Cyrtandraobliquifolia (Gesneriaceae), a new species from Kaua'i, Hawaiian Islands.

Cyrtandraobliquifolia K.R. Wood & W.L. Wagner (Gesneriaceae), a new shrub species known only from Kaua'i, Hawaiian Islands, is described and illustrated with notes on its distribution, ecology, and conservation status. The new species is morphologically most similar to Cyrtandrawawrae C.B. Clarke but differs by its unique combination of oblique, non-peltate, auriculate leaf bases, more deeply divided calyx lobes, inflorescence with fewer flowers and lacking profusely umbellate cymes. Cyrtandraobliquifolia is known from only two localities which have undergone severe habitat degradation from landslides and invasive plants and animals and is determined to be Critically Endangered (CR) when evaluated under IUCN criteria.

A phylogeny of the evening primrose family (Onagraceae) using a target enrichment approach with 303 nuclear loci.

BACKGROUND: The evening primrose family (Onagraceae) includes 664 species (803 taxa) with a center of diversity in the Americas, especially western North America. Ongoing research in Onagraceae includes exploring striking variation in floral morphology, scent composition, and breeding system, as well as the role of these traits in driving diversity among plants and their interacting pollinators and herbivores. However, these efforts are limited by the lack of a comprehensive, well-resolved phylogeny. Previous phylogenetic studies based on a few loci strongly support the monophyly of the family and the sister relationship of the two largest tribes but fail to resolve several key relationships. RESULTS: We used a target enrichment approach to reconstruct the phylogeny of Onagraceae using 303 highly conserved, low-copy nuclear loci. We present a phylogeny for Onagraceae with 169 individuals representing 152 taxa sampled across the family, including extensive sampling within the largest tribe, Onagreae. Deep splits within the family are strongly supported, whereas relationships among closely related genera and species are characterized by extensive conflict among individual gene trees. CONCLUSIONS: This phylogenetic resource will augment current research projects focused throughout the family in genomics, ecology, coevolutionary dynamics, biogeography, and the evolution of characters driving diversification in the family.

Clermontiahanaulaensis (Campanulaceae, Lobelioideae), a new, critically endangered species from Maui, Hawaiian Islands.

Clermontiahanaulaensis H.Oppenheimer, Lorence & W.L.Wagner, sp. nov., a newly discovered, narrowly distributed endemic species, is herein described based on its morphological characteristics and illustrated with field photos and a line drawing. It is currently known only from the slopes of Hana'ula, in Pohakea Gulch, Mauna Kahalawai, west Maui, Hawaiian Islands. It differs from all other species of Clermontia Gaudich. by the combination of its (2)3-4(-5) flowered inflorescence, violet colored perianth often suffused with creamy white streaks or sometimes creamy white with violet-purple irregular veins, (30)35-45(-50) mm long, perianth tube 15-25(-27) mm long, 9-10 mm wide, the lobes 20-26 mm long, (2-)3-3.5 mm wide, with petaloid calyx lobes 1/2-4/5 as long as the petals. A key to the Clermontia species and subspecies occurring on Maui is provided. Its habitat is described. Its conservation status is proposed as critically endangered (CR), and conservation efforts are discussed.

Target Enrichment and Extensive Population Sampling Help Untangle the Recent, Rapid Radiation of Oenothera Sect. Calylophus.

Oenothera sect. Calylophus is a North American group of 13 recognized taxa in the evening primrose family (Onagraceae) with an evolutionary history that may include independent origins of bee pollination, edaphic endemism, and permanent translocation heterozygosity. Like other groups that radiated relatively recently and rapidly, taxon boundaries within Oenothera sect. Calylophus have remained challenging to circumscribe. In this study, we used target enrichment, flanking noncoding regions, gene tree/species tree methods, tests for gene flow modified for target-enrichment data, and morphometric analysis to reconstruct phylogenetic hypotheses, evaluate current taxon circumscriptions, and examine character evolution in Oenothera sect. Calylophus. Because sect. Calylophus comprises a clade with a relatively restricted geographic range, we were able to extensively sample across the range of geographic, edaphic, and morphological diversity in the group. We found that the combination of exons and flanking noncoding regions led to improved support for species relationships. We reconstructed potential hybrid origins of some accessions and note that if processes such as hybridization are not taken into account, the number of inferred evolutionary transitions may be artificially inflated. We recovered strong evidence for multiple evolutionary origins of bee pollination from ancestral hawkmoth pollination, edaphic specialization on gypsum, and permanent translocation heterozygosity. This study applies newly emerging techniques alongside dense infraspecific sampling and morphological analyses to effectively reconstruct the recalcitrant history of a rapid radiation. [Gypsum endemism; Oenothera sect. Calylophus; Onagraceae; phylogenomics; pollinator shift; recent radiation; target enrichment.].

