Callicarpa ampla

Taxobox


status = CR | status_system = IUCN2.3
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Lamiales
familia = Verbenaceae
genus = "Callicarpa"
species = "C. ampla"
binomial = "Callicarpa ampla"
binomial_authority = Schauer
synonyms =

"Callicarpa ampla" is a species of plant in the Verbenaceae family. It is found in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is threatened by habitat loss.

History

The capa rose, Callicarpa ampla, was first collected in Puerto Rico by an individual named Heinrich Wydler in 1827. However, it was not until Schaur in 1847 that this plant was described to be the capa rose. Since that time, there have been only seven individuals collected, all but one from Puerto Rico. The exception was collected from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands by Riedle, but none have been discovered there since. It is questionable whether the species is extirpated from the area, or whether it existed there at all (Fish and Wildlife Service, 1992). Once spread through Puerto Rico, it is now only located in the Luquillo Mountains, specifically the palo colorado forest region (Rivera & Santiago-Valentin, 1993).

Description

Taxonomy

The kingdom indicated this species is a plant. The subkingdom implies that this species is a vascular plant. It has a system of tissues allowing food and water to travel such as roots, leaves and stems (Encyclopædia Britannica: Vascular System, 2008). The superdivision is the classification for seed plants, and the division categorizes the capa rose as a flowering plant. The class indicates the species to be a dicotyledon. The embryo inside each seed produces leaves, or cotyledons, when germinated. This species produces two leaves, thus dicotyledon (Encyclopædia Britannica: Diocotyledon, 2008). The most common characteristic of the subclass of this species is the tight cluster of individual flowers, showing the appearance of one larger flower (Encyclopædia Britannica: Asterales, 2008). The order indicates that the capa rose has opposite, or pairs of symmetrical, leaves (Encyclopædia Britannica: Lamiales, 2008). The family is almost all tropical plants with clustered flowers, most native to the western hemisphere (Encyclopædia Britannica: Verbenaceae, 2008). The genus classifies this flower as a beautyberry (Encyclopædia Britannica: Lamiales, 2008).

Physiology

Capa rose is considered a small evergreen tree or shrub. It can grow up to 15 meters tall. When twigs are young, they are whitish color (Fish and Wildlife Service, 1992). The branches are tetragonal, meaning four-sided. The leaves are broad at the middle and taper to the end, somewhat of an elliptical shape that is 8-35 centimeters long and 3.5-8 centimeters wide. The leaves are a dark green on top and a lighter green beneath. The veins are raised on the bottom with whitish scurfy, and the top is smoother and shiny. The flowers are actinomorphic, or star-shaped. The petals are white and approximately 1.7 millimeters wide by 1.8 millimeters long. It is also hermaphroditic, having both male stamens and female pistils and ovary. There are four 5.2 millimeter long stamens and one 1millimeter wide ovary. The berries produced are about 6 millimeters in diameter, and contain four seeds. Ripened ones are purple and immature ones are white (Rivera & Santiago-Valentin, 1993).

Location

Distribution

Presently, the capa rose only exists in Puerto Rico, specifically within the Caribbean National Forest. That forest is divided into several regions of plants, and the capa rose is located in the palo colorado region. There were two sites reported in the Rio Blanco district of the Nauguabo municipality. Only one site was discovered in the Mameyes II district, and two sites were in the Jimenez district, both of the Rio Grande municipality (Rivera & Santiago-Valentin, 1993).

Habitat

The Luquillo Mountains are about 15 kilometers from the nearest shore. The mountains’ highest elevation above sea level is over 1000 meters, with precipitation increasing at higher elevations (Lugo, 1994). The palo colorado region makes up about 17 percent of the national forest. It occurs at elevations higher than 600 meters (Rivera & Santiago-Valentin, 1993). The average annual precipitation for the palo colorado region is from 300-450 centimeters. However, the off-season for rainfall is from February to April. The humidity ranges from 90-100 percent. The mean temperature in this region is about 21 degrees Celsius. The capa rose grows on the slopes of the mountains, which protects it from severe wind. However, hurricanes do occur in that area from time to time (Rivera & Santiago-Valentin, 1993).

