Perrier De La Research Articles

Elevation of Three Varieties of the Malagasy Endemic Casearia nigrescens (Salicaceae) to the Species Level

The Malagasy species of Casearia Jacq. (Salicaceae) have no modern taxonomic treatment and present particular difficulties due to their similar flowers. Twentieth-century authors have adopted overly lumping classifications featuring broad circumscriptions of C. nigrescens Tul. Perrier de la Bâthie published three varieties within C. nigrescens sensu Tulasne: varieties onivensis H. Perrier, ovata H. Perrier, and subtrinervia H. Perrier. All of these are from eastern humid forests, farther inland and at higher elevations than is typical of variety nigrescens s. str. Study of the available specimens indicates that all are sufficiently distinct from variety nigrescens that they should be elevated to the rank of species. They are herein recognized as C. onivensis (H. Perrier) Ang. X. Wang & Philpott, C. angustifructa Ang. X. Wang & Appleq., and C. subtrinervia (H. Perrier) Ang. X. Wang & Appleq., respectively. All are rarely collected, and preliminary assessment of their conservation status suggests that all three are Endangered.

(2947) Proposal to reject the name Bryophyllum triangulare (Crassulaceae: Kalanchooideae)

(2947) Proposal to reject the name <i>Bryophyllum triangulare</i> (<i>Crassulaceae</i>: <i>Kalanchooideae</i>)

Nomenclature and taxonomic placement of the infraspecific taxa recognised in the Malagasy Kalanchoe miniata (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) by Perrier de la Bâthie and Boiteau and Mannoni in the 20th century

The nomenclature that Perrier de la Bâthie and Boiteau &amp; Mannoni successively published for the Malagasy K. miniata (Crassulaceae subfam Kalanchooideae) in the 1920s and 1940s, respectively, is analysed. New synonyms are recorded for K. miniata and designations not validly published are noted. The infraspecific names published in K. miniata by Perrier de la Bâthie and Boiteau &amp; Mannoni are interpreted as referring to material that belong to three species, namely to K. miniata, K. pseudocampanulata, and K. pubescens. Several names are typified and a new combination, K. pubescens var. tsinjoarivensis, based on K. miniata var. tsinjoarivensis, is published.

Taxonomic Studies of Diospyros (Ebenaceae) from the Malagasy Region. VII. Revision of Diospyros sect. Forbesia in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands

A recent molecular phylogenetic study revealed that Diospyros L. sect. Forbesia F. White, originally circumscribed to encompass two species from Africa and several from the Mascarene Islands (White, 1980), also includes a group of species endemic to Madagascar. The taxonomy of the Malagasy members of the section has not been examined since Perrier de la Bâthie’s 1952 treatment in the Flore de Madagascar et des Comores, and in the intervening seven decades, numerous specimens have been collected that cannot be identified based on the key provided. This revision presents a significantly updated taxonomy of Diospyros sect. Forbesia in the Malagasy region in which 18 species are recognized, 14 of which are newly described and illustrated, including one new species restricted to Mayotte Island in the Comoro archipelago. An identification key is provided as well as IUCN risk of extinction assessments, which indicate that two species are Critically Endangered, four are Endangered, and seven are Vulnerable, while one is Near Threatened and four are Least Concern. A full description is provided for each species, along with color photos; each of the new species is also illustrated with a line drawing.

&lt;strong&gt;Nomenclatural novelties published in &lt;em&gt;Kalanchoe&lt;/em&gt; (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooidee) by Boiteau and Allorge-Boiteau in 1995&lt;/strong&gt;

In a taxonomic treatment of Kalanchoe Adanson (1763: 248) (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) in Madagascar, 13 nomenclatural novelties at the ranks of species, variety, and forma were validly published by Boiteau &amp; Allorge-Boiteau (1995). In three cases that have gone unrecorded this was done inadvertently, but nonetheless validly. In the other 10 cases, Boiteau &amp; Allorge-Boiteau (1995) variously and explicitly ascribed the new names and new combinations published in that work to either: (1) P. Boiteau, or to (2) L. Allorge-Boiteau. Only in three cases, that of the inadvertently validly published replacement name K. marnieriana H.Jacobsen ex Boiteau &amp; Allorge-Boiteau (1995: 102) and the inadvertently validly published new combinations K. synsepala Baker (1882: 110) var. trichantha (Baker 1883: 140) Boiteau &amp; Allorge-Boiteau (1995: 179) and K. integrifolia Baker (1887: 471) var. bitteri (Raymond-Hamet &amp; Perrier de la Bâthie 1914: 120) Boiteau &amp; Allorge-Boiteau (1995: 183), were Boiteau and Allorge-Boiteau co-authors of the names.

