Callicarpa ampla
Encyclopedia
Callicarpa ampla, also called the capa rose, is a species of plant
in the Verbenaceae
family. It is found in Puerto Rico
in the Caribbean
region. It is threatened by habitat loss and is a critically endangered
plant species.
in 1827. However, it was not until Schaur in 1847 that this plant was identified as 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. Once spread through Puerto Rico, it is now only located in the Luquillo Mountains, specifically the palo Colorado forest region.
: It has a system of tissues (roots, leaves, and stems) allowing food and water to travel. 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. The most common characteristic of the subclass of this species is the tight cluster of individual flowers, showing the appearance of one larger flower. The order indicates that the capa rose has opposite, or pairs of symmetrical, leaves. The family is almost all tropical plants with clustered flowers, most native to the western hemisphere. The genus classifies this flower as a beautyberry.
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. They are also poor reproducers and dispersers, so the protection of the individuals and habitat are all the more crucial (World Conservation Union, 2007).
in 1992. 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 plan required steps to protect the plant and its habitat.
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 Verbenaceae
Verbenaceae
Verbenaceae, commonly known as the verbena family or vervain family, is a family of mainly tropical flowering plants. It contains trees, shrubs and herbs notable for heads, spikes, or clusters of small flowers, many of which have an aromatic smell.Recent phylogenetic studies have shown that...
family. It is found in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
region. It is threatened by habitat loss and is a critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
plant species.
History
The capa rose was first collected in Puerto Rico by Heinrich WydlerHeinrich Wydler
Heinrich Wydler was a Swiss botanist He spent the years 1826-27 on a collecting expedition to the West Indies; worked at the St. Petersburg botanical garden in 1828-30; was curator of the de Candolle botanical collections at the University of Geneva , 1830–4...
in 1827. However, it was not until Schaur in 1847 that this plant was identified as 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. Once spread through Puerto Rico, it is now only located in the Luquillo Mountains, specifically the palo Colorado forest region.
Taxonomy
The kingdom indicated this species is a plant. The subkingdom implies that this species is a vascular plantVascular plant
Vascular plants are those plants that have lignified tissues for conducting water, minerals, and photosynthetic products through the plant. Vascular plants include the clubmosses, Equisetum, ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms...
: It has a system of tissues (roots, leaves, and stems) allowing food and water to travel. 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
Dicotyledon
The dicotyledons, also known as dicots, are a group of flowering plants whose seed typically has two embryonic leaves or cotyledons. There are around 199,350 species within this group...
. The embryo inside each seed produces leaves, or cotyledons, when germinated. This species produces two leaves, thus dicotyledon. The most common characteristic of the subclass of this species is the tight cluster of individual flowers, showing the appearance of one larger flower. The order indicates that the capa rose has opposite, or pairs of symmetrical, leaves. The family is almost all tropical plants with clustered flowers, most native to the western hemisphere. The genus classifies this flower as a beautyberry.
Physiology
Capa rose is considered a small evergreen tree or shrub. It can grow up to 15 metres (49.2 ft) tall. When twigs are young, they are whitish color. 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 cm (3.1–13.8 in) long and 3.5–8 cm (1.4–3.1 in) 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 millimetre (0.0669291338582677 in) wide by 1.8 millimetre (0.0708661417322835 in) long. It is also hermaphroditic, having both male stamens and female pistils and ovary. There are four 5.2 millimetre (0.204724409448819 in) long stamens and one 1 millimetre (0.0393700787401575 in) wide ovary. The berries produced are about 6 millimetre (0.236220472440945 in) in diameter, and contain four seeds. Ripened seeds are purple and immature ones are white.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.Habitat
The Luquillo Mountains are about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the nearest shore. The mountains’ highest elevation above sea level is over 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft), with precipitation increasing at higher elevations. The palo Colorado region makes up about 17 percent of the national forest. It occurs at elevations higher than 600 metres (1,968.5 ft). The average annual precipitation for the palo Colorado region is from 300 to 450 cm (118.1 to 177.2 in). 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 °C (69.8 °F). 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.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. 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. 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 endangeredEndangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
in 1992. 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 plan 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, thus ensuring the safety of the plant's habitat.
- 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.
Further reading
- USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). 2008. "Plants Profile for Callicarpa ampla (caparosa)". USDA: Natural Resources Conservation Service.