Bissea, Vol.3 Issue 2 June/2009 Print version: ISSN 1999-2955 On-line version: ISSN 1999-2637 The Newsletter on Plant Conservation of the National Botanic Garden of Cuba The extinct Flora of Cuba Text: R. Berazaín According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) “a taxon is Extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died”. The Red List of the Cuban Vascular Flora, published in 2005, refers 23 taxa with this category for Cuba, of which 21 are endemics. However, those results are based on the analysis of only 20% of the Cuban flora. The majority of the extinct species in Cuba grew in Mesophyllous Semideciduous Forest, which is the vegetation type most reduced from its original coverage on the island. The majority of the extinct plants had a narrow distribution. The provinces which have lost the most species are Pinar del Río and Guantánamo, two of those with the greatest biological diversity. Taking into consideration the criterion of the IUCN that there might be a “reasonable doubt about the death of the last individual” and the necessity to have made “exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitats”, several taxa exist for which it is possible to reconsider the category of “Extinct.” For example, in the “Johannes Bisse” Herbarium of the National Botanic Garden (HAJB), a specimen was located of Begonia cowelli (Begoniaceae) from a previously unreported locality, which not only extends the distribution of the species but also sows doubt about the continued existence of a population. Similarly, during a study of the Rutaceae family, specimens were located of Kodalyodendron cubensis (now Amyris cubensis) from a previously unreported locality that is still not sufficiently explored to guarantee the extinction of this taxon. Another species, Crotalaria urbaniana (Fabaceae), was reencountered in 1992 in the same locality as the last known collection and is currently cultivated in the Botanic Garden of Cupaynicú (Granma). Also, Daphnopsis bissei has been reencountered in the province of Camagüey, where it is endemic, and its reclassification as Critically Endangered has been proposed. The change of category for these species requires a process of analysis and discussion, which is why for now, and in spite of the new data, they are formally maintained in the category of Extinct. These encouraging examples illustrate for us the necessity of deepening the study of collections and intensifying botanical exploration of the island, to continue the rescue of our valuable plants. More information: hajb@ceniai.inf.cu List of Extinct species in the Flora of Cuba - 2009 Family Arecaceae Taxon name Roystonea stellata León Begoniaceae Begonia cowellii Nash Begoniaceae Begonia fischeri Schrank var. fischeri * Begoniaceae Begonia linearifolia J. Sierra Celastraceae Maytenus lineata C. Wright ex Griseb. Commelinaceae Dioscoreaceae Commelina blainii (C. Wright) Woodson Rajania prestoniensis Kunth Eriocaulaceae Eriocaulon echinospermoideum Ruhland Eriocaulaceae Eriocaulon minutissimum Ruhland Eriocaulaceae Lachnocaulon cubense Ruhland Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae Bonania myricifolia (Griseb.) Benth. & Hook. f Cnidoscolus fragrans (Kunth) Pohl Flacourtiaceae Banara wilsonii Alain Leguminosae Crotalaria urbaniana Senn Menispermaceae Hyperbaena obovata Urb. Poaceae Pappophorum pappiferum (Lam.) Kuntze Poaceae Paspalum amphicarpum Ekman Rubiaceae Rubiaceae Guettarda retusa C. Wright Psychotria banaoana Urb. Rutaceae Cusparia ossana (DC.) Beurton Rutaceae Amyris cubensis (Borhidi & Acuña) Beurton *** Zanthoxylum leonis Alain Daphnopsis bissei A. Noa **** Rutaceae Thymelaeaceae ** * Since 2008 considered Regionally Extinct. ** Located in 1992 but not reclassified, possibly Critically Endangered. *** C. Beurton 2008 presumes to still exist in one locality. **** A. Noa 2009 considers it should be reclassified as Critically Endangered. Botanical exploration in Pinares de Mayarí (Holguín) Text: C. Sánchez & R. Morejón Photo: C. Sánchez From 17-23 of May 2009, specialists from the National Botanic Garden, the Holguín Botanic Garden, and the National Enterprise for the protection of the Flora and Fauna carried out an expedition to the area of Pinares de Mayarí (Holguín), with the objective to collect ferns and lycophytes from some localities in this province (“Pinares de Mayarí” Station, Pinalito, Cayo Mujeres and Salto del Guayabo). Among the visited localities, Cayo Mujeres, an isolated patch of montane rainforest at 800 m above sea level, turned out to be of interest because, in spite of fragmentation, the area still has a high floristic value. Precisely in this locality several species of ferns were collected from the genera Elaphoglossum (8 species, among them a Cuban endemic, E. wrightii (Mett.) T. Moore), Hymenophyllum (3 species), Trichomanes (3 species), and 4 species of grammitidoid ferns of the Polypodiaceae family. In general, in the visited localities a marked deterioration of the original vegetation was observed, due to forestry activity, cattle, and occasional fires. Vegetation fragments with some degree of conservation, like Cayo Mujeres, need protection status to guarantee the preservation of the biological diversity of the region. More information: csanchez@fbio.uh.cu Elaphoglossum wrightii (Mett.) T. Moore in Cayo Mujeres, Pinares de Mayarí (Holguín). Conservation and sustainable use of the native latin-american flora. The organizing committee invites the scientific community to propose topics for the symposia and roundtables. http://www.botanicaalb.org Bissea, Vol.3 Issue 2 June/2009 I National Workshop on Key Biodiversity Areas in Cuba Text: J. A. Hernández From 29 June to 2 July, 2009, specialists from different institutions in the country will meet in Varadero, Matanzas province, to