Franck Rakotonasolo

Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimabazaza, Antananarivo · Flora Department

The genus Hyperacanthus comprises 11 species, nine in Madagascar and two in Africa, although many Madagascan species remain undescribed. All Madagascan species of Hyperacanthus are evergreen trees occurring in humid and semi-humid forest. Four deciduous species occur in the dry forests of northern, western, and southern Madagascar but are unknown t...

Madagascar is known for its high diversity and endemism of fauna and flora. Fungi, however, have been largely overlooked in diversity and evolution studies on the island, and whether fungi exhibit the same patterns as animals and plants has yet to be further examined. We collected fungal sporocarps and ectomycorrhizal (EcM) roots during three oppor...

Madagascar's biota is hyperdiverse and includes exceptional levels of endemicity. We review the current state of knowledge on Madagascar's past and current terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity by compiling and presenting comprehensive data on species diversity, endemism, and rates of species description and human uses, in addition to presenting...

Madagascar's unique biota is heavily affected by human activity and is under intense threat. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on the conservation status of Madagascar's terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity by presenting data and analyses on documented and predicted species-level conservation statuses, the most prevalent and relevan...

Cyperus sect. Incurvi (Cyperaceae) contains 31 species worldwide, with important continental radiations in Australasia, Tropical Africa and Madagascar, and the Neotropics. Here, a monograph of the African and Madagascan species of Cyperus sect. Incurvi is presented, including descriptions, illustrations, synonymy, notes on habitat and ecology, geog...

Madagascar is known for its high diversity and endemism of Fauna and Flora, which makes it particularly interesting for research on diversity and evolution. Fungi, however, have been largely overlooked, and whether fungi exhibit the same patterns as animals and plants has yet to be further examined. We collected fungal sporocarps and ectomycorrhiza...

An exhaustive inventory of Madagascar’s native flora is necessary to optimize its conservation, particularly for highly diversified endemic groups of plants whose many habitats are threatened with short-term loss. The Malagasy olive (Noronhia spp., Oleaceae), with at least 80 species, is recognized as one of the highly diversified tree genera of th...

Extinction has increased as human activities impact ecosystems, yet relatively few species have conservation assessments. Novel approaches are needed to highlight threatened species that are currently data-deficient. Many Madagascan plant species have extremely narrow ranges, but this may not have always been the case—it is unclear how the island's...

Six new species of Coffea are described as new to science: Coffea callmanderi , C. darainensis , C. kalobinonensis , C. microdubardii, C. pustulata and C. rupicola . All six species are endemic to northern Madagascar; four species are narrowly endemic to specific forest areas. Associated information, including distribution maps, conservation assess...

Background-This contribution is part of an ongoing study on the taxonomy and the phylogenetic relationships of the Malagasy representatives of the tribe Pavetteae (Rubiaceae). Material and methods-Taxonomic methods follow normal practice of herbarium taxonomy. A molecular study using the plastid markers rps16, trnT-F, petD, and accD-psa1, the nucle...

new locality of Dypsis leptocheilos from the Western of Madagascar

In the course of a taxonomic revision of the genus Pyrostria Comm. ex Juss. (Rubiaceae, Vanguerieae) in Madagascar, we describe five new species endemic from the Island: Pyrostria ambohitantelensis Atalahy, Rakotonas. & Razafim., Pyrostria ambrensis Atalahy, Rakotonas. & Razafim., Pyrostria betsomangensis Atalahy, Rakotonas. & Razafim., Pyrostria c...

Pachypodium inopinatum Lavranos is known with certainty from a single mountain on the central plateau of Madagascar and was only described formally in 1996. The genus as a whole is popular with succulent enthusiasts, and threats to wild populations include collection of mature plants and seed, artisanal mining, and bush fires. P. inopinatum is illu...

Dichaetanthera cordifolia Baker from Madagascar is illustrated and its geographical distribution is mapped. Its relationship with an amazing insect is described.

