''Pyrostria revoluta'', formerly ''Scyphochlamys revoluta'', is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Rubiaceae Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with Petiole ( ...

that lives on the island of

Rodrigues Rodrigues ( ; Mauritian Creole, Creole: ) is a Autonomous administrative division, autonomous Outer islands of Mauritius, outer island of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, about east of Mauritius. It is part of the Mascarene Isl ...

Distribution and conservation

''Pyrostria revoluta'' is found on

, one of the

Mascarene Islands The Mascarene Islands (, ) or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of Réunion. Their na ...

in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

, and an Outer island of Mauritius. By 1980, it appeared to be restricted to Grande Montagne and Cascade Victoire, and by 1989, the species was considered to be "on the verge of extinction". Some seeds were sent to the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

, where they were successfully germinated in 1982 and subsequently grown up. Cuttings have since been taken, effectively ensuring the species' survival in cultivation.

Description

Pyrostria revoluta Bois Mangue - 5 senses garden 1

''Pyrostria revoluta'' is a shrub or small tree, at up to tall. The leaves are notably dimorphic – they grow in two distinctly different forms. Juvenile leaves are up to long, but only wide. Mature leaves are a similar length, but up to wide.

Taxonomic history

''Pyrostria revoluta'' was originally described by

Isaac Bayley Balfour Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, KBE, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS, Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE (31 March 1853 – 30 November 1922) was a Scottish botanist. He was Regius Prof ...

in 1877 in the new

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genus ''Scyphochlamys'', which was later sunk into synonymy with ''

Pyrostria ''Pyrostria'' is a genus of dioecious flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. Most of the species are endemic to Madagascar, others occur on islands in the western Indian Ocean (Mauritius, Comoros, Réunion, Rodrigues, Socotra), a few are fou ...

''. It followed a scientific expedition to Rodrigues to observe the

1874 transit of Venus The 1874 transit of Venus, which took place on 9 December 1874 (01:49 to 06:26 UTC), was the first of the pair of transits of Venus that took place in the 19th century, with the second transit occurring eight years later in 1882. The previous ...

, on which Balfour, along with

George Gulliver George Gulliver (4 June 1804 – 17 November 1882), was an English anatomist and physiologist. Life and work Gulliver was born at Banbury, Oxfordshire, on 4 June 1804, and after an apprenticeship with local surgeons entered at St. Bartholomew's ...

and Henry Horrocks Slater, served as naturalist.

References

External links

World Checklist of Rubiaceae
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7263714 Vanguerieae Endemic flora of Rodrigues Plants described in 1877 Taxa named by Isaac Bayley Balfour Taxa named by Birgitta Bremer