Pitcairnia feliciana
| Pitcairnia feliciana | |
|---|---|
| |
| NMNH herbarium specimen | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Bromeliaceae |
| Genus: | Pitcairnia |
| Species: | P. feliciana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pitcairnia feliciana | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
|
Willrussellia feliciana A.Chev. | |
Pitcairnia feliciana is a species of bromeliad endemic to Guinea, West Africa, and is the only bromeliad not native to the Americas.[1][2] It can be found growing on sandstone outcrops (inselbergs) of the Fouta Djallon highlands in Middle Guinea.[3]
Etymology
[edit]Its specific epithet feliciana commemorates Henri Jacques-Félix (1907–2008), the French botanist who first collected it. In 1937, he discovered the plants growing on the steep rocks of Mount Gangan, near Kindia, in the former French Guinea.[4][5]
Description
[edit]It has bright orange-red, scentless flowers with abundant nectar, which is a pollination syndrome typical of bird-pollinated bromeliads, although no actual sightings of birds pollinating this species have been recorded yet.[6]
Evolution
[edit]
The divergence between this species and its closest relative in the genus Pitcairnia occurred around 10 million years ago. Therefore, the disjunct distribution of this genus cannot be a relict from before continental drift separated Africa from the Americas,[6] as this separation occurred much earlier. The ancestor of P. feliciana probably traversed the Atlantic Ocean as seeds dispersed by migrating birds.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Larridon, I. (2018). "Pitcairnia feliciana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T87753965A87753976. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T87753965A87753976.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ Porembski, Stefan; Barthlott, Wilhelm (2000). Inselbergs: Biotic Diversity of Isolated Rock Outcrops in Tropical and Temperate Regions. Springer. p. 205. ISBN 978-3-540-67269-2.
- ^ Techniques agricoles et productions tropicales (in French). Vol. 4. G.-P. Maisonneuve & Larose. 1965. p. 21.
- ^ Jacques-Félix, Henri. "The Discovery of a Bromeliad in Africa". Selbyana. 21 (1/2): 118–124.
- ^ a b Givnish, Thomas J.; Millam, Kendra C.; Berry, Paul E.; Sytsma, Kenneth J. (2007). "Phylogeny, adaptive radiation, and historical biogeography of Bromeliaceae inferred from ndhF sequence data". Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany. 23 (1): 3–26. doi:10.5642/aliso.20072301.04.
- ^ Porembski, Stefan; Barthlott, Wilhelm (1999). "Pitcairnia feliciana, the only indigenous African bromeliad". Harvard Papers in Botany. 5: 175–184.
External links
[edit]- Bromeliad Society International – photograph of live plant in horticulture
- Charlie's Web – photograph of live plant in horticulture