva), Society Islands (Moorea, Raiatea, and Tahiti), and Austral Islands (Rapa Iti).
This new terrestrial species occurs in clearings or shade from 380 to 1500 m elevation in lowland to montane mesic and wet forests, shrubland or fernland, in valleys, on slopes or ridge crests and rocky banks. In the Marquesas associated species include
The epithet refers to the Pacific distribution of this new species.
IUCN Red List Category:
The name
The name
In New Zealand, closest relatives appear to be
Several species from New Caledonia, all considered endemic, form a confusing array of species somewhat similar to
Among the Polynesian species of
Recent collections from the Marquesas have revealed the presence of two additional, distinctive endemic
Key to
1a | Blades 1-pinnate to 1-pinnate-pinnatifid | 5–10 mm distant with margins serrate, segments acute at apex |
|
1b | Blades 3-pinnate to 3-pinnate-pinnatifid | 2 | |
2a | Ultimate pinnule segments spaced 5–10 mm distant with margins serrate, segments acute at apex |
|
|
2b | Ultimate pinnule segments spaced 3–5 mm distant, margins crenate or lobed ¼ –2/3 toward costule, segments truncate or obtuse at apex |
|
Marquesas Islands, known from Nuku Hiva, Ua Huka, Ua Pou, Hiva Oa, and Tahuata.
This new species is rare and localized from ca. 700 to 1150 m elevation. It occurs in transitional mesic to wet forests with
Proposed IUCN Red List Category
This remarkable new species resembles
Known only from Fatu Hiva, Marquesas Islands, in montane wet forest at 600–640 m elevation.
This new endemic species is apparently rare and localized, known only from the region from Teavapuhiau ridge to Mt. Touaouoho where it grows scattered among other ferns on hillsides in understory of open forest with
We take great pleasure in naming this magnificent new species in honor of Barbara K. and Cyrus B. Sweet, III, who have generously supported scientific research at the National Tropical Botanical Garden and particularly the Vascular Flora of the Marquesas Islands project.
This new species differs from
Proposed IUCN Red List Category:
Key to
1a | Blades uniformly bipinnate |
|
1b | Blades tripinnate, at least in lower portion | 2 |
2a | Largest stipe scales linear-oblong, 25–30 × 1–3.5 mm, reddish brown with margins bearing short acicular teeth, concentrated base of stipe, mid to upper part of stipe with smaller, spreading linear-oblong scales and hairlike scales; largest pinnules and lobes of largest pinnae usually with 1 apical and occasionally 1–6 crenate marginal teeth, arista of apical tooth 0.5–0.7 mm long; indusia present |
|
2b | Largest stipe scales ovate to narrowly ovate, 10–20(–30) × 4–10 mm, dull, pale brown with strongly erose-ciliate margins, overlapping and evenly distributed along stipe, mixed with smaller ovate-ciliate scales and cobwebby scurf; largest pinnules and pinnule lobes of largest pinnae usually with 3–8(–11) teeth, arista of apical tooth 0.5–2 mm long; indusia absent |
|
Marquesas Islands, known from Ua Huka, Hiva Oa, and Tahuata.
This new species occurs at 600–884 m elevation in diverse montane wet forest and shrubland dominated by
We take pleasure in naming this new species for its collector Kenneth R. Wood (1953–), whose excellent collections have contributed greatly to our knowledge of the Marquesas flora.
Proposed IUCN Red List Category:
Marquesas Islands, known only from the type locality on Ua Huka in the Hane/Hokatu cliff zone at the head of the valley above Hane village.
This new species is named for its only known island of occurrence.
Proposed IUCN Red List Category
Key to
1a | Blade tripartite |
|
1b | Blade 1- to 2-pinnate | 2 |
2a | Blade 2-pinnate |
|
2b | Blade 1-pinnate to 1-pinnate-pinnatifid | 3 |
3a | Stipes thickly clothed in persistent, stiff, spreading, red-brown bristlelike or hairlike scales |
|
3b | Stipes glabrous or soon glabrate | 4 |
4a | Apex pinnatifid, 6–7-lobed |
|
4b | Apex entire, the single terminal pinna free or sometimes adnate basally to the distal pinnae pair |
|
Known only from Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands.
This rare species is known only from the type location at 930 m on wet stream walls adjacent to wet forest dominated by
Proposed IUCN Red List Category
This new species is named for its only known island of occurrence.
Known from Tahuata and Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands.
This new species is named for the Marquesas Islands, where it is known from three islands.
Proposed IUCN Red List Category
This striking, large new species is distinctive among all other Polynesian and Micronesian members of the genus. It resembles
Known only from Tahuata, Marquesas Islands.
This new terrestrial or lithophytic species occurs in wet forests and shrublands from about 418 to 914 m elevation, usually on windswept vertical cliffs in water seepage. A population of approximately 50–70 plants was observed at 914 m on windswept vertical cliffs around a natural spring on saturated basalt walls with
Proposed IUCN Red List Category
This new species is named for its only known island of occurrence.