validate Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) identified for Cuba. This I National KBAs Workshop in Cuba, convened by the National Center for Protected Areas (CNAP), will include the advice of specialists from BirdLife International. The validation of these Areas will be based on the criteria of threat and distribution range of the species of flora and fauna. More information: juan@snap.cu First report of Triphora gentianoides (Orchidaceae) for western Cuba Text: Y. Domínguez Triphora gentianoides (Sw.) Ames & Schlechter is a terrestrial orchid classified as Near Threatened according to the Red List of the Cuban Vascular Flora. Its distribution includes several countries in Central and South America, Florida, Cuba, and Jamaica. In our country it has been collected in mountainous regions in the central and east of the country, always more than 200 m above sea level. Natural regeneration and reinforcement of the population of Dendrocereus nudiflorus (Cactaceae) in Punta Guano, Matanzas Text: D. Barrios; A. Aguilera & B. Domínguez Photos: A. Aguilera During a populational count of Dendrocereus nudiflorus (Engelm.) Britton & Rose in the locality of Punta Guano (Matanzas), a plantlet 7 cm tall was encountered. Until now not a single plantlet had been recorded from any of the p o p u l a t i o n s o f t h i s Plantlets of Dendrocereus nudiflorus in Punta species across the entire Guano (Matanzas): A. planted plantlet; B. plantlet island, in fact there are encountered in its natural habitat. reports of few juvenile individuals. The population of D. nudiflorus in the Punta Guano locality is further comprised of 47 individuals, of which only 6 are juveniles with a mean height of 2.5 m. In Melena del Sur (La Habana), several individuals of T. gentianoides were recently found growing in an area degraded by humans. The species is not showy and is small (15 cm); it is perennial but can only be seen during the rainy season and spends the rest of the year dormant, present only as a basal tubercle. Due to these characteristics the plant can easily go The presence of few juvenile individuals is evidence of problems with dispersal, germination, or survival in natural conditions since seed unnoticed. germination in controlled conditions is greater than 75%. Botanical explorations will be necessary in nearby locations with similar Punta Guano, a locality affected by petroleum development, is not included ecological conditions, with the goal of locating other populations of this in the expansion plans for this industry, nor in tourism plans, thus in the species. More information: yoannisd@isch.edu.cu future it will be a suitable area for natural regeneration. Under this premise, the D. nudiflorus population was reinforced with 67 plantlets obtained from About the I International Ecology and Conser- seeds germinated ex situ as one of the conservation strategies for this species. These actions carried out by the Matanzas Botanic Garden, along vation Symposium “S.O.S Nature” Text: A. Cuscó with a collaborator from the University of Huelva (Spain) and a cactus collector, form part of the Program for the Conservation of Cuban Cactus. The I International Ecology and Conservation Symposium “S.O.S Nature”, which met from 5-10 April, 2009, in the Heredia Theater of Santiago de More Information: duniel.barrios@umcc.cu Cuba, included the participation of 208 delegates and 50 invitees, among whom were researchers from Mexico, Switzerland, and the United States. The event allowed for the presentation of a total of 234 works, 116 presentations and 118 posters. In educational conferences, roundtables, workshops, oral presentations, and expositions of photographs and Fascicles 14 (2008) and 15 (2009) of the illustrations, the themes of Ecology, Conservation Biology, Biogeography, Flora of the Republic of Cuba have been and Environmental Education were addressed. published. Number 14 includes 18 genera Publications with 75 indigenous species (38 endemics) More information: http://www.tvsantiago.co.cu/?mod=noticias&id=15294 from four families: Lythraceae, Oleaceae, Events Ü Annual Meeting of the National Network of Botanic Gardens. 10- 13/june/2009. Las Tunas, Cuba. Information: leivajbn@ceniai.inf.cu Ü XIII Congress of the Mesoamerican Society for Biology and Conservation. 26-30/october/2009. Belize. Information: http://www.msbcbelize2009.com Ü “Role of Botanic Gardens in the Conservation of Plant Biological Diversity.” 18-20/november/2009. Cienfuegos, Cuba. Information: lazaro@jbc.perla.inf.cu Ü II Symposium of Ecology, Society, and Environment “ECOVIDA 2009.” 1- 5/december/2009. Pinar del Río, Cuba. Information: alina@ecovida.pinar.cu Rutaceae, and Salicaceae. In the work, 19 taxa are treated that are under some category of threat, another ten are poorly collected or have not been seen in more than 60 years. Number 15 contains the treatment of the families: Alismataceae, Alstroemeriaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Brassicaceae, Ceratophyllaceae, Cymodoceaceae, Hydrocharitaceae, Hypoxidaceae, Limnocharitaceae, Nelumbonaceae, Nymphaeaceae, Potamogetonaceae, and Thymelaeaceae. In total, 35 genera are described with 67 indigenous species (15 endemics); ten of the taxa are considered threatened and 13 are considered poorly collected. More information: http://www.uh.cu/centros/jbn To subscribe to Bissea or contribute to an issue, please address your correspondence to bissea@gmail.com The Newsletter Bissea was created by the: Bissea is available at: http://www.uh.cu/centros/jbn/textos/publicaciones/bissea.html http://groups.google.com/group/bissea Edited by L.R. González-Torres & A. Palmarola Guest editor: J. R. Abbott (University of Florida) Reviewed by Scientific Committee of JBN Translated by J. R. Abbott (University of Florida) Designed by A. Palmarola