Showing posts with label Rare Trees Pennantia Baylisiana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rare Trees Pennantia Baylisiana. Show all posts

Monday, September 29, 2014

Rare Trees Pennantia Baylisiana

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 236-365

Humans have clearcut 80% of the planet's ancient forests, destroying the habitats of countless plants and animals, removing potential life-saving medicinal compounds and contributing greatly to global warming.

Common Name


Three Kings Kaikomako   

Class: Magnoliopsida

The solitary tree was discovered by Professor Geoff Baylis on the Three Kings Islands in 1945. 


How Rare?

There is apparently only 1 tree in the wild, located on one of the Three Kinds Islands, off the coast of New Zealand.  It is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the world’s rarest plant. It is threatened by habitat loss.

It wasn't always that way. But non-native goats brought to the island by humans ate all the others.

This species grows in coastal forest. It is a rare, multi-trunked small tree bearing very large broad glossy curled leaves. The leaves are 120-160 mm long and widest towards the tip. The flowers are small, green and in clusters along branches. Flowering is from October to November. The fruit is purple, 10 mm long and contains a single seed. Fruiting occurs between January and April in cultivated material. Ripe fruit has been seen in the wild during February and March.  

Conservation Action

















In 2012, this species was classified as 'Threatened - Nationally Critical' based on the New Zealand Threat Classification System with the qualifiers Conservation Dependent (CD), Island Endemic (IE) and One Location (OL). This is based on criterion A(1) which is met when there are under 250 mature individuals in the population (Townsend et al. 2008, de Lange et al. 2013).

It took 20 years to get cuttings to grow and plants established in cultivation. Another 20 years passed before Dr Ross Beever at Landcare Research, Mt Albert, was able to induce the functionally female flowers to set seed by selectively treating them with plant hormones.
 
This enabled the scant residual pollen to pollinate the female ovaries and he obtained a handful of viable seed which he proceeded to germinate. From these plants, one (nicknamed Martha) has proved to be particularly fertile and although still positively a female she also has adequate virile pollen to self-fertilise her flowers.

The search is now for a fully functional male with heaps of viable pollen. If we can find one he will be the saviour of this species which can then rise again from near extinction.

Description
 
Hardy, tolerates wind & dry spells, not frost. Fantastic glossy,leathery,wavy foliage. Purple fruit. All stock comes from a sole tree discovery. Dioecious. Still rare.

The problem with there being only one known specimen and reproducing it from cutting is that no matter how many plants you distribute, they are all identical clones so lacking any genetic variation. However, the original plant finally set viable seed in 1989 and there are now seedling grown plants in existence which should strengthen the genetic base. Penanntias are dioecious which means there are male plants and female plants. Fortunately the last known plant on the planet was female and occasionally, female dioecious plants can produce a little pollen and therefore self pollinate and produce seed.