With approximately 950 species (
Key to the genera of
1a | Veins to 14 pairs per segment; segments oblique, falcate; indusia absent or very small; sporangia generally setose |
|
1b | Veins to 7 pairs per segment; segments spreading or slightly oblique, not falcate; indusia relatively large, persistent;sporangia lacking setae |
Viewed in the broad sense,
Key to the species of
1a | Lower pinnae not reduced, lower 2–3 pairs usually not deflexed; veins all free; sinus with thickened membrane ± obliquely decurrent as a ridge almost to costa on lower surface | |
1b | Lower pinnae not or only slightly reduced, lower 2 (−3) pairs deflexed; veins free or uniting, but sinus lacking thickened ridge decurrent toward costa on lower surface | 2 |
2a | Blade with basal pinnae much narrowed on both sides near base, rudimentary pinnae below them 0−2 pairs, inconstant and irregular; blades with sessile spherical yellow glands present abaxially, especially along veins near segment tips; scales absent along costae abaxially, costal hairs ca. 0.1 mm long | |
2b | Blade with basal pinnae narrowed or not on both sides, but rudimentary basal pinnae lacking or several pairs regularly present; blades lacking sessile spherical yellow glands abaxially, or these spread ± evenly on laminar tissue; scales present or absent along costae abaxially, costal hairs 0.1−1 mm long, or hairs absent | 3 |
3a | Fronds 1.5−3 m long; narrow, hairlike scales to 2 cm long present throughout stipe and on basal part of rachis, often breaking and leaving spine-like bases; lower surface of pinnae lacking sessile spherical yellow glands; sori exindusiate | |
3b | Fronds to 1.2 m long, usually smaller; stipe scales less than 2 cm long, these usually confined to base of stipe, not hairlike or leaving spine-like bases; sessile spherical yellow glands scattered all over lower surface of pinnae (except |
4 |
4a | Rhizomes creeping; laminar tissue between veins lacking sessile glands abaxially | 5 |
4b | Rhizomes suberect or erect; laminar tissue between veins bearing numerous sessile, round, yellowish to orange-red glands abaxially | 7 |
5a | Blades glabrous or very sparsely hairy abaxially, hairs if present less than 0.1 mm long on rachises and costae abaxially; costae glabrous adaxially; indusia absent; sporangia lacking hairs (Hiva Oa) | |
5b | Blades abundantly hairy abaxially, on costae, costules, veins, and between veins, hairs to 1 mm long; costae hairy adaxially; indusia present, hairy | 6 |
6a | Rhizomes long-creeping; pinnae lobed 1/3−2/5 toward costae; veins and costules glabrous adaxially; sporangia bearing hairs (Fatu Hiva) | |
6b | Rhizomes short-creeping; pinnae lobed 1/2−2/3 toward costae; veins and costules, sometimes also laminar tissue between veins, with acicular hairs adaxially; sporangia lacking hairs (Ua Huka) | |
7a | Abaxial costal hairs red-brown (castaneous), at least in part, curved toward pinna tips, some hairs > 0.5 mm long (Nuku Hiva) | |
7b | Abaxial costal hairs hyaline, spreading or ascending, straight or falcate, uniformly very short and < 0.1 mm long, or costae sometimes with scattered to rather dense longer hairs to ca. 1 mm; Society and Marquesas Islands (Fatu Hiva, Hiva Oa, Tahuata, Ua Huka) |
Known only from Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands.
This new species occurs in montane rain forest with fern understory. All three specimens seen were collected on Nuku Hiva on or near Ooumu Peak in the Toovii area and probably represent a single population.
Proposed IUCN Red List Category
Named for the castaneous, curved hairs that are borne on the costae abaxially.
The three known specimens were previously determined as
Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands, known only from the type collection made along the trail from Atuona to Hanamenu.
Occurs in montane wet forest with
We take pleasure in naming this new species for Jacques Florence (1951–) who has done so much to advance our knowledge of the flora of the Marquesas Islands and that of French Polynesia in general.
Proposed IUCN Red List Category
This new species is perhaps most closely related to
The following
Marquesas Islands (known from Hiva Oa, Tahuata, Ua Huka, and Ua Pou) and the Society Islands (Moorea). A list of exsiccatae is available on the Flora of the Marquesas website (http://botany.si.edu/pacificislandbiodiversity/marquesasflora/index.htm).
(
Species belonging to
Two species of
Key to
1a | Plants with stipes 1–5(–8.5) cm long, with scattered scales when young, with hairs to 0.5–0.7 mm long; scales near base of stipe 1-2 mm long; blades 2.5–14.5 cm long; pinnae 5–14 pairs; pinnae lobed 1/3–4/5 toward to costa, sessile glands lacking on surface, sori 1(–2) per segment; pinnule veins 1–5 pairs |
|
1b | Plants with stipes 15–25(–33) cm long, densely scaly when young, glabrescent, with hairs to 0.2 mm long; scales near base of stipe 5–7 mm long; blades 20–30 cm long; pinnae (12–) 18–25 pairs; pinnae lobed 4/5–7/8 toward to costa, sessile glands present on surface, sori (1–) 3–4 per segment; pinnule veins 5–9 pairs |
|
Known only on Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands, from a single population in the vicinity of Mt. Temetiu, on the island’s central summit crest.
This new species is named for the Marquesas Islands, where it is known currently known only from Hiva Oa.
Proposed IUCN Red List Category
This new species differs from
The extremely useful discussions, field observations, photos, and specimens provided by Jacques Florence of IRD [ex ORSTOM], Paris in conjunction with the ongoing Flore de la Polynésie française project, Jean-Yves Meyer (Delegation à la Recherche, Polynésie française), and Steve Perlman and Ken Wood (National Tropical Botanical Garden) all have contributed significantly to this study. Important observations and new collections resulted from fieldwork carried out during the 1988 Fatu Hiva Expedition and subsequent trips in 1995, 1997, 2003, 2004, and 2005 as part of the