&lt;strong&gt;Typification of the name &lt;em&gt;Kalanchoe daigremontiana&lt;/em&gt; (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae)&lt;/strong&gt;

Several species and nothospecies of Kalanchoe Adanson (1763: 248) (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) that use multiple vegetative and reproductive methods of self-propagation have become weedy in especially mild-climate parts of the world (Garcês et al. 2007, Herrera &amp; Nassar 2009, Smith 2019, Smith et al. 2019: 244–278). Some of these, including the nothospecies K. ×houghtonii Ward (2006: 94) (Smith 2019) and its two parent taxa, K. daigremontiana Raymond-Hamet &amp; Perrier de la Bâthie (1914: 128) (Figs 1 &amp; 2) and K. tubiflora (Harvey 1862: 380) Hamet (1912: 44), have taken on economic importance beyond being sold, in many instances unwisely, as ornamental plants in the horticultural trade, as their eradication from places where they have become established in vegetation well away from their natural habitats will require the investment of fiscal resources.

&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Kalanchoe ×edwardii&lt;/em&gt; (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae), a nothospecies derived from &lt;em&gt;K. beharensis&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;K. tomentosa&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;

The recently described Kalanchoe ×gildenhuysii Smith &amp; Figueiredo (2020: 43) and K. ×hummeliae Smith (2020a: 91) both have K. millotii Hamet &amp; Perrier de la Bâthie (1912: 374) as one parent, with the other parent being K. tomentosa Baker (1882: 110) and K. beharensis Drake del Castillo (1903: 41), respectively. These three species are shrubby or arborescent; virtually throughout densely tomentose, although to a much lesser extent on the adaxial surfaces of the petal lobes; have prominent calyces that in some cases obscure much of the corolla tube; and rather dull coloured flowers, except in K. tomentosa that can have strongly purple-infused to purple corollas. These species of Kalanchoe Adanson (1763: 248) all originate from Madagascar, a present-day and likely historic centre of high species diversity for the genus (Gehrig et al. 2001, Descoings 2003, Smith &amp; Figueiredo 2018).

A new status and combination in a Madagascan Kalanchoe, K. brevicalyx (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae)

The proposed name at new rank ‘Kalanchoe brevicalyx’ (Raymond-Hamet &amp; Perrier de la Bâthie 1915: 88) L.Allorge (in Boiteau &amp; Allorge-Boiteau 1995: 133) (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) was not validly published as a full and direct reference to the place of valid publication of the basionym, K. pinnata var. brevicalyx Raymond-Hamet &amp; Perrier de la Bâthie (1915: 88), with page or plate reference and date, was not clearly indicated (Turland et al. 2018: Art. 41.5). We here validly publish the new combination and status.

A new status and combination in a Madagascan Kalanchoe, K. beauverdii var. juelii (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae)

With about 60 of the c. 150 known species of the genus Kalanchoe Adanson (1763: 248) sensu lato having been recorded from Madagascar, this island is the present-day centre of diversity of the genus (Smith &amp; Figueiredo 2018). When Rauh &amp; Hebding in Rauh (1995: 15) suggested the reclassification of the Madagascan K. juelii Raymond-Hamet &amp; Perrier de la Bâthie (1914: 135, as ‘jueli’) as a variety of K. beauverdii Hamet (1907: 887), they did not cite the basionym, with the result that their proposed new combination, ‘Kalanchoe beauverdii Raym.-Hamet var. juelii, as ‘jueli’(Raym.-Hamet &amp; H.Perrier) Rauh &amp; Hebding’, was not validly published (Art. 41.5 of the ICN, Turland et al. 2018).

Phylogeny, infrageneric classification and species delimitation in the Malagasy Impatiens (Balsaminaceae).

