A new species of Polyscias (Araliaceae) from Mayotte, Comoro Islands

Polyscias mayottensis (Araliaceae) is described from the island of Mayotte in the Comoro archipelago. It is closely related to P. boivinii of Madagascar: both occur in dry and mesophyllous forest and share several distinctive features. P. mayottensis probably evolved after colonization on Mayotte following long-distance dispersal. Recent exploration suggests that at least 500 native vascular plant species occur on Mayotte and perhaps as many as 1,500 species for the entire archipelago, well above previous estimates.