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Fauna Of Christmas Island
The wildlife of Christmas Island is composed of the flora and fauna of this isolated island in the tropical Indian Ocean. Christmas Island is the summit plateau of an underwater volcano. It is mostly clad in tropical rainforest and has karst, cliffs, wetlands, coasts and sea. It is a small island with a land area of , 63% of which has been declared a National park. Most of the rainforest remains intact and supports a large range of endemic species of animals and plants. Geography The island is about long and wide. The total land area is , with of coastline. The island is the flat summit of an underwater volcano more than high, with about being submerged and only about above the surface. Some basalt is exposed in places but most of the surface rock is limestone accumulated from coral growth. The karst terrain supports numerous anchialine pools. Steep cliffs along much of the coast rise abruptly to a central plateau. The island is mainly covered by tropical rainforest, much ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christmas Island Goshawk
The Christmas goshawk (''Accipiter fasciatus natalis'') or Christmas Island goshawk, is a bird of prey in the goshawk and sparrowhawk family Accipitridae. It is a threatened endemic of Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the eastern Indian Ocean. Taxonomy The taxon was described in 1889 by Lister as a full species, ''Accipiter natalis''. Since then there has been debate as to whether its affinities lie with the brown goshawk or the grey goshawk (''A. novaehollandiae''). In the 2004 national recovery plan for the taxon it is treated as a subspecies of the brown goshawk, though the possibility has been raised of elevating it to the species level again. Christidis and Boles (2008) treat it as a subspecies of the variable goshawk (''A. hiogaster''). Here it is treated as a subspecies of the brown goshawk pending further study of its genome. Description The Christmas goshawk is smaller and has more rounded wings than the nominate subspecies. Colouration is broadly si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inocarpus Edulis
''Inocarpus fagifer'', commonly known as the Tahitian chestnut or Polynesian chestnut, is a species of flowering plant in the subfamily Faboideae of the legume family, Fabaceae. The tree has a wide range in the tropics of the south-west Pacific and south-east Asian regions, and a history of traditional use by the peoples of Polynesia and Melanesia. It is the only edible and culturally important member of the genus ''Inocarpus''. Description There is great diversity in the size, form, shape and colour of the Tahitian chestnut, and of its leaves, flowers and fruit. Because of its long history of cultivation and its tendency to become naturalised where introduced, it is likely that, over its wide range, the species contains several originally farmer-selected cultivars that have not been recognised or described. Size, form and lifespan The Tahitian chestnut is a medium-sized, evergreen tropical tree. It may grow to 30 m in height, though 20 m is more usual, with a crown dia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gyrocarpus Americanus
''Gyrocarpus americanus'' is a flowering plant in the ''Hernandiaceae'' family, with a wide pantropical distribution. Its common names include the helicopter tree, propeller tree, whirly whirly tree, stinkwood or shitwood. Description ''Gyrocarpus americanus'' is a slender, deciduous tree with smooth, grey bark. The tree grows to about 12 m in height. The leaves are spirally arranged, crowded near the ends of the branches, and grow up to 150 × 120 mm in size. They are ovate, often 3-lobed, dark green above, paler and greyer below, with velvety surfaces, 3-veined from the base. The veins are yellowish. The cream to yellowish-green flowers grow in compact heads and have an unpleasant smell. The fruit is a woody nut with two long thin wings that help in wind dispersal. The winged fruit and the smell of the flowers have given the tree its various common names. Taxonomy Subspecies * ''G. a. africanus'' Kubitzki (Africa) * ''G. a. americanus'' Jacq. ( East Africa, I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pisonia Grandis
''Pisonia grandis'', the grand devil's-claws, is a species of flowering tree in the ''Bougainvillea'' family, Nyctaginaceae. Description The tree has broad, thin leaves, smooth bark and bears clusters of green sweet-smelling flowers that mature into sticky barbed seeds. Dispersal occurs when seeds stick to bird feathers. Vegetative reproduction frequently results when fallen branches sprout or basal shoots develop into new trees. Distribution ''Pisonia'' trees are distributed throughout the coral cays of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The species often dominates mature coral cay vegetation, growing in dense, thick strands up to tall. ''Pisonia'' wood is rather weak and soft and decays rapidly when the trees fall. ''Pisonia'' forests are a common nesting site for seabirds. One of the best remaining ''Pisonia'' forests can be found on Palmyra Atoll. St. Pierre Island, Farquhar Group, was once covered by a ''Pisonia grandis'' forest. This forest disappeared after guano minin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fern
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except the lycopods, and differ from mosses and other bryophytes by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissues that conduct water and nutrients and in having life cycles in which the branched sporophyte is the dominant phase. Ferns have complex leaves called megaphylls, that are more complex than the microphylls of clubmosses. Most ferns are leptosporangiate ferns. They produce coiled fiddleheads that uncoil and expand into fronds. The group includes about 10,560 known extant species. Ferns are defined here in the broad sense, being all of the Polypodiopsida, comprising both the leptosporangiate (Polypodiidae) and eusporangiate ferns, the latter group including horsetails, whisk ferns, marattioid ferns, and ophioglossoid ferns. Ferns first ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orchidaceae
