Lavatera phoenicea
Encyclopedia
Lavatera phoenicea is a large shrub belonging to the family Malvaceae
and tribe Malveae
, endemic to the island of Tenerife
in the Canary Islands
.
Webb and Berthelot included this plant in the separate, monotypic genus Navaea, named for Alonso de Nava y Grimón, (1757-1832), founder of the botanical garden in Puerto de la Cruz
, Tenerife (Jardín de Aclimatación de la Orotava). The reason for including this species in a separate genus was the presence of nectaries in the base of each petal, which is unique in the Malveae tribe. Published studies (and some recent others not published yet) using molecular markers (chloroplast and ITS sequences) support this separation, as phylogenetic trees show L. phoenicea in a basal position in relation to the rest of Lavatera-Malva complex, and thus, as a palaeoendemic taxa.
This plant presents a clear bird pollination syndrome
, a phenomenon shared with another 12 Macaronesian endemics (genus Muschia, Lotus
, Isoplexis
, Canarina
, Echium
and Scrophularia
). This bird pollination syndrome is pretty rare in these latitudes and seems to have independent origins according to phylogenies of each lineage.
L. phoenicea is very rare and it is threatened. It grows only in northern cliffs in the massifs of Anaga
and Teno, on Tenerife.
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...
and tribe Malveae
Malveae
Malveae is a tribe of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae, subfamily Malvoideae.-Genera:...
, endemic to the island of Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
Webb and Berthelot included this plant in the separate, monotypic genus Navaea, named for Alonso de Nava y Grimón, (1757-1832), founder of the botanical garden in Puerto de la Cruz
Puerto de la Cruz
Puerto de la Cruz is a city and municipality located in Spain, on the north coast of Tenerife island, in the Orotava Valley...
, Tenerife (Jardín de Aclimatación de la Orotava). The reason for including this species in a separate genus was the presence of nectaries in the base of each petal, which is unique in the Malveae tribe. Published studies (and some recent others not published yet) using molecular markers (chloroplast and ITS sequences) support this separation, as phylogenetic trees show L. phoenicea in a basal position in relation to the rest of Lavatera-Malva complex, and thus, as a palaeoendemic taxa.
This plant presents a clear bird pollination syndrome
Pollination syndrome
Pollination syndromes are suites of flower traits that have evolved in response to natural selection imposed by different pollen vectors, which can be abiotic or biotic, such as birds, bees, flies, and so forth. These traits include flower shape, size, colour, odour, reward type and amount, nectar...
, a phenomenon shared with another 12 Macaronesian endemics (genus Muschia, Lotus
Lotus (genus)
Lotus is a genus that includes bird's-foot trefoils and deervetches and contains many dozens of species distributed world-wide. Depending on the taxonomic authority, roughly between 70 and 150 are accepted. Lotus is a genus of legume and its members are adapted to a wide range of habitats, from...
, Isoplexis
Isoplexis
Isoplexis is a section of 4 species within the genus Digitalis. The species of section Isoplexis differ from other plants in the genus Digitalis in that their monosymmetric flowers have a distinctive large upper lip rather than large lower lip and the species are endemic to the Canary Islands...
, Canarina
Canarina
Canarina is a genus of flowering plants within the family Campanulaceae. The best known species is C. canariensis from the laurel forests of the Canary Islands which is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant...
, Echium
Echium
Echium is a genus of 60 species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae.The type species is Echium vulgare, viper's bugloss. Species of Echium are native to North Africa, Europe, Madeira and the Canary Islands, but have also become invasive in southern Africa and Australia...
and Scrophularia
Scrophularia
The genus Scrophularia of the family Scrophulariaceae comprises about 200 species of herbaceous flowering plants commonly known as figworts. Species of Scrophularia all share square stems, opposite leaves and open two-lipped flowers forming clusters at the end of their stems...
). This bird pollination syndrome is pretty rare in these latitudes and seems to have independent origins according to phylogenies of each lineage.
L. phoenicea is very rare and it is threatened. It grows only in northern cliffs in the massifs of Anaga
Macizo de Anaga
Macizo de Anaga is a mountain range in the northeastern part of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The highest point is 1,024 m . It extends to the Punta de Anaga in the northeast up to Cruz del Carmen in the southwest. Anaga features the mountain points of Bichuelo, Anambro,...
and Teno, on Tenerife.