Genus Exocarpos Pacific distribution. Duncan Cunningham.

Pacific, Oceania, and south Indochina islands and Hawaii, not Madagascar as cited in many authoritative sources including H.H. Allen's "Flora of New Zealand, Vol 1" including its online version "Flora of New Zealand: Taxa", 2004. https://floraseries.landcareresearch.co.nz/pages/Taxon.aspx?id=_464a114f-0337-436c-8e48-d958908cecfe&fileName=Flora%201.xml.

The apparent source of the inclusion of Madagascar can be found in The Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany 20: 249–250. 1883. (J. Linn. Soc., Bot.). The article is "On the flora of Madagascar" by John G. Baker.

The relevant subject is: Exocarpus xyllophylloides whose description begins "There can be little doubt, although none of the specimens show either flower or fruit, that a plant of which we have now four sheets at Kew, is a phyllocladioid Exocarpus closely allied to the well-known Æ. phyllanthoides, Endl., of Norfolk Island...".

This seems to indicate that, in the absence of flowers or fruit, the similar appearance to the samples of leafy Exocarpos species led Baker, and other early botanists, to conclude that this species is of the same genus: Exocarpos.

Current binomial:
Phylloxylon xylophylloides(Baker) is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is found only in Madagascar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylloxylon_xylophylloides

Posted on Αύγουστος 27, 2023 1058 ΠΜ by duncanmc42