Schiedeahaakoaensis, a new facultatively autogamous species of Schiedea sect. Mononeura (Caryophyllaceae) from the Hawaiian Islands.

In 2016 during a survey for potential fencing of the Ha'akoa unit on windward Mauna Kea, Hawai'i Island (Hawaiian Islands) a single plant of the genus Schiedea was discovered. No species of the genus had ever been known to occur in this area, and only three species of Schiedea were known previously from Hawai'i Island. Two are vining species and the third is a coastal subshrub. The single plant obviously represented an interesting find, and because the plant was vegetative another visit was scheduled to collect a flowering specimen, but by then the plant had died. Soil taken from the site with seeds in the soil produced two plants, one of which flowered in cultivation in 2021. A study of this individual indicated it was a member of Schiedeasect.Mononeura, characterized by erect to ascending habit, quadrangular stems, seeds not persistent on the placenta and readily dispersing from the dehisced capsule, and flowers facultatively autogamous. With the discovery of this new species there are 35 species in this Hawaiian endemic genus.

Pogostemon guamensis Lorence & W.L.Wagner (Lamiaceae), a new species from Guam, Mariana Islands.

While undertaking a botanical survey of the Andersen Air Force Base on Guam (Mariana Islands) in 1994, botanists from the National Tropical Botanical Garden collected an unusual suffrutescent, non-aromatic member of the Lamiaceae family growing on limestone cliffs in the northeastern part of the island. Based on morphology and molecular data (trnLF, matK), it was determined to belong to the genus Pogostemon Desf., a genus previously unknown from the Micronesian, Melanesian, and Polynesian region. Moreover, the analysis also showed that it was not conspecific with P. cablin (patchouli), and of the species available to include in the phylogenetic analyses it is sister to P. hirsutus¸ a species from India and Sri Lanka. Differing from its congeners by its large, loose inflorescence 2.5-5 cm wide and up to 7 cm wide in fruit, it is here illustrated and described as a new species, Pogostemon guamensis Lorence & W.L. Wagner and its habitat and conservation status are discussed.

Phylogeny of Hawaiian Melicope (Rutaceae): RAD-seq Resolves Species Relationships and Reveals Ancient Introgression.

Hawaiian Melicope are one of the major adaptive radiations of the Hawaiian Islands comprising 54 endemic species. The lineage is monophyletic with an estimated crown age predating the rise of the current high islands. Phylogenetic inference based on Sanger sequencing has not been sufficient to resolve species or deeper level relationships. Here, we apply restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) to the lineage to infer phylogenetic relationships. We employ Quartet Sampling to assess information content and statistical support, and to quantify discordance as well as partitioned ABBA-BABA tests to uncover evidence of introgression. Our new results drastically improved resolution of relationships within Hawaiian Melicope. The lineage is divided into five fully supported main clades, two of which correspond to morphologically circumscribed infrageneric groups. We provide evidence for both ancestral and current hybridization events. We confirm the necessity for a taxonomic revision of the Melicope section Pelea, as well as a re-evaluation of several species complexes by combining genomic and morphological data.

Perrottetiawichmaniorum (Dipentodontaceae), a new species from Kaua'i, Hawaiian Islands.

Perrottetiawichmaniorum Lorence & W. L. Wagner, sp. nov. is described as endemic to Kaua'i. It differs from its Hawaiian congener P.sandwicensis by its larger, thicker, more densely hirtellous-villosulous rugose leaves with a smaller length:width ratio [1.5-1.7:1], larger inflorescences with usually four degrees of branching with moderately to densely hirtellous axes, and flowers with glabrous petals. This new species falls into the Endangered (EN) category when evaluated using the IUCN Red List criteria for endangerment based on its small area of occupancy, a decline in the extent and quality of its habitat, and number of mature individuals.

Repeated range expansion and niche shift in a volcanic hotspot archipelago: Radiation of C4 Hawaiian Euphorbia subgenus Chamaesyce (Euphorbiaceae).

Woody perennial plants on islands have repeatedly evolved from herbaceous mainland ancestors. Although the majority of species in Euphorbia subgenus Chamaesyce section Anisophyllum (Euphorbiaceae) are small and herbaceous, a clade of 16 woody species diversified on the Hawaiian Islands. They are found in a broad range of habitats, including the only known C4 plants adapted to wet forest understories. We investigate the history of island colonization and habitat shift in this group. We sampled 153 individuals in 15 of the 16 native species of Hawaiian Euphorbia on six major Hawaiian Islands, plus 11 New World close relatives, to elucidate the biogeographic movement of this lineage within the Hawaiian island chain. We used a concatenated chloroplast DNA data set of more than eight kilobases in aligned length and applied maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference for phylogenetic reconstruction. Age and phylogeographic patterns were co-estimated using BEAST. In addition, we used nuclear ribosomal ITS and the low-copy genes LEAFY and G3pdhC to investigate the reticulate relationships within this radiation. Hawaiian Euphorbia first arrived on Kaua`i or Ni`ihau ca. 5 million years ago and subsequently diverged into 16 named species with extensive reticulation. During this process Hawaiian Euphorbia dispersed from older to younger islands through open vegetation that is disturbance-prone. Species that occur under closed vegetation evolved in situ from open vegetation of the same island and are only found on the two oldest islands of Kaua`i and O`ahu. The biogeographic history of Hawaiian Euphorbia supports a progression rule with within-island shifts from open to closed vegetation.