The species-rich genus Impatiens (Balsaminaceae) is represented in Madagascar by no less than 260 species. We conducted molecular phylogenetic analyses of the Malagasy Impatiens based on nuclear and plastid data and 52 accessions (representing 33 species) to: 1) reassess the monophyly of the Malagasy Impatiens; 2) assess the monophyly of the sections Preimpatiens (Humblotianae and Vulgare groups) with spurs and Trimorphopetalum without spurs as delimited by Perrier de la Bâthie, as well as that of the subgenera Impatiens and Trimorphopetalum as defined by Fischer and Rahelivololona; 3) infer the current status of some morphologically variable species; and 4) test whether the species of Impatiens from the Marojejy National Park form a monophyletic group. The Malagasy Impatiens are further confirmed to be paraphyletic with respect of the Comorian I.auricoma. The present sectional and subgeneric classifications of the Malagasy Impatiens are partly supported, with strong support for the monophyly of the sect. or subgen. Trimorphopetalum. Section Preimpatiens was not supported as monophyletic and neither the Humblotianae group nor the Vulgare group is monophyletic. Impatienselatostemmoides, I. “hammarbyoides”, I.inaperta, I.lyallii and I.manaharensis are either para- or polyphyletic and may represent morpho-species. The Impatiens species from the Marojejy National Park do not form a monophyletic group and therefore are suggested to be derived from numerous independent colonisation events from all over Madagascar followed by subsequent diversifications.

Impatiens kanchigandhiana, a new name for Impatiens nasuta H.Perrier (Balsaminaceae)

The genus Impatiens Linnaeus (1753: 937) is distributed mostly in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World as well as in the northern temperate regions with more than 1,000 species (Janssens et al. 2006, Jyosna &amp; Janarthanam 2011). During the taxonomic study of the genus Impatiens in India (Gogoi &amp; Borah 2015, Gogoi &amp; Arisdason 2016, Gogoi et al. 2016), we find that the name Impatiens nasuta Perrier de la Bâthie (1949: 14), a species native to Tsaratanana hills of Madagascar, is a later homonym of Impatiens nasuta Hooker (1908: 263) from China. Impatiens nasuta H.Perrier differs from I. nasuta Hook.f. in its smaller, suberect, less than 30 cm tall habit, leaves elliptic, smaller, coriaceous and flowers without an annular spur. According to the Arts. 6.11, 53.1 of the ICN (McNeill et al. 2012), a new name is proposed here for the later homonym Impatiens nasuta H.Perrier.

Notes on the Rhodocolea racemosa (Lam.) H. Perrier (Bignoniaceae) Species Complex

PHILLIPSON, P. B. & M. W. CALLMANDER (2015). Notes on the Rhodocolea racemosa (Lam.) H. Perrier (Bignoniaceae) species complex. Candollea 70: 257-265. In English, English and French abstracts. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15553/c2015v702a13 The authors review the Rhodocolea racemosa (Lam.) H. Perrier complex (Bignoniaceae), with its numerous varieties and taxonomic forms, many of which were never validly published due to lack of Latin diagnoses, and its confused synonymy. The authors discuss the typification of the validly published taxa included within the species by Perrier de la Bâthie and recognise three of these as species distinct from Rhodocolea racemosa s.s., providing the necessary new combinations. Information on the identity of the taxa that lack validly published names is also provided.

Gastrodia madagascariensis (Gastrodieae, Orchidaceae): from an historical designation to a description of a new species from Madagascar

Gastrodia madagascariensis, a leafless achlorophyllous orchid, is described and illustrated here. The epithet was originally coined by Perrier de la Bâthie in 1939 for fruiting material found on the eastern coastal plain of Madagascar more than a century ago, but the name was never validly published. This new species is closely related to G. similis from Reunion Island, from which it can be distinguished by the perianth tube spreading towards the apex, the shape of the column and stigma, and the flower colour. The achlorophyllous genus Gastrodia currently comprises five species in the tropical parts of the Afro-Madagascan region, one of which, G. africana, is possibly extinct. We provide an artificial key to distinguish them. In addition, there is also an extratropical species in continental Africa, the introduced G. sesamoides (very local near Cape Town, South Africa).