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering plants. The Orchidaceae have about 28,000 currently accepted species, distributed in about 763 genera. (See ''External links'' below). The determination of which family is larger is still under debate, because verified data on the members of such enormous families are continually in flux. Regardless, the number of orchid species is nearly equal to the number of bony fishes, more than twice the number of bird species, and about four times the number of mammal species. The family encompasses about 6–11% of all species of seed plants. The largest genera are ''Bulbophyllum'' (2,000 species), ''Epidendrum'' (1,500 species), ''Dendrobium'' (1,400 species) and ''Pleurothallis'' (1,000 species). It also includes ''Vanilla'' (the genus of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vine
A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Daydon (1928). ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent'', 4th ed. London: Gerald Duckworth & Co. In parts of the world, including the British Isles, the term "vine" usually applies exclusively to grapevines (''Vitis''), while the term "climber" is used for all climbing plants. Growth forms Certain plants always grow as vines, while a few grow as vines only part of the time. For instance, poison ivy and bittersweet can grow as low shrubs when support is not available, but will become vines when support is available. A vine displays a growth form based on very long stems. This has two purposes. A vine may use rock exposures, other plants, or other ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pandanus Elatus
''Pandanus elatus'' is a dioecious tropical plant in the screwpine genus. It is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the north-eastern Indian Ocean. Its specific epithet comes from the Latin ''elatus'' (tall), in reference to its growth habit.Flora of Australia Online. Description ''Pandanus elatus'' is an erect tree, with basal prop roots, that grows to 20 m in height. Its leaves grow to 3 m long and 100 mm wide, dark green and with marginal prickles. The plants do not form the densely tangled thickets that characterise '' P. christmatensis''. Distribution and habitat Found only on Christmas Island, the tree is found on deeper soils in the rainforest, sometimes in small groves. Taxonomy The tree is closely related to '' P. leram'' Jones, of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the southern coasts of Sumatra and western Java. References Notes Sources * * elatus There were several figures named Elatus or Élatos (Ancient Greek: á¼œÎ»Î±Ï ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arenga Listeri
''Arenga listeri'', the Lister's palm, is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is named after naturalist Joseph Jackson Lister. It is endemic to Christmas Island and is threatened by habitat loss. The palm is featured on a 1978 postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ... of Christmas Island together with Lister. References listeri Endemic flora of Christmas Island Vulnerable plants Taxa named by Odoardo Beccari Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Plants described in 1891 {{palm-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hernandia Ovigera
''Hernandia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hernandiaceae. It was named after the Spanish botanist Francisco Hernández de Toledo. Species , ''Plants of the World Online'' accepted the following species: * ''Hernandia albiflora'' (C.T.White) Kubitzki – northeast Queensland * '' Hernandia beninensis'' Welw. ex Henriq. – São Tomé * '' Hernandia bivalvis'' Benth. – eastern Queensland * '' Hernandia catalpifolia'' Britton & Harris – Jamaica * ''Hernandia cordigera'' Vieill. – New Caledonia * '' Hernandia cubensis'' Griseb. – Cuba * ''Hernandia didymantha'' Donn.Sm. – southern Mexico (Chiapas), Central America, Colombia, and Ecuador * ''Hernandia drakeana'' Nadeaud – Society Islands (Moorea) * ''Hernandia guianensis'' Aubl. – Trinidad, Venezuela, the Guianas, and northern Brazil * '' Hernandia hammelii'' D'Arcy – Panama * '' Hernandia jamaicensis'' Britton & Harris – Jamaica * ''Hernandia kunstleri'' King ex K.Heyne * '' Hernandia labyrinthica'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inocarpus Fagifer
''Inocarpus fagifer'', commonly known as the Tahitian chestnut or Polynesian chestnut, is a species of flowering plant in the subfamily Faboideae of the legume family, Fabaceae. The tree has a wide range in the tropics of the south-west Pacific and south-east Asian regions, and a history of traditional use by the peoples of Polynesia and Melanesia. It is the only edible and culturally important member of the genus ''Inocarpus''. Description There is great diversity in the size, form, shape and colour of the Tahitian chestnut, and of its leaves, flowers and fruit. Because of its long history of cultivation and its tendency to become naturalised where introduced, it is likely that, over its wide range, the species contains several originally farmer-selected cultivars that have not been recognised or described. Size, form and lifespan The Tahitian chestnut is a medium-sized, evergreen tropical tree. It may grow to 30 m in height, though 20 m is more usual, with a crown dia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tristiropsis Acutangula
''Tristiropsis acutangula '' is a tree species of the genus ''Tristiropsis'' in the family Sapindaceae. It grows naturally in the Malesian biogeographical region and in northern Australia. Description It is a large forest canopy tree growing up to 35 m high, and rarely to over 50 m. The trunk is buttressed at the base and has mainly smooth, or slightly roughened, dark brown bark. The compound leaves are arranged spirally up the branchlets with the leaflets opposite and symmetric. The small (up to 10 mm diameter) white to pale yellow or cream-coloured flowers occur as axillary inflorescences. The fleshy fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ... is 20–30 mm long, dark yellow, green or brown in colour, containing a single seed more than 10 mm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