Melicope stonei, section Pelea (Rutaceae), a new species from Kaua'i, Hawaiian Islands: with notes on its distribution, ecology, conservation status, and phylogenetic placement.

Melicope stonei K.R. Wood, Appelhans & W.L. Wagner (section Pelea, Rutaceae), a new endemic tree species from Kaua'i, Hawaiian Islands, is described and illustrated with notes on its distribution, ecology, conservation status, and phylogenetic placement. The new species differs from its Hawaiian congeners by its unique combination of distinct carpels and ramiflorous inflorescences arising on stems below the leaves; plants monoecious; leaf blades (5-)8-30 × (4-)6-11 cm, with abaxial surface densely tomentose, especially along midribs; and very long petioles of up to 9 cm. Since its discovery in 1988, 94 individuals have been documented and are confined to a 1.5 km2 region of unique high canopy mesic forest. Melicope stonei represents a new Critically Endangered (CR) single island endemic species on Kaua'i.

A molecular phylogeny of the Pacific clade of Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) reveals a Fijian origin, recent diversification, and the importance of founder events.

Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) is among the largest genera of flowering plants in the remote oceanic islands of the Pacific, with an estimated 175 species distributed across an area that extends from the Solomon Islands, east to the Marquesas Islands, and north to the Hawaiian Islands. The vast majority of species are single-island endemics that inhabit upland rainforests. Although previous molecular phylogenetic studies greatly advanced our understanding of the diversification of Pacific Cyrtandra, a number of uncertainties remain regarding phylogenetic relationships, divergence times, and biogeographic patterns within this large and widely dispersed group. In the present study, five loci (ITS, ETS, Cyrt1, psbA-trnH, and rpl32-trnL) were amplified and sequenced for phylogenetic reconstruction of 121 Cyrtandra taxa. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference confirmed that C. taviunensis from Fiji is sister to the remaining members of the Pacific clade. Dating analyses and ancestral area estimation indicates that the Pacific clade of Cyrtandra originated in Fiji during the Miocene ca. 9mya. All major crown lineages within the Pacific clade appeared < 5mya, coincident with the emergence of numerous Pacific islands and a subsequent increase in available habitat. The biogeographic history of Cyrtandra in the Pacific has been shaped by extinction, dispersal distance, and founder events. Biogeographic stochastic mapping analyses suggest that cladogenesis within Pacific Cyrtandra involved a combination of narrow (within-area) sympatry and founder events. A mean of 24 founder events was recovered between Pacific archipelagos, while a mean of 10 founder events was recovered within the Hawaiian archipelago.

Athyrium haleakalae (Athyriaceae), a new rheophytic fern species from East Maui, Hawaiian Islands: with notes on its distribution, ecology, and conservation status.

Athyrium haleakalae K.R. Wood & W.L. Wagner (Athyriaceae), a small lithophytic fern from East Maui, Hawaiian Islands, is described and illustrated. Notes on its distribution, ecology, and conservation status are also presented. The new species appears to be an obligate rheophyte, preferring sites of fast moving water along concave walls of streams and waterfalls. Athyrium haleakalae differs from the only other known Hawaiian Athyrium, Athyrium microphyllum (Sm.) Alston, in having rhizomes 1-3 cm long and lanceolate blades 1- to 2-pinnate-pinnatifid, 3-8(-11) × 1-3(-4) cm, as compared to Athyrium microphyllum having rhizomes (10-)15-30 cm long and ovate to ovate-triangular blades 3-pinnate-pinnatifid to 4-pinnate, 30-82 × 20-50 cm.

Reduction of the Hawaiian genus Platydesma into Melicope section Pelea (Rutaceae) and notes on the monophyly of the section.