Rearranging Specimens on Herbarium Type Sheets of Streptocarpus betsiliensis Humbert (Gesneriaceae)

Abstract Moller, M., K. Nishii, M. W. Callmander, P. B. Phillipson & O. Poncy (2015). Rearranging specimens on herbarium type sheets of Streptocarpus betsiliensis Humbert (Gesneriaceae). Candollea 70: 145–150. In English, English and French abstracts. During recent herbarium research on the Malagasy species of Gesneriaceae, a hitherto undetected mixed collection of the type of Streptocarpus betsiliensis Humbert (Perrier de la Bâthie 12482), was observed at the Paris herbarium (P). Of the three sheets present, one, the holotype [P00088746], comprised only Streptocarpus betsiliensis specimens, while the two isotypes, [P00088747, P00088748], were found to comprise a mixture of this species and a closely related and easily confused species, Streptocarpus lanatus MacMaster. As a result of this, the specimens on the mixed sheets were physically separated and the collections were distinguished by the suffixes A and B. They were then remounted to form species-specific sheets, rescanned, and the databases at P upd...

Giant subfossil lemur graveyard discovered, submerged, in Madagascar

In October, 2014, we organized a paleontological expedition toinvestigate flooded freshwatercavesinTsimanampetsotsa NationalPark, Madagascar, located in the arid southwestern region of thecountry where the karst landscape is pocked with dry caves andlarge water-filled sinkholes (Fig. 1). Our team of nine scuba diverswas led by Phillip Lehman of the Dominican Republic SpeleologicalSociety (Supplementary Online Material [SOM] Video 1). The dis-covery of subfossils in Tsimanampetsotsa was made initially byRyan Dart of Antananarivo. The director of Tsimanampetsotsa Na-tional Park, Mr. Lovasoa Dresy, immediately recognized theirimportance to science and encouraged the work reported here.Substantial numbers of subfossil remains were found in threecaves. In Aven Cave we discovered what is likely to be the singlelargest cache of giant subfossil lemurs ever uncovered. The othertwo fossiliferous caves were Mitoho and Malaza Manga. Subfossilshad been previously reported from around the entrance to MitohoCave (Perrier de la B^athie, 1934; Goodman and Jungers, 2014 ) butno underwater investigation of remains inside any of these caveshad been conducted prior to this expedition. Thus the primaryobjective was to establish the paleontological potential of thesecaves, with the principal aim of assessing the biodiversity of thesubfossil content of Aven (Fig.1).Avenisakarsticdissolutioncaveorsinkholeproducedbywaterdraining through the porous limestone shelf. It is a classic verticalsink hole with deep horizontal cave passageways, each ending in acollapse of limestone blocks. In the complex of tunnels and pas-sages, many sections can be accessed only through narrow re-strictions, a challenge that requires advanced cave divingtechniques as a precondition to safe exploration of this dark, un-charted subterranean environment (Fig. 2C). It is readily apparentthat these spaces were dry in the past as there is substantial spe-leothem (stalactite and stalagmite) formation. The full extent ofAven's passageways has yet to be explored, but our team laid about268 m of safety line during the expedition, running at an averagedepth of 42 m.Theopeningof the sinkholeis some25 min circumference, andthe water table is located 10e12 m below the rim. A small island inthe center of the water pool is the very top of a debris cone, what'sleft of the collapsed overhead rock (Fig. 1). The mound falls gentlyintothe depths of the lit cavern toabout25 m, fromwherethe caveextends into the blackness in all directions. It is in this transitionalzone where most of the more visible subfossil remains have beenlocated.Duringthesurvey,standardcavemappingtechniqueswereemployed to locate and mark areas with materials of interest, suchas dense bone accumulations or the location of important speci-mens. It became immediately apparent that there were multiplesites of import and hundreds of cranial and postcranial remains

The reinstatement and rediagnosis of the madagascan genus Rhodocodon (Asparagaceae, Scilloideae), with validation and remarks on H. Perrier’s taxa

The genus Rhodocodon is here reinstated based on morphological, biogeographical and molecular evidence. On the basis of the work presented by H. Perrier de la Bâthie in Flora of Madagascar, one subgenus and ten species of Rhodocodon are validated here. Furthermore, Rhodocodon madagascariensis and R. urgineoides are lectotypified, and Hyacinthus cryptopodus and Urginea mascarenensis are transferred to Rhodocodon. A complete morphological description for all 13 accepted species of Rhodocodon is provided, including data on biology, ecology and distribution. Furthermore, an identification key for the Rhodocodon species is presented.

