Two new arborescent species of Santalaceae, both endemic to Madagascar, are described in the new monotypic genera, Staufferia Z. S. Rogers, Nickrent & Malécot and Pilgerina Z. S. Rogers, Nickrent & Malécot. Based on available molecular and morphological data, the new species are part of a clade formed with Pyrularia Michx. of Asia and North America, the Indo-Malesian genus Scleropyrum Arn., and the central and western African Okoubaka Pellegr. & Normand. Staufferia is distinguished morphologically from Okoubaka by the smaller inflorescences (4 to 10 vs. 50 to 100 flowers); smaller (1.8–2 × 1.1–1.6 cm vs. ca. 9 × 5 cm), obovoidal (vs. ellipsoidal) fruits; smaller (ca. 1.5 mm vs. 7–8 mm diam.), persistent perianth; thinner (0.5–1 mm vs. 15–20 mm thick), 5-sulcate (vs. smooth) exocarp; and thinner (ca. 0.5 mm vs. 3–4 mm thick), smooth (vs. deeply striate or alveolate) mesocarp. Pilgerina differs from Scleropyrum by the smaller inflorescences (8 to 23 vs. 60 to 100 flowers); pedicellate (vs. sessile) flowers; smaller (1.2–1.9 × 1.7–2.7 cm vs. ca. 3 × 2 cm), broadly transversely ellipsoidal to subspheroidal (vs. obovoidal to pyriform) fruits; and thinner (ca. 0.5 mm vs. 1.5–3 mm thick), smooth or finely striate (vs. deeply striate or alveolate) mesocarp. Both species are illustrated and assigned an IUCN preliminary conservation status of Least Concern (LC).
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18 June 2008
Staufferia and Pilgerina: Two New Endemic Monotypic Arborescent Genera of Santalaceae from Madagascar
Zachary S. Rogers,
Daniel L. Nickrent,
Valéry Malécot
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Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden
Vol. 95 • No. 2
June 2008
Vol. 95 • No. 2
June 2008
IUCN Red List
molecular phylogeny
Pilgerina
SANTALACEAE
Santalales
Staufferia
taxonomy