ALBERT

Description: Collecting localities are of special interest to those who want to know the exact origin of the material under study: e.g. when citing types, designating neotypes, preparing distribution maps, planning expeditions, comparing species lists, or because of some historical interest. It is not always easy to gather these data, especially in the case of many former colonies where geographical names as used on collections have been changed (or may never have been recorded by the authorities and include on maps or in official gazetteers). As we have spent some time to gather the present information, we thought a wider audience might be interested. For a brief period, 1884 to 1921, the northern half of Papua New Guinea was a German colony, and the mainland portion known as Kaiser Wilhelmsland. German names were given to villages and other places where the colonists settled, and to the rivers and mountains they ’discovered’. When the Mandated Territory of New Guinea came into existence in 1921, the Australian administration proceeded to change many of these names. Some were merely translated, e.g. Aprilfluss became April River, Felsspitze became Rocky Peak, and Hansemann-Berg (near Madang) became Mt. Hansemann. Others underwent a complete change: Kaiser Wilhelmsland was abandoned in favour of ‘North-East New Guinea’, the mighty Kaiserin Augustafluss reverted to being the Sepik, the English names for Neu-Pommern and Neu-Mecklenburg were restored, the names of famous English politicians replaced those of German philosophers for two peaks in the Finisterre Range, and Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen became Madang after the name of the District Officer’s house which had been moved there from Finschhafen. Fortunately relatively few names were changed after the Independence of Papua New Guinea in 1976.

Description: The mainly East Malesian araliaceous trees and shrubs characterized by inflorescences with ‘false fruits’ were first accorded generic rank by Miquel (1863) under the name Osmoxylon. The name stood for the elegance of the vegetative parts of the plants as depicted by Rumphius and once collected by Zippelius. In the next decade, working partly from his own collections and emphasizing the distinctive inflorescences and their biology, Beccari (1878) added several species with palmately lobed or dissected leaves and described the characteristic reproductive mechanism. In a further study, however, Boerlage (1887) separated the palmately veined species as Eschweileria. This latter name was a homonym and Harms (1894) not unnaturally proposed Boerlagiodendron. Eighty years later, revision for Flora Malesiana brought about a reassessment and, as some species appeared to be ‘intermediate’ (notably B. dinagatense Merr. and B. simplicifolium Elmer, respectively from Dinagat Island and NE Mindanao in the Philippines) the two genera were merged by Philipson (1976, 1979) without recognition of any formal subdivisions. Further study indicates, however, that the former Boerlagiodendron and Osmoxylon s.s. do form distinct groups. Osmoxylon dinagatense (Merr.) Philipson and O. simplicifolium (Elmer) Philipson may have simple leaves, but both have – though rather small – a typical erect ‘Boerlagiodendron’ inflorescence. In O. simplicifolium, based on Elmer 13689 from NE Mindanao (Philippines), the leaves are coarsely toothed and feature craspedodromous venation. There is a further record from Samar [PNH 117163 (Gutierrez et al.) Osmoxylon dinagatense, based on BS 35220 (Ramos & Pascasio) from Dinagat Island, is similar but the leaf apex is more obtuse and the margins are merely crenate, the teeth obscure. I interpret these species as representative of miniaturization, a process also evident within O. micranthum (Harms) Philipson. Little is known of their ecology; however, Dinagat is known to have serpentine surface rock and in Samar the collection of O. simplicifolium was recorded from forest on limestone. Both species are shrubs or small trees to 4 m. With respect to O. oblongifolium Philipson (no. 8 in Philipson, 1979), also described as having simple leaves, its author has noted that the petiolar crests are sometimes fimbriate and the leaf-blades occasionally have a small triangular lobe on each side below the middle. The plants are moreover stream-bank dwellers and the leaves are clustered at branch ends. All these indicate membership of the Boerlagiodendron group.

Description: The late Edwin Menninger, long-time Florida plantsman, book dealer and author of several books including also Fantastic Trees and Flowering Vines of the World, covered some 500 trees in his Flowering Trees of the World, identifying most of them to species. It was very much a popular record of his and others’ introductions to South Florida (as well as much of the Gulf south of North America and the Atlantic coast northeast to Savannah, Georgia, all within USDA hardiness zone 9). Though now showing its ago, it remains one of the better works for the beginner and enthusiast. All its plates were in colour, unusual for 1962. A few species were, or could not be, determined. One of these (p. 43 and, facing p. 48, photograph 7) was Boerlagiodendron sp. (‘marang’), introduced by David Fairchild into South Florida from Karakelang in the Talaud Islands of Indonesia (between the Philippines and the Moluccas) and reported in his biotravelogue, Garden Islands of the Great East (1940).

Description: The mainly East Malesian araliaceous trees and shrubs characterized by inflorescences with \xe2\x80\x98false fruits\xe2\x80\x99 were first accorded generic rank by Miquel (1863) under the name Osmoxylon. The name stood for the elegance of the vegetative parts of the plants as depicted by Rumphius and once collected by Zippelius. In the next decade, working partly from his own collections and emphasizing the distinctive inflorescences and their biology, Beccari (1878) added several species with palmately lobed or dissected leaves and described the characteristic reproductive mechanism. In a further study, however, Boerlage (1887) separated the palmately veined species as Eschweileria. This latter name was a homonym and Harms (1894) not unnaturally proposed Boerlagiodendron. Eighty years later, revision for Flora Malesiana brought about a reassessment and, as some species appeared to be \xe2\x80\x98intermediate\xe2\x80\x99 (notably B. dinagatense Merr. and B. simplicifolium Elmer, respectively from Dinagat Island and NE Mindanao in the Philippines) the two genera were merged by Philipson (1976, 1979) without recognition of any formal subdivisions.\nFurther study indicates, however, that the former Boerlagiodendron and Osmoxylon s.s. do form distinct groups. Osmoxylon dinagatense (Merr.) Philipson and O. simplicifolium (Elmer) Philipson may have simple leaves, but both have \xe2\x80\x93 though rather small \xe2\x80\x93 a typical erect \xe2\x80\x98Boerlagiodendron\xe2\x80\x99 inflorescence. In O. simplicifolium, based on Elmer 13689 from NE Mindanao (Philippines), the leaves are coarsely toothed and feature craspedodromous venation. There is a further record from Samar [PNH 117163 (Gutierrez et al.) Osmoxylon dinagatense, based on BS 35220 (Ramos & Pascasio) from Dinagat Island, is similar but the leaf apex is more obtuse and the margins are merely crenate, the teeth obscure. I interpret these species as representative of miniaturization, a process also evident within O. micranthum (Harms) Philipson. Little is known of their ecology; however, Dinagat is known to have serpentine surface rock and in Samar the collection of O. simplicifolium was recorded from forest on limestone. Both species are shrubs or small trees to 4 m. With respect to O. oblongifolium Philipson (no. 8 in Philipson, 1979), also described as having simple leaves, its author has noted that the petiolar crests are sometimes fimbriate and the leaf-blades occasionally have a small triangular lobe on each side below the middle. The plants are moreover stream-bank dwellers and the leaves are clustered at branch ends. All these indicate membership of the Boerlagiodendron group.

Description: The late Edwin Menninger, long-time Florida plantsman, book dealer and author of several books including also Fantastic Trees and Flowering Vines of the World, covered some 500 trees in his Flowering Trees of the World, identifying most of them to species. It was very much a popular record of his and others\xe2\x80\x99 introductions to South Florida (as well as much of the Gulf south of North America and the Atlantic coast northeast to Savannah, Georgia, all within USDA hardiness zone 9). Though now showing its ago, it remains one of the better works for the beginner and enthusiast. All its plates were in colour, unusual for 1962.\nA few species were, or could not be, determined. One of these (p. 43 and, facing p. 48, photograph 7) was Boerlagiodendron sp. (\xe2\x80\x98marang\xe2\x80\x99), introduced by David Fairchild into South Florida from Karakelang in the Talaud Islands of Indonesia (between the Philippines and the Moluccas) and reported in his biotravelogue, Garden Islands of the Great East (1940).

Description: Collecting localities are of special interest to those who want to know the exact origin of the material under study: e.g. when citing types, designating neotypes, preparing distribution maps, planning expeditions, comparing species lists, or because of some historical interest. It is not always easy to gather these data, especially in the case of many former colonies where geographical names as used on collections have been changed (or may never have been recorded by the authorities and include on maps or in official gazetteers). As we have spent some time to gather the present information, we thought a wider audience might be interested.\nFor a brief period, 1884 to 1921, the northern half of Papua New Guinea was a German colony, and the mainland portion known as Kaiser Wilhelmsland. German names were given to villages and other places where the colonists settled, and to the rivers and mountains they \xe2\x80\x99discovered\xe2\x80\x99. When the Mandated Territory of New Guinea came into existence in 1921, the Australian administration proceeded to change many of these names. Some were merely translated, e.g. Aprilfluss became April River, Felsspitze became Rocky Peak, and Hansemann-Berg (near Madang) became Mt. Hansemann. Others underwent a complete change: Kaiser Wilhelmsland was abandoned in favour of \xe2\x80\x98North-East New Guinea\xe2\x80\x99, the mighty Kaiserin Augustafluss reverted to being the Sepik, the English names for Neu-Pommern and Neu-Mecklenburg were restored, the names of famous English politicians replaced those of German philosophers for two peaks in the Finisterre Range, and Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen became Madang after the name of the District Officer\xe2\x80\x99s house which had been moved there from Finschhafen. Fortunately relatively few names were changed after the Independence of Papua New Guinea in 1976.