THE OLD WORLD SPECIES OF LUDWIGIA (INCLUDING HISSIAEA), WITH A SYNOPSIS OF THE GENUS (ONAGRACEAE)

Evidence is presented in support of t he reduction of Jussiaea and Oocarpon to rigid. This combined genus then consists of 75 species,distributed among 17 .lions, of which Africana, Caryopkylloidea,Brenania, Seminuda, Cryptosperma, tyonia, and Miquelia are proposed in this paper, and Prieuria, N em atopy xis, Fis-docarpa, and Oocarpon are used for the first time as sections of J-udwigia. The ribution of species with pollen falling in tetrads has been compared with those rtich the grains fall singly. Of the 16 sections for which this character is known, have the pollen falling- in tetrads, five have it falling singly, and two (Micro-wm and Dantia) have both types of pollen in different species. A revision of the 23 ties of Lurhvigia in the Old World is presented, with complete synonymy; 13 hese species arc restricted to the Old World. New combinations are L. inclino.t, . L. stenorraphe subsp. speciosa, subsp. macroaepala, anil subsp. rcducta; L. pv,l-ris subsp. lobayensis is described as new; L. prostrota is delimited as a tropical icies very distinct from the temperate Asian L. epilobioides and its subsp. fjreal-(comb. nov., based on Jussiaea greatrexii); the group formerly referred to ea repens sens. lat. in the Old World is divided into three species, Ludwigia ieiis, L. stolonifera (comb, nov.), and L. pcploida (comb,nov.) with subsp. Edewsts(comb, nov.) in Australia and New Zealand (probably introduced), peploides introduced on a few Pacific Islands, and subsp. stipidacca (comb. ',) in north Asia; and named varieties of L. pedustris are regarded as ecological 'ints and reduced to synonymy. The several taxa of Madagascar described and flrded as endemic by H. Perrier de la Bathie are reduced to synonymy, leaving dagascar with no endemic taxa in this genus. Of the 13 species restricted to Old World, 8 are endemic to Africa, 4 to Asia and Malesia, and 1 is common oth regions. The genus seems to have originated in America and perhaps reached [Old World via Africa, spreading only recently to Australia, Malesia, and the lirific islands.

