Aquilegia nuragica
Encyclopedia
Aquilegia nuragica, commonly called Nuragica Columbine, is a species of plant
in the Ranunculaceae
family. It is endemic to Italy
, on the island of Sardinia
.
. It grows on the nearly vertical limestone
cliff
s, in a gorge along the Flumineddu River.
Its natural habitat
is in Mediterranean shrubby vegetation
.
It is an IUCN Red List Critically Endangered plant species
and IUCN Top 50 Campaign Mediterranean Island Plants, threatened by habitat loss.
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
in the Ranunculaceae
Ranunculaceae
Ranunculaceae are a family of about 1700 species of flowering plants in about 60 genera, distributed worldwide....
family. It is endemic to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, on the island of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
.
Discription
Aquilegia nuragica is only found in one area of about 50 square metre at Gorropu, near DorgaliDorgali
thumb|250px|[[Giants' grave]] of Sa Ena e Thomes.Dorgali is a comune in the Province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 230 km northeast of Cagliari and about 38 km east of Nuoro in the Seaside Supramonte mountain area.Economy is mostly based on the vine and wine...
. It grows on the nearly vertical limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
s, in a gorge along the Flumineddu River.
Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is in Mediterranean shrubby vegetation
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, defined by the World Wildlife Fund, characterized by dry summers and rainy winters. Summers are typically hot in low-lying inland locations but can be cool near some seas, as near San Francisco, which have a sea of cool waters...
.
It is an IUCN Red List Critically Endangered plant species
IUCN Red List Critically Endangered species (Plantae)
On 29 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 1701 critically endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations in the Plantae...
and IUCN Top 50 Campaign Mediterranean Island Plants, threatened by habitat loss.
Source
- Camarda, I. 2006. Aquilegia nuragica. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 20 August 2007.