• Home
• Science Strategy
• Science Teams
• Projects
  • Systematics and Biogeography of Phyllanthus (Phyllanthaceae) of Madagascar
• People
• Publications
• Acronyms

Systematics and Biogeography of Phyllanthus (Phyllanthaceae) of Madagascar

Phyllanthus bojerianus. Photo: H. Ralimanana.

Kew’s collaborative work in Madagascar has a long tradition. This project is one of the first two PhD projects in Botany carried out at the University of Antananarivo, with joint supervision from RBG Kew. The aim of the study is to prepare a revised taxonomic account of Phyllanthus (Phyllanthaceae) for the Flore de Madagascar et des Comores and to investigate the biogeography and conservation status of the species and infraspecific taxa. There are c. 70 Madagascan species of Phyllanthus, the vast majority of which is endemic to the island.

This project is also part of a wider phylogenetic study (see Molecular phylogenetics of tribe Phyllantheae (Phyllanthaceae). Phyllanthus is one of the largest angiosperm genera (c. 1200 species) with complex internal relationships. In order to understand it, it first has to be studied at floristic level. Field trips to different parts of Madagascar and the Comoro Islands have not only yielded herbarium collections and valuable ecological and geographic information, but also a great number of silica-dried leaf specimens to be used in DNA sequence analysis. In return, the molecular phylogenetic study assists greatly in assessing intrageneric placements of the Madagascan species.

Outputs are, besides the aforementioned collections, a revised taxonomic account with full morphological descriptions produced from a DELTA database of all available characters, a species identification key for staminate and pistillate plants, full synonymy and typification, distribution maps produced with GIS software, notes on ecology and uses as well as IUCN conservation ratings. Several of the c. 70 species under revision are to be newly described in the course of this study. Hélène Ralimanana has consulted the herbaria of TAN and TEF in Madagascar and those of BM, K, LINN and P in Europe. She has given a talk at the AETFAT conference in Addis Ababa in 2003, co-authored several research papers and is preparing papers on her PhD work for submission to English-language international journals, whilst completing her PhD thesis, which is written in French. The results of this research represent the first doctoral study in Plant Systematics at the Department of Botany at the University of Antananarivo, and is hoped to serve as a model for future Malagasy researchers who want to pursue a career in plant systematics. It is also utilising methods (DELTA databases, GIS techniques for conservation assessment) that are new to botanical research in Madagascar.

Kew Home | Science Directory | Copyright & Privacy