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Central Range Sub-alpine Grasslands
The Central Range sub-alpine grasslands is a montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion on the island of New Guinea. The ecoregion covers the highest-elevation portions of the New Guinea Highlands, which extend along the spine of the island. The high elevations support rare tropical sub-alpine and alpine habitats, including many endemic plants and animals. Geography The ecoregion includes isolated areas above 3000 metres elevation in the Central Range, or Central Cordillera, of New Guinea, and some outliers in the mountains of the Huon Peninsula. The Central Range extends east and west across New Guinea, with the western portion of the range in Indonesia and the eastern portion in Papua New Guinea. High-elevation areas in the highlands include the Snow Mountains in Indonesia's Papua Province, the Star Mountains on the Indonesia–Papua New Guinea border, the Central and Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea, and the Owen Stanley Range in Southeastern Papua. Below 3000 metre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lorentz National Park
Lorentz National Park is an Indonesian national park located in the provinces of Central Papua, Highland Papua and South Papua, in the southwest of western New Guinea. With an area of 25,056 km2 (9,674 mi2), it is the largest national park in Southeast Asia. In 1999 Lorentz was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. An outstanding example of the biodiversity of New Guinea, Lorentz is one of the most ecologically diverse national parks in the world. It is the only nature reserve in the Asia-Pacific region to contain a full altitudinal array of ecosystems ranging through marine areas, mangroves, tidal and freshwater swamp forest, lowland and montane rainforest, subalpine shrub and grassland, alpine tundra, and equatorial glaciers. At 4884 meters, Puncak Jaya (formerly Carstensz Pyramid) is the tallest mountain between the Himalayas and the Andes. Birdlife International has called Lorentz Park “probably the single most important reserve in New Guinea”. It co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Owen Stanley Range
The Owen Stanley Range is the south-eastern part of the central mountain-chain in Papua New Guinea. Its highest point is Mount Victoria at , while its most prominent peak is Mount Suckling. History Owen Stanley Range was seen in 1849 by Captain Owen Stanley about the HMS ''Rattlesnake'' while surveying the south coast of Papua and named after him, although he saw them only from his ship. The eastern extremity of the range is Mount Victoria, which was climbed by Sir William MacGregor in 1888, and it extends as far west as Mount Thynne and Lilley. But the name is generally used to denote the whole of the chain of the Papuan Peninsula, from Mount Chapman to the south-eastern end of the island, and to include Mount Albert Edward which is really separated from it by the Wharton Chain. Geography The range is flanked by broken and difficult country, particularly on the south-western side. There are few practicable passes, the easiest being the famous Kokoda Track which cros ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyathea
''Cyathea'' is a genus of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern order Cyatheales. The genus name ''Cyathea'' is derived from the Greek ''kyatheion'', meaning "little cup", and refers to the cup-shaped sori on the underside of the fronds. Description The species of ''Cyathea'' are mostly terrestrial ferns, usually with a single tall stem. Rarely, the trunk may be branched or creeping. Many species also develop a fibrous mass of roots at the base of the trunk. The genus has a pantropical distribution, with over 470 species. They grow in habitats ranging from tropical rain forests to temperate woodlands. Classification Conant ''et al.'' in 1996, concluded on molecular cpDNA and morphological evidence that a system of three clades – ''Alsophila'', ''Cyathea'' and ''Sphaeropteris'' was the most accurate reflection of evolutionary lineages within the Cyatheaceae, ''Alsophila'' being the most basal and ''Cyathea'' and ''Sphaeropteris'' derived sister groups. In the Pteri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saurauia
''Saurauia'' is a genus of plants in the family Actinidiaceae. It comprises about over 300 species distributed in the tropics and subtropics of Asia and South and Central America. Genetic evidence and the cell biology of the group support monophyly of the genus. Monophyly of the genus is also supported by micromorphological characters and by phylogenetic analysis, although the exact evolutionary relationships of ''Saurauia'' with the other two genera of the Actinidiaceae, ''Actinidia'' and ''Clematoclethra'', are not well understood. It is also the only extant genus within its family whose natural distribution includes areas outside of Asia (tropical South and Central America). Description The floral characteristics of ''Saurauia'' are similar to those in the other members of the Actinidiaceae. The main floral differences between ''Saurauia'' and the other members are that the species of ''Saurauia'' have 3-5 carpels while ''Actinidia'' has 3-30 or more and ''Clematoclethra'' has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myrsine
''Myrsine'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. It was formerly placed in the family Myrsinaceae before this was merged into the Primulaceae. It is found nearly worldwide, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas. It contains over 280 species, including several notable radiations, such as the matipo of New Zealand and the kōlea of Hawaii (the New Zealand "black matipo", '' Pittosporum tenuifolium'', is not related to ''Myrsine''). In the United States, members of this genus are known as colicwood. Some species, especially '' M. africana'', are grown as ornamental shrubs. The leathery, evergreen leaves are simple and alternate, with smooth or toothed margins and without stipules. The one-seeded, indehiscent fruit is a thin-fleshed globose drupe. The flowers and fruits often do not develop until after leaf fall and thus appear naked on the branches. The fruits often do not mature until the year after flowering. The calyx is persistent. The Pacific basin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coprosma
''Coprosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the Juan Fernández Islands. Description The name ''Coprosma'' means "smelling like dung" and refers to the smell (methanethiol) given out by the crushed leaves of a few species. Many species are small shrubs with tiny evergreen leaves, but a few are small trees and have much larger leaves. The flowers have insignificant petals and are wind-pollinated, with long anthers and stigmas. Most species are dioecious, but some (particularly those native to New Zealand) species can sometimes have individuals with perfect flowers. Natural hybrids are common. The fruit is a non-poisonous juicy berry, most often bright orange (but can be dark red or even light blue), containing two small seeds. The orange fruit of the larger species were eaten by Māori children, and are also popular with birds. It is said ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vaccinium
''Vaccinium'' is a common and widespread genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae). The fruits of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry (whortleberry), lingonberry (cowberry), and huckleberry. Like many other heath plants, they are restricted to acidic soils. Description The plant structure varies between species: some trail along the ground, some are dwarf shrubs, and some are larger shrubs perhaps tall. Some tropical species are epiphytic. Stems are usually woody. Flowers are epigynous with fused petals and have long styles that protrude from their bell-shaped corollas. Stamens have anthers with extended tube-like structures called "awns" through which pollen falls when mature. Inflorescences can be axillary or terminal. The fruit develops from an inferior ovary and is a four- or five-parted berry; it is usually brightly coloured, often red or bluish with purple juice. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; : ''rhododendra'') is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the Ericaceae, heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan region, but smaller numbers occur elsewhere in Asia, and in North America, Europe and Australia. It is the national flower of Nepal, the List of U.S. state and territory flowers, state flower of Washington (state), Washington and West Virginia in the United States, the state flower of Nagaland and Himachal Pradesh in India, the provincial flower of Jeju Province in South Korea, the provincial flower of Jiangxi in China and the List of Indian state trees, state tree of Sikkim and Uttarakhand in India. Most species have brightly coloured flowers which bloom from late winter through to early summer. Azaleas make up two subgenera of ''Rhododendron''. They are distinguished from "true" rhododendrons by having only five anthers per flower. E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All species are woody, contain essential oils, and have flower parts in multiples of four or five. The leaves are evergreen, alternate to mostly opposite, simple, and usually entire (i.e., without a toothed margin). The flowers have a base number of five petals, though in several genera, the petals are minute or absent. The stamens are usually very conspicuous, brightly coloured, and numerous. Evolutionary history Scientists hypothesize that the family Myrtaceae arose between 60 and 56 million years ago (Mya) during the Paleocene era. Pollen fossils have been sourced to the ancient supercontinent Gondwana. The breakup of Gondwana during the Cretaceous period (145 to 66 Mya) geographically isolated disjunct taxa and allowed for rapid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libocedrus
''Libocedrus'' is a genus of five species of coniferous trees in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to New Zealand and New Caledonia. The genus is closely related to the South American genera '' Pilgerodendron'' and '' Austrocedrus'', and the New Guinean genus '' Papuacedrus'', both of which are included within ''Libocedrus'' by some botanists. These genera are rather similar to the Northern Hemisphere genera '' Calocedrus'' and ''Thuja'': in earlier days, what is now ''Calocedrus'' was sometimes included in ''Libocedrus''. They are much less closely related, as recently confirmed (Gadek et al. 2000). The generic name means "teardrop cedar", apparently referring to drops of resin. The leaves are scale-like, 3–7 mm long, in apparent whorls of four (actually opposite decussate pairs, but not evenly spaced apart, instead with the successive pairs closely then distantly spaced). The cones are 8–20 mm long, and have just 2 pairs of moderately thin, erect scales, eac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Araucaria
''Araucaria'' (; original pronunciation: [a.ɾawˈka. ɾja]) is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. While today they are largely confined to the Southern Hemisphere, during the Jurassic and Cretaceous they were globally distributed. There are 20 extant taxon, extant species in New Caledonia (where 14 species are endemism, endemic, see New Caledonian Araucaria, New Caledonian ''Araucaria''), eastern Australia (including Norfolk Island), New Guinea, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. The genus is familiar to many people as the genus of the distinctive Chilean pine or monkey-puzzle tree (''Araucaria araucana''). No distinct vernacular name exists for the genus. Many are called "pine", although they are only distantly related to true pines, in the genus ''Pinus''. Description ''Araucaria'' are mainly large trees with a massive erect stem, reaching a height of . The horizontal, spreading branches grow in whorls and are covered with leather ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Papuacedrus
''Papuacedrus papuana'' is a species in the conifer family Cupressaceae, the sole species in the genus ''Papuacedrus''. Some botanists do not consider this species as forming a distinct genus, but include it in the related genus '' Libocedrus''. It is native to New Guinea and to the Indonesian Province of Maluku. It is usually a medium-sized to large evergreen tree 16–50 m tall, at high elevations only a shrub reaching up to 3 m). The foliage is borne in flat sprays, with the leaves scale-like, in opposite pairs, with facial and lateral pairs alternating; the lateral leaves are larger, 2–3 mm long on mature trees and up to 20 mm long on young trees, the facial leaves smaller, 1 mm on mature trees and up to 8 mm on young trees. The cones are 1–2 cm long, with four scales, a small, sterile basal pair, and a larger fertile pair; the fertile scales each bearing two winged seeds. The species has two varieties, most readily distinguishable as young plant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