Coffea perrieri, one of 59 species of Coffea endemic to Madagascar is illustrated and described. It is compared with the commercial coffees, Arabica and robusta, and its habitat preferences, conservation risk, uses, and present distribution are discussed.

Two new species of Aloe were found in the eastern rainforest of Madagascar during a Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre (KMCC) Team expedition in November 2014. The first species, Aloe vatovavensis is rare in this habitat. The second, Aloe rakotonasoloi, exhibits characters that are intermediate between the features of Aloe s.str. and the related ge...

Background – Phialiphora (Spermacoceae, Rubiaceae) is a herbaceous genus restricted to unconsolidated white sands in open spaces in dry forests in northwestern Madagascar. The genus is characterized by the semi-succulent nature of its leaves and stems, its basal leaf rosette, its head-like inflorescences subtended by large leaf-like involucrate bra...

Atalahy, A.M., F. Rakotonasolo, S. Andriambololonera, M. Rabarimanarivo, H.L. Ranarijaona & S.G. Razafimandimbison (2020). A new name in the Malagasy tribe Vanguerieae (Rubiaceae). Candollea 75: 71–73. In French, English and French abstracts. A variety of the Malagasy genus Canthium Lam. (Rubiaceae, Vanguerieae), Canthium perrieri var. louvelii Cav...

Montagne des Français (MDF) Protected Area is located in northern Madagascar in Antsiranana Province. Covering 6,049 ha, it is dominated by dry forest on limestone outcrops. Prior to this inventory, only 250 plant species were known including 10% categorized as threatened species with a further 60 unidentified collections. During our studies, 446 s...

Extinction has increased as human activities impact ecosystems. Conservation assessments for the IUCN red list are a fundamental tool in aiding the prevention of further extinction, yet, relatively few species have been thoroughly assessed. To increase the efficiency of assessments, novel approaches are needed to highlight threatened species that a...

Debates regarding the origin of tropical savannas attempt to disentangle the role of people, biotic, and abiotic factors. Understanding savanna origins remains essential to identifying processes that gave rise to habitat mosaics, particularly those found in the Central Plateau of Madagascar. Documenting the evolutionary history and demography of na...

Supplementary Information - Salmona et al. 2019. Late Miocene origin and recent population collapse of the savanna Malagasy olive (Noronhia lowryi). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, doi: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz164.

The taxonomic positions and phylogenetic relationships of six Pavetteae species endemic to Madagascar were tested with a phylogenetic study of the Afro-Madagascan representatives of the tribe Pavetteae based on sequence data from six markers rps16 , trnT-F , petD , accD - psa1 , PI and ITS. The six species were resolved into four well-supported and...

Each year we take a closer look at the status of plants in a particular region. This year we look at the current status of knowledge on plants in Madagascar.

Three new species of Barleria L. (Acanthaceae) are described from the Antsiranana region of northern Madagascar: B. speciosa I. Darbysh., B. glandulostamina I. Darbysh. and B. microcalyx I. Darbysh. Two subspecies are recognised in the second of these, subsp. glandulostamina and subsp. pseudohumilis I. Darbysh. The sectional placement and species a...

The southeastern Madagascan endemic and monotypic genus Eligmocarpus is highly threatened due to a combination of factors. Firstly, general human-induced habitat destruction and fragmentation has degraded the environment in which it occurs, leading to an increased threat of extinction for itself and other co-occurring species. Secondly, and more sp...

A new species of Coffea from southern central Madagascar, C. toshii, is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to C. buxifolia but differs due to its short, broad spreading habit (vs narrow habit), conspicuous domatia (vs inconspicuous), consistently red fruit (vs reddish purple to dull purple or red), longer fruiting pedicel (vs sho...