Notes on the Flora of Madagascar, 30–34

Callmander, M. W., P. B. Phillipson, T. Deroin & L. Gautier (ed.) (2013). Notes on the flora of Madagascar, 30–34. Candollea 68: 301–320. In English and French, English and French abstracts.Ongoing research on Madagascar's flora is revealing numerous taxonomic novelties and nomenclatural inconsistencies, and providing new data on species distribution. This is the seventh set of notes in a series that aims to provide the botanical community working on the flora of Madagascar an opportunity to publish short communications on these topics, and this issue comprises five notes.— Note 30. Nomenclatural notes on Cryptocarya R. Br. (Lauraceae) from Madagascar, by Henk van der Werff. Five species of Malagasy Ravensara Sonn. are transferred to Cryptocarya R. Br. following the merging of these two genera and the accepted conservation of Cryptocarya over Ravensara. This necessitates two new combinations and two new names. The fifth species is placed in synonymy.— Note 31. Further nomenclatural notes on Malagasy Diospyros L. (Ebenaceae): Goudot types in the Geneva herbarium, by George E. Schatz, Porter P. Lowry II, Cyrille Mas & Martin W. Callmander. Discovery of several Goudot collections of Malagasy Diospyros L. deposited in the Geneva herbarium clarifies the typifications of Diospyros leucocalyx Hiern and Maba madagascariensis A. DC. Resolution of the type of Diospyros leucocalyx requires that the long used name Diospyros megasepala Baker be placed into synonymy under Diospyros leucocalyx Hiern. Past confusion between the two Paris specimens Perrier de la Bâthie 700 and Pervillé 700, the former of which is the type of Dichapetalum thouarsianum var. pubescens Desc. and the latter of which was previously cited as the type of Maba madagascariensis, is also discussed and clarified.— Note 32. Hybrid origin of Arthropteris boutoniana (Hook.) Pic. Serm. (Arthropteridaceae) from Mauritius and Madagascar, by France Rakotondrainibe & Catherine Reeb. The study of the Arthropteris Hook. f. collections from the Malagasy Region undertaken as a part of the revision of Filicophyta from Madagascar currently in progress, has revealed the intraspecific morphological heterogeneity of Arthtropteris boutoniana (Hook.) Pic. Serm. and demonstrated its hybrid origin. The putative parents are Arthropteris monocarpa (Cordem.) C. Chr. and Arthropteris orientalis (J. F. Gmel.) Posth. var. orientalis. The hybrid Arthropteris ×boutoniana is characterized by its hairy indusia, and its reduced fertility with few or totally aborted sporangia. It has been reported from Mauritius and Madagascar.— Note 33. Lectotypifications and a new combination in Polygala L. (Polygalaceae) from Madagascar, by Gregory A. Wahlert, Peter B. Phillipson & George E. Schatz. Polygala longeracemosa var. retamoides H. Perrier, narrowly distributed on soils derived from marble and quartzite in the Ambatofinandrahana area, was found to be morphologically distinct from the nominate variety. The authors conclude that it merits recognition at the rank of species and provide the necessary new combination; they also designate lectotypes for both taxa, and provide a key, preliminary conservation assessments and a distribution map.— Note 34. Adieu Adelosa Blume (Lamiaceae): Further observations on Rotheca Raf. for Madagascar, by Martin W. Callmander, Peter B. Phillipson, James A. Wearn & Rogier P. J. de Kok. Adelosa microphylla Blume is equated with the widespread and variable Rotheca incisa (Klotzsch) Steane & Mabb., and the status of the poorly-known Clerodendrum mirabile Baker and Rotheca myricoides (Hochst.) Steane & Mabb. are examined. Two new combinations in the genus Rotheca Raf. are proposed.

Review of the crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) from the Miocene of the Mahakamby Island (Mahajanga, NW Madagascar) collected during the Waterlot's Mission (1922)

The small Mahakamby Island (= Island of the Shrimp) is located in the Mozambique Channel (Indian Ocean) along the northwestern coast of the Mahajanga Province, (Soalala District, NW Madagascar). Miocene outcrops of Mahakamby were examined during the expeditions of two naturalists from the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris: the first by Perrier de la Bâthie in 1915 and the second by Waterlot in 1922. Among the fossil invertebrates collected during the Waterlot's Mission, some decapod crustaceans were partially reported by Collignon & Cottreau (1927) but their specimens are nowadays almost completely lost. However, additional materiel collected by Waterlot was rediscovered in the palaeontological collections of the Paris Museum. It allows a review and a discussion of the crustacean samples previously studied on the basis of iconographic material. Moreover, new specimens of brachyurans, collected during the Waterlot mission, are here assigned for the first time to Portuninae Rafinesque, 1815.

The introduced flora of Madagascar

We provide the first comprehensive inventory of the non-native plants on Madagascar since Perrier de la Bâthie’s effort 80 years ago, and evaluate the characteristics and importance of this biota. Using botanical databases (especially the Tropicos Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Madagascar), published plant lists, field observation, and relevant literature, we inventory 546 introduced species that have naturalized, as well as 611 other introduced species that only exist in cultivation. We also list 211 species with unclear status, eight native species that have had different genetic stock introduced, and three endemics that have naturalized outside their native range. Of the naturalized species, 101 display invasive behaviour. Highly represented families include Fabaceae (224 confirmed introduced species), Myrtaceae (143), Poaceae (71), Cactaceae (52), Asteraceae (50), and Solanaceae. (33). Humans have been bringing plants to Madagascar since they colonized the island, mainly for their utility. A number of plants with native varieties but which also have long histories of human use and transport are ripe for further historical biogeographical research (including Eragrostis, Panicum, Sorghum, Dioscorea, Ziziphus, and Adansonia). The introduced flora is similar in composition to other tropical regions; its numerical size appears to confirm that poorer countries experience relatively fewer plant introductions. Madagascar’s introduced species deserve more attention, not just through the rubric of invasion biology, but as plants that build new ecologies and that sustain human communities.