Endangerment

Causes and factors

Not only is the species extremely localized, found in only one section of one country, it is also on an island. This isolation alone causes the species to be at high risk for extinction. However, the capa rose is also facing habitat loss. Its habitat is being lost to deforestation and agriculture (World Conservation Union, 2007). Because Puerto Rico is considered United States territory, the forest habitat for the rose is managed by the USDA Forest Service. Forest management such as trails, cutting, agriculture and shelter construction all endanger the plant further (Rivera & Santiago-Valentin, 1993).There are other factors affecting the rapid decline of the plant. There is a very low number of plants in Puerto Rico. The loss of just one plant greatly endangers its survival. The risk of the plant being collected due to its rarity and ornamental value is yet another threat, and for this reason the Forest Service did not list its habitat as critical. This would publish detailed information about the location of the plants, and possibly increase the instances of collection (Fish and Wildlife Service, 1992). The location of the capa rose also suffers a lot of damage due to hurricanes. These hurricanes wipe out existing plants and damage locations for future seedlings to develop (Rivera & Santiago-Valentin, 1993). They are also poor reproducers and dispersers, so the protection of the individuals and habitat are all the more crucial (World Conservation Union, 2007).

Conservation efforts

The capa rose was listed as endangered in 1992 (US Forest Service, 2008). The recovery plan was implemented in 1995. It outlines what actions should be taken to protect the plant from further loss and increase its population. A management plant required steps to protect the plant and its habitat. The plant would be observed for population fluctuations and its reproduction process, as not much is known about it currently. Restrictions would be enforced to protect the plant and its environment. This would include punishment for collecting the species. Also, all construction plans have to be approved. Education for the awareness of the plant’s status would help both the US government and the local government of Puerto Rico protect the plant. Distributed material will help educate in the schools, as well as allowing developers and others identify the plant and understand necessary actions. A major part of the plant’s recovery plan is to research. As mentioned before, not much is understood about the reproduction and distribution of the species. At the time of the recovery plan, only one location of the plant’s seedlings was found. That area was separate from adult, flowering individuals. A search for other localities would be conducted in an effort to find other populations. Observations and studies of these locations will then create an understanding of the necessary criteria for the species to exist in a given environment. This will allow for better selection of introduction sites, should captive reproduction be successful. Also, the plan includes acquiring any private land where the capa rose is found growing (Rivera & Santiago-Valentin, 1993).

References

Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Asterales. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Available from http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9074876 (accessed April 2008)Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Diocotyledon. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Available from http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9074876 (accessed April 2008)Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Lamiales. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Available from http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9074876 (accessed April 2008)Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Vascular System. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Available from http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9074876 (accessed April 2008)Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Verbenaceae. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Available from http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9074876 (accessed April 2008)Fish and Wildlife Service. 1992. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination of Endangered Status for Five Puerto Rican Trees. Department of the Interior: Fish and Wildlife Service. Available from http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/SpeciesReport.do?spcode=Q26J (accessed February 2008)Lugo, A. 1994. Preservation of Primary Forests in the Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico. USDA Forest Service. Conservation Biology 8: 1122-1131. Available from http://www.blackwell- synergy.com/action/showPdf?submitPDF=Full+Text+PDF+%28866+KB%29&doi=10.1 046%2Fj.1523-1739.1994.08041122.x (accessed March 2008)Rivera, M. and E. Santiago-Valentin. 1993. Callicarpa ampla, Ilex sinstenisii, Styrax portoricensis, Ternstroemia luquillensis, and Ternstroemia subsessilis Recovery Plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, Georgia.The World Conservation Union. 2007. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Callicarpa Ampla. The World Conservation Union: Species Survival Commission. Available from http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/30909/all (accessed February 2008)US Forest Service. 2008. Threatened, Endangered, and Proposed (TEP) Plant Profile: Callicarpa ampla, capa rosa. US Forest Service. Available from http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/rareplants/profiles/tep/callicarpa_ampla/index.shtml (accessed April 2008)USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). 2008. Plants Profile for Callicarpa ampla (caparosa). USDA: Natural Resources Conservation Service. Available from http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CAAM14 (accessed April 2008)