Lathraeocarpa acicularis, a small woody Rubiaceae endemic to Madagascar, was rediscovered after more than 50 years. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on four plastid markers (atpB-rbcL, rps16, trnL-trnF, petD) proves that its previous position within the monogeneric tribe Lathraeocarpeae can no longer be supported. Our data clearly show that Lath...

A taxonomic revision of the baracoffea alliance, formerly Coffea subgenus Baracoffea, is presented. Identification keys, descriptions, distribution maps, illustrations, species notes (distribution, habitat and ecology, phenology) and conservation assessments are provided. The taxonomic history and the morphology of the alliance is elucidated and di...

Genipa in Madagascar currently comprises 11 species of Rubiaceae. These species do not belong in the New World genus Genipa (Gardenieae) but instead should be placed in Old World genera belonging to the tribes Gardenieae and Octotropideae. Six species can be confidently placed in the genus Hyperacanthus (Gardenieae), and the appropriate new combina...

Mantalania longipedunculata De Block & A.P.Davis (Rubiaceae), was recently described from Île Sainte Marie, Madagascar, based on a single collection in fruit. Due to the large-scale destruction of native forest on Île Sainte Marie, the species was suspected of being critically endangered or even extinct. However, during a recent field trip to the t...

Following recent phylogenetic studies of the families and genera of Dioscoreales, the identification of monophyletic infrageneric taxa in the pantropical genus Dioscorea is a priority. A phylogenetic analysis based on sequence data from the plastid genes rbcL and matK is presented, using 67 species of Dioscorea and covering all the main Old World a...

Abstract: A new species of yam from Western Madagascar, Dioscorea sterilis O. Weber & Wilkin, is described and illustrated. It differs from D. trichantha Baker mainly in its torus shape (saucer-shaped versus flat and discoid in D. trichantha) and the presence of a sterile flower at the base of each cymule of its male inflorescences. It grows mainly...

A new species of compound-leafed yam, Dioscorea bosseri Haigh & Wilkin is described and illustrated. It differs from D. bemarivensis Jum. & H. Perrier through having trifoliolate leaves on all stems. D. bemarivensis is always pentafoliolate, at least at the stem base. In addition, male flowers of D. bosseri are usually solitary and the anterior lea...

Hyperacanthus mandenensis Rakotonasolo & A. P. Davis is described as a new species on the basis of its large corolla (10.5-16.5 cm long), included style, and thick fibrous fruit wall (6-10 mm thick). No other species of Hyperacanthus E. Meyer ex Bridson possess these characters: H. ambovombensis Rakotonasolo & A. P. Davis, H. amoenus (Sims) Bridson...

Three new species of Coffea from Madagascar are described: Coffea vohemarensis, C. minutiflora and C. moratii. Full descriptions and conservation assessments are provided. © 2003 The Linnean Society of London. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 142, 111–118.

In the coastal littoral forest of extreme southeastern Madagascar, westudied tree diameter at breast height (DBH) 10 cm in 20, 50 50 m plots in each of four forest fragments, andunderstorywoody vegetation (DBH < 10="" cm,="">1 m tall) in60,10 10 m plots in three of the fragments. Oneforestfragment was located in the highly degraded Lokaro region, a...

A new species of Dioscorea, D. namorokensis, from the Reserve Naturelle Integrale de Tsingy de Namoroka in Western Madagascar is described and illustrated, and its macromorphology and pollen morphology are presented. It is closely related to D. soso]vim. & H. Perr., and belongs in Dioscorea sect. Brachyandm Uline. It is found in the unders torey an...

The characterization of Hyperacanthus is discussed and a key to the Gardenieae-Gardeniinae of Madagascar is provided. Hyperacanthus grevei is described as a new species for Madagascar.

Hyperacanthus ambovombensis is described as a new species, and represents a new generic record for Madagascar. The affinities of H. ambovombensis to the African species of Hyperacanthus (H. amoenus and H. microphyllus) are discussed.

Three new species of Coffea L. from eastern Madagascar are described: C. manombensis, C. liaudii and C. leroyi.