Platydesma, an endemic genus to the Hawaiian Islands containing four species, has long been considered of obscure origin. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have unequivocally placed Platydesma within the widespread genus Melicope as sister to the rest of the Hawaiian species of Melicope. This makes submerging Platydesma into Melicope necessary. We make the necessary new combinations: Melicope cornuta (Hillebr.) Appelhans, K.R. Wood & W.L. Wagner, M. cornuta var. decurrens (B.C.Stone) Appelhans, K.R. Wood & W.L. Wagner, M. remyi (Sherff) Appelhans, K.R. Wood & W.L. Wagner, and M. rostrata (Hillebr.) Appelhans, K.R. Wood & W.L. Wagner. An additional species that has been recognized within Platydesma should now be recognized under its original name M. spathulata A. Gray. All Hawaiian species belong to Melicope section Pelea. Our molecular phylogenetic studies also showed that in addition to merging Platydesma into section Pelea, five species described from New Caledonia need to be excluded from the section in order to achieve monophyly of section Pelea.

Melicope oppenheimeri, section Pelea (Rutaceae), a new species from West Maui, Hawaiian Islands: with notes on its ecology, conservation, and phylogenetic placement.

Melicope oppenheimeri K.R. Wood, Appelhans & W.L. Wagner (section Pelea (A. Gray) Hook. f., Rutaceae), a rare endemic tree from West Maui, Hawaiian Islands, is described and illustrated with notes on its ecology, conservation, and phylogenetic placement. The new species differs from Hawaiian congeners by its carpels basally connate 1/5, narrowed into a strongly reflexed beak 10-15 mm long. It also differs in a combination of leaves with 7-10 pair of secondary veins; cymes to 3 cm long; peduncles 5-6.5 mm long; flowers perfect; capsules 4-9 × 40-52 mm; and a densely appressed short-sericeous ovary. Melicope oppenheimeri is known only from an isolated cliff-base plateau in upper Waihe'e Valley, West Maui. Its discovery brings the number of recognized Melicope J.R. Forst. & G. Forst. species in the Hawaiian Islands to 49. A table is included indicating the conservation status of Hawaiian Melicope and Platydesma H. Mann., which is nested within Melicope sect. Pelea. Melicope oppenheimeri falls into the IUCN Critically Endangered (CR) Red List category.

New combinations in Odontostemma (Caryophyllaceae).

Sixty-three new combinations in Odontostemma (Alsineae, Caryophyllaceae) are made to accommodate placement of all currently recognized taxa of Arenaria subg. Odontostemma within the genus Odontostemma.

The correct name in Oenothera for Gauradrummondii (Onagraceae).

In 2007, Wagner and Hoch proposed the new name Oenotheraxenogaura W.L.Wagner & Hoch for the species then known as Gauradrummondii (Spach) Torrey & A. Gray (non Oenotheradrummondii Hooker, 1834). However, the authors overlooked the availability of Gaurahispida Bentham (1840) for this species. Accordingly, we herewith make the appropriate new combination for this species, Oenotherahispida (Bentham) W.L.Wagner, Hoch & Zarucchi, and place Oenotheraxenogaura in synonymy.

The correct name for a section of Ludwigia L. (Onagraceae).

In 1953, Hara provided new combinations for many sectional and species names when he combined Jussiaea L. with Ludwigia L., and at the time, Ludwigiasect.Oligospermum (Micheli) H.Hara was the correct name for one well-defined section. However, subsequent changes to/clarifications of the botanical code have necessitated a change for that name in that now an autonym is treated as having priority over the name or names of the same date and rank that established it. Since Hara's combination was based on Jussiaeasect.Oligospermum Micheli, the correct name for this section is Ludwigiasect.Jussiaea (L.) Hoch, W.L.Wagner, & P.H.Raven.

Eremogone (Caryophyllaceae): new combinations for Old World species.

Twenty-one new combinations in Eremogone (Eremogoneae, Caryophyllaceae) are proposed to accommodate placement of all Old World taxa of Arenariasubg.Eremogone and Eremogoneastrum within Eremogone.

Heliotropium (Boraginaceae) in the Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia) with description of a new species.

During the preparation of the Vascular Flora of the Marquesas Islands a new endemic species of Heliotropium L. (Boraginaceae) has come to light and is described herein: Heliotropiumperlmanii Lorence & W. L. Wagner. It is known only from the island of Eiao and appears most closely related to Heliotropiummarchionicum Decne., also endemic to the Marquesas and known from Nuku Hiva. An amended description of Heliotropiummarchionicum and key to separate the Marquesan species are given and their differences discussed.

Melicope balgooyi Appelhans, W.L. Wagner & K.R. Wood, a new species and new record in Melicope section Melicope (Rutaceae) for the Austral Islands.

Melicope balgooyi, a new species of Melicope (Rutaceae) is described. It is known only from the Austral Islands in the South Pacific (French Polynesia). However, it is not closely related to the other two species previously known from the Austral Islands, which are part of Melicope section Vitiflorae. The new species belongs to Melicope section Melicope and is most closely related to species from New Zealand, the Kermadec Islands, and the Society Islands. The new species has alternate to sub-opposite leaves, which is a very rare arrangement in Melicope and has only been described for two other species of the genus so far.