Commidendrum rotundifolium (Roxb.) DC. (1836:344)

Bastard gumwood

Taxonomy & Nomenclature

Synonyms: Solidago rotundifolia Roxb. in A.Beatson, Tracts St. Helena: 324 (1816); Psiadia rotundifolia Hook.f. in J.C.Melliss, St. Helena: 228, 286 (1875)

Conservation Status

Rediscovered (Lambdon & Ellick, 2016; contra Christenhusz & Govaerts, 2024)

Last record: 1897 (Lambdon & Ellick, 2016)

Rediscovered in 1982 (Lambdon & Ellick, 2016)

Last record: 1986 (Lambdon & Ellick, 2016); 1987 (Christenhusz & Govaerts, 2024)

Rediscovered in 2009 (Lambdon & Ellick, 2016)

IUCN RedList status: Critically Endangered

This species was considered extinct before the start of the 20th century. A wild tree was discovered on a cliff in December 2009. Along with one individual in cultivation they comprise the total living population of the species.

Distribution

St Helena

Biology & Ecology

Hypodigm

Media

References

America, S. (1999). St Helena. Biodiversity: the UK Overseas Territories, 101.

Ashmole, P. and Ashmole, M. (2000). St Helena and Ascension Island: a natural history. Anthony Nelson, Oswestry, U.K.

Burchell, W. J. (1805-10). Flora Insulae Sanctae Helenae. Unpublished manuscript held at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, U.K.

Cairns-Wicks, R. (2003). Commidendrum rotundifolium. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. (http://iucnredlist.org). Downloaded on 08 May 2015.

Cairns-Wicks, R. (2009). Draft Recovery Action Plan for Commidendrum rotundifolium (Compositae). Unpublished report to the St Helena National Trust, Jamestown, St Helena.

Christenhusz, Maarten J. M. and Govaerts, Rafaël. (2024). Plant extinction in the Anthropocene. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boae045 [Appendix S1]

Cronk, Q. C. B. (2000). The Endemic Flora of St. Helena. Anthony Nelson Publishers, Oswestry, UK.

Eastwood, A. and Cronk, Q. C. B. (2002). Incompatibility and hybridisation in Commidendrum rotundifolium and C. spurium from St Helena: implications for ex situ management and species recovery. In: A. Eastwood. Evolution and Conservation of Commidendrum and Elaphoglossum from St Helena. Thesis for Doctor of Philosophy, University of Edinburgh.

Eastwood, A., Gibby, M. and Cronk, Q. C. B. (2002). Evolution of St Helena arborescent Astereae (Asteraceae): relationships of the genera Commidendrum and Melanodendron. In: A. Eastwood. Evolution and Conservation of Commidendrum and Elaphoglossum from St Helena. Thesis for Doctor of Philosophy, University of Edinburgh.

Gray, Alan, Perry, Annika, Cavers, Stephen, Eastwood, Antonia, Biermann, Michelle, Darlow, Andrew, Thomas, Vanessa and Lambdon, Phil. (2016). Hybrid plants preserve unique genetic variation in the St Helena endemic trees Commidendrum rotundifolium DC Roxb. and C. spurium (G.Forst.) DC. Conservation Genetics. doi:10.1007/s10592-016-0884-8 [Abstract]

Hawkes, J. G., Maxted, N. and Ford-Lloyd, B. V. (2000). Field Gene Banks, Botanic Gardens In Vitro, DNA and Pollen Conservation, pp. 92-107. In: The Ex Situ Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Holland, M., Cronk, Q., MacDonald, D. and Holland, M. (1986). The Endemic Flora of St. Helena. The Government of St. Helena, St Helena.

Humphreys, Aelys M., Govaerts, Rafaël, Ficinski, Sarah Z., Lughadha, Eimear Nic and Vorontsova, Maria S. (2019). Global dataset shows geography and life form predict modern plant extinction and rediscovery. Nature Ecology & Evolution 3: 1043-1047. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0906-2 [Supplementary Dataset 1]

Lambdon, P. W. (2012). Flowering Plants and Ferns of St Helena. Pisces Publications, Newbury, UK.

Lambdon, P. W. and Ellick, S. (2016). Commidendrum rotundifolium. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T37591A67370300. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T37591A67370300.en. Accessed on 13 October 2024.

Melliss, J. C. (1875). St Helena: A Physical, Historical and Topographical Description of the Island, Including its Geology, Fauna, Flora and Meteorology. L. Reeve & Co., London, U.K.

Oldfield, Sara, Lusty, Charlotte and MacKinven, Amy (compilers). (1998). The World List of Threatened Trees. Cambridge, U.K.: World Conservation Press. 650 pp.

POWO. (2024). Plants of the World Online (online resource). Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom. Available at: https://powo.science.kew.org/ [Accessed 13 October 2024]

R.B.G. Kew & Intern. Inst. Environment and Development. (1993). Status of the endemic flora and preliminary recovery programmes 3: 1-95.

Roskov Y. et al. (eds.). (2018). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands.

Seal, U.S., Maunder, M., Pearce-Kelly, P., Mace, G. and Clark, D. (1993). Conservation assessment and management plan. St. Helena Island. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Walter, Kerry S. and Gillett, Harriet J. (eds.). (1998). 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. Compiled by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Gland, Switzerland & Cambridge, UK: IUCN – The World Conservation Union. lxiv + 862 pp.

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