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Cuban Pine Forests
The Cuban pine forests are a tropical coniferous forest ecoregion on the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. They cover an area of , occurring in separate sections in eastern Cuba and western Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. Description Pine forests are found primarily in well-drained, nutrient-poor, acidic soils such as quartziferous sands, pseudo-spodosols in the west, and lateritic soils. Pine trees and encino ('' Quercus sagraeana'') obtain nutrients through an ectomycorrhizal symbiosis with fungi, allowing them to attain tree size. The forests feature a dense xerophytic brushy story of mainly Rubiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Myrtaceae, and Melastomataceae along with a herbaceous story of a few epiphytes, primarily from the genus '' Tillandsia'', and lianas. Secondary forests formed by deforestation have a more open canopy with an understory dominated by '' Comocladia dentata''; grasses, lianas and epiphytes are poorly represented. Western pine forests Western pine fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sierra Maestra
The Sierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. The range falls mainly within the Santiago de Cuba and in Granma Provinces. Some view it as a series of connecting ranges (Vela, Santa Catalina, Quemado Grande, Daña Mariana), which join with others to the west. At 1,974 m (6,476 ft), Pico Turquino is the range's – and the country's – highest point. The area is rich in minerals, especially copper, manganese, chromium, and iron. History The Sierra Maestra has a long history of guerrilla warfare, starting with the resistance of the Taínos under Guamá (died 1532), the Cimarrón Neo-Taíno nations escaped slave cultures, the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the Cuban War of Independence (1895–1898), and various minor conflicts such as the Race War of 1912, and the uprisings of Antonio Guiteras (died 1935) against Gerardo Machado (President of Cuba fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melastomataceae
Melastomataceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants found mostly in the tropics (two-thirds of the genera are from the New World tropics) comprising c. 175 genera and c. 5115 known species. Melastomes are annual or perennial herbs, shrubs, or small trees. Description The leaves of melastomes are somewhat distinctive, being opposite, decussate, and usually with 3-7 longitudinal veins arising either from the base of the blade, plinerved (inner veins diverging above base of blade), or pinnately nerved with three or more pairs of primary veins diverging from the mid-vein at successive points above the base. Flowers are perfect, and borne either singly or in terminal or axillary, paniculate cymes. Ecology A number of melastomes are regarded as invasive species once naturalized in tropical and subtropical environments outside their normal range. Examples are Koster's curse (''Clidemia hirta''), '' Pleroma semidecandrum'' and '' Miconia calvescens'', but many other speci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calophyllum Pinetorum
''Calophyllum'' is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae. They are mainly distributed in Asia, with some species in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, and the Pacific Islands. History Members of the genus ''Calophyllum'' native to Malesia and Wallacea are of particular importance to traditional shipbuilding of the larger Austronesian outrigger ships and were carried with them in the Austronesian expansion as they migrated to Oceania and Madagascar. They were comparable in importance to how oaks were in European shipbuilding and timber industries. The most notable species is the mastwood (''Calophyllum inophyllum'') which grows readily in the sandy and rocky beaches of the island environments that the Austronesians colonized. Description ''Calophyllum'' are trees or shrubs. They produce a colorless, white, or yellow latex. The oppositely arranged leaves have leathery blades often borne on petioles. The leaves are distinctive, with narrow parallel v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chrysobalanus Icaco
''Chrysobalanus'' is a genus of evergreen perennial shrubs to small trees, described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753. It is native to sub-tropical and tropical regions of Africa, Latin America, and Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and .... ''Chrysobalanus'' attains a maximum height of 25 or 30 feet (8–10 m). It is found in coastal areas as a wild plant, and is frequently planted in gardens. It has a low-growing and sprawling habit. It can form dense stands and become invasive. The leaves are obovate or obcordate in outline, about 2in long, thick, glossy, and deep green in color. It has small white flowers, in axillary racemes or cymes, not too showy, but they have a dainty and sweet fragrance. This plant bears a damson-sized edible red pulpy fruit with a black an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colpothrinax Wrightii
''Colpothrinax wrightii'', the palma barrigona, is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is endemