Commidendrum rotundifolium

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
PLANTAE	TRACHEOPHYTA	MAGNOLIOPSIDA	ASTERALES	COMPOSITAE

Scientific Name:

Commidendrum rotundifolium

Species Authority:

(Roxb.) DC.

Common Name(s):

English

–

Bastard Gumwood

Synonym(s):

Psiadia rotundifolia (Roxb.) Hook.f.

Solidago rotundifolia Roxb.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Extinct in the Wild ver 3.1

Year Published:

2003

Date Assessed:

2003-04-30

Annotations:

Needs updating

Assessor(s):

Cairns-Wicks, R.

Reviewer(s):

Cronk, Q. & Clubbe, C. (South Atlantic Island Plants Red List Authority)

Justification:
C. rotundifolium was thought to have been extinct by the end of the 19th Century with the last known trees growing at Longwood, Black Field and Horse Pasture. However, Stedson Stroud rediscovered this species in 1982 as one tree growing out from a cliff at the southern edge of Horse Pasture. This tree was destroyed by a gale in 1986 and the species is now extinct in the wild.

History:

1998	–	Extinct in the Wild (Oldfield et al. 1998)
1998	–	Extinct in the Wild

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	C. rotundifolium is extinct in the wild.
Countries:	Regionally extinct: Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	A tree, formerly common on dry areas, 400 – 520 m. According to Cronk (1989) the Bastard Gumwood was associated with the dry gumwood woodland 300-500 m. and to some extent wet gumwood woodland 500-650 m.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Historically used a fuel wood. Regeneration prevented by browsing livestock. All trees currently growing at Pounceys are smothered in lichen growth. Lichens are parasitic and will be an additional burden on already weakened trees but they also harbour moth larvae which are known to burrow into living wood (of Redwoods, Gumwood and She Cabbage, RCW pers. obs) further compounding senescence. White Ants Cryptotermes are pests present at both Pounceys and Scotland sites.

Major Threat(s):

Historically used a fuel wood. Regeneration prevented by browsing livestock.

All trees currently growing at Pounceys are smothered in lichen growth. Lichens are parasitic and will be an additional burden on already weakened trees but they also harbour moth larvae which are known to burrow into living wood (of Redwoods, Gumwood and She Cabbage, RCW pers. obs) further compounding senescence. White Ants Cryptotermes are pests present at both Pounceys and Scotland sites.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	Trees have been successfully established in cultivation at Pounceys and the ECS Nursery at Scotland and form the basis of recovery efforts for the species. Seedlings raised in 2002 from seed from tree 8 at Pounceys have now been planted at Barren Ground. However because of barriers to reproduction this species still faces an uncertain future in cultivation unless consistent effort is made to propagate it through seed.

Conservation Actions:

Trees have been successfully established in cultivation at Pounceys and the ECS Nursery at Scotland and form the basis of recovery efforts for the species. Seedlings raised in 2002 from seed from tree 8 at Pounceys have now been planted at Barren Ground. However because of barriers to reproduction this species still faces an uncertain future in cultivation unless consistent effort is made to propagate it through seed.

Citation:	Cairns-Wicks, R. 2003. Commidendrum rotundifolium. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 29 January 2015.
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