Thrinax ekmaniana
Encyclopedia
Thrinax ekmaniana is a palm
which is endemic
to Cuba
. Only a single population of less than 100 mature individuals remains in the wild.
It is an endemic palm of Mogotes de Jumagua
in northern Cuba. This absolutely unique little treasure survives only on three of the small mogote
s where it was rediscovered in 1978 by a Group of paleontologists and naturalists looking for fossils in the caverns and cataloging the fauna and flora of these small mountains (Sabaneque Speleological Group). A small number under 100 individuals cling to the steep cliffs. The Jumagua Palm has a gray trunk about 5 cm in diameter holding a spherical and very dense crown of stiff, spiky light green leaves that have almost no stalks and therefore sit very close together.
A seed collection picked in 1996 by specialists of Palmetum of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
resulted in various plants now growing in a handful of Botanical Gardens; specimens can be found growing at the Montgomery Botanical Center
in Miami, Palmetum de Santa Cruz in the Canary Islands, Orto botanico di Messina in Italy and The Jardín Botánico de Las Tunas, in Cuba. Until 2007 no commercial distribution of this plant was ever made, as in 2007 for the first time, seeds collected in the wild entered in the commercial seed trade and reached many growers in various areas of the world.
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
which is endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Only a single population of less than 100 mature individuals remains in the wild.
It is an endemic palm of Mogotes de Jumagua
Mogotes de Jumagua
The Mogotes de Jumagua are a set of 8 elevated limestone features in the Villa Clara Province of Cuba. They are located within the orographic group Heights of the Northwest in the center-north of the Island of Cuba, two kilometers south-west from the city of Sagua la Grande.They pinnacles are of...
in northern Cuba. This absolutely unique little treasure survives only on three of the small mogote
Mogote
Mogotes are isolated, steep-sided, residual, hills, which are composed of either limestone, marble, or dolomite and surrounded by nearly flat alluvial plains. These hills typically have a rounded, tower-like form. This term was originally used for karst hills developed in the folded limestone in...
s where it was rediscovered in 1978 by a Group of paleontologists and naturalists looking for fossils in the caverns and cataloging the fauna and flora of these small mountains (Sabaneque Speleological Group). A small number under 100 individuals cling to the steep cliffs. The Jumagua Palm has a gray trunk about 5 cm in diameter holding a spherical and very dense crown of stiff, spiky light green leaves that have almost no stalks and therefore sit very close together.
A seed collection picked in 1996 by specialists of Palmetum of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Palmetum of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
The Palmetum of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a botanical garden of 120.000 m2 specialized in palms . It is located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. The park is divided in "biogeographical sections" and includes a large system of waterfalls, streams and ponds, an ethnographical museum...
resulted in various plants now growing in a handful of Botanical Gardens; specimens can be found growing at the Montgomery Botanical Center
Montgomery Botanical Center
The Montgomery Botanical Center , originally known as the Montgomery Foundation, is a nonprofit botanical garden and institution located at 11901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, Florida. It collects seeds from wild plant populations worldwide, with an emphasis on palms and cycads...
in Miami, Palmetum de Santa Cruz in the Canary Islands, Orto botanico di Messina in Italy and The Jardín Botánico de Las Tunas, in Cuba. Until 2007 no commercial distribution of this plant was ever made, as in 2007 for the first time, seeds collected in the wild entered in the commercial seed trade and reached many growers in various areas of the world.