Cordia rupicola
Encyclopedia
Cordia rupicola, commonly known as the Puerto Rico Manjack, is a critically endangered species of flowering
shrub
in the borage
family, Boraginaceae
, that is native to the islands of Puerto Rico
and Anegada
.
The species was discovered by German botanical collector Paul Sintenis
in 1886.
(the stalk of the leaves) are 2–10 mm (0.078740157480315–0.393700787401575 in) long. It produces small white flower
s which yield a one-seed
ed red fruit
measuring 4 mm (0.15748031496063 in).
until it was described from the island of Anegada
in 1987. The species was discovered in Los Indios, between Guayanilla
and barrio
Barinas in Yauco
in 1886. A year later it was found in Guánica
. Two reports of a single specimen exist from the island of Vieques
but no population has been confirmed. In 1995 fifteen plants were found east of the historical locations at El Peñón in Peñuelas
.
El Peñón is a privately-owned subtropical dry forest
site located in a limestone
substrate. The area has a sparse, low brush (2 to 3 m (6.6 to 9.8 ft)) with a few taller trees reaching 4 to 5 m (13.1 to 16.4 ft). These trees include Bourreria
succulenta var. succulenta, Bucida
buceras, and Bursera simaruba
. Average rainfall in the area is less than 66 cm (26 in).
Two Anegada sites, each with a few dozen individuals, have been confirmed. Both sites are located in the western part of the island and cover an area of less than 5 km² (1,235.5 acre). In Anegada the species is locally abundant in limestone and sand dunes, showing a slight preference for limestone.
The IUCN assessment considered all Puerto Rican populations extirpated
.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
in the borage
Borage
Borage, , also known as a starflower, is an annual herb originating in Syria, but naturalized throughout the Mediterranean region, as well as Asia Minor, Europe, North Africa, and South America. It grows to a height of , and is bristly or hairy all over the stems and leaves; the leaves are...
family, Boraginaceae
Boraginaceae
Boraginaceae, the Borage or Forget-me-not family, include a variety of shrubs, trees, and herbs, totaling about 2,000 species in 146 genera found worldwide.A number of familiar plants belong to this family....
, that is native to the islands of 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...
and Anegada
Anegada
Anegada is the northernmost of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands which form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It lies approximately north of Virgin Gorda. Anegada is the only inhabited British Virgin Island formed from coral and limestone, rather than being of volcanic...
.
Taxonomy
Cordia rupicola is one of the more than 250 species in the Cordia genus. As of 1982, 17 species of Cordia have been described from Puerto Rico. Of these 15 are considered native; the remaining two are introduced.The species was discovered by German botanical collector Paul Sintenis
Paul Sintenis
Paul Ernst Emil Sintenis was a German botanist, pharmacist and plant collector.He studied at the gymnasium in Görlitz, became a pharmacist’s apprentice in 1863 and worked as such in several German cities.His first collecting trip, in the years 1872-1876, was as helper to his brother Max, with whom...
in 1886.
Description
Cordia rupicola is a small woody shrub that measures 1.5–5 m (4.9–16.4 ft) in height. Its leaves are oval-elliptical measuring from 2–9 cm (0.78740157480315–3.5 in). The leaf upper surface is rigidly scabrous, puberulous underneath, and the strigose petiolesPetiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
(the stalk of the leaves) are 2–10 mm (0.078740157480315–0.393700787401575 in) long. It produces small white flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s which yield a one-seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
ed red fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
measuring 4 mm (0.15748031496063 in).
Distribution and habitat
The species was believed to be endemic to Puerto RicoPuerto 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...
until it was described from the island of Anegada
Anegada
Anegada is the northernmost of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands which form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It lies approximately north of Virgin Gorda. Anegada is the only inhabited British Virgin Island formed from coral and limestone, rather than being of volcanic...
in 1987. The species was discovered in Los Indios, between Guayanilla
Guayanilla, Puerto Rico
Guayanilla is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in southern coast of the island, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Adjuntas, east of Yauco; and west of Peñuelas and about 12 miles west of Ponce. Guayanilla is spread over 16 wards and Guayanilla Pueblo...
and barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
Barinas in Yauco
Yauco, Puerto Rico
Yauco is a city and municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island by the Caribbean, south of Maricao, Lares and Adjuntas; east of Sabana Grande and Guánica; and west of Guayanilla. Yauco is spread over 20 wards and Yauco Pueblo...
in 1886. A year later it was found in Guánica
Guánica, Puerto Rico
Guánica is a municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located on southern coast, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Sabana Grande, east of Lajas, and west of Yauco. It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. Two reports of a single specimen exist from the island of Vieques
Vieques, Puerto Rico
Vieques , in full Isla de Vieques, is an island–municipality of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands...
but no population has been confirmed. In 1995 fifteen plants were found east of the historical locations at El Peñón in Peñuelas
Peñuelas, Puerto Rico
Peñuelas is a municipality in Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Adjuntas, east of Guayanilla, west of Ponce and north of the Caribbean Sea. Peñuelas is spread over 12 wards and Peñuelas Pueblo . It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
El Peñón is a privately-owned subtropical dry forest
Puerto Rican dry forests
The Puerto Rican dry forests are a subtropical dry forest ecoregion located in southwestern and eastern Puerto Rico and on the offshore islands. They cover an area of . These forests grow in areas receiving less than of rain annually...
site located in a 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....
substrate. The area has a sparse, low brush (2 to 3 m (6.6 to 9.8 ft)) with a few taller trees reaching 4 to 5 m (13.1 to 16.4 ft). These trees include Bourreria
Bourreria
Bourreria is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family, Boraginaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as strongbark or strongback. The generic name was chosen by Patrick Browne to honour German pharmacist Johann Ambrosius Beurer.-Selected species:* Bourreria baccata Raf.* Bourreria...
succulenta var. succulenta, Bucida
Bucida
Bucida is a genus of flowering plants in the Indian almond family, Combretaceae. It contains the following species :* Bucida angustifolia * Bucida buceras L...
buceras, and Bursera simaruba
Bursera simaruba
Bursera simaruba, commonly known as the Gumbo-limbo, is a tree species in the family Burseraceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas from the southeasternmost United States south through Mexico and the Caribbean to Brazil and Venezuela...
. Average rainfall in the area is less than 66 cm (26 in).
Two Anegada sites, each with a few dozen individuals, have been confirmed. Both sites are located in the western part of the island and cover an area of less than 5 km² (1,235.5 acre). In Anegada the species is locally abundant in limestone and sand dunes, showing a slight preference for limestone.
The IUCN assessment considered all Puerto Rican populations extirpated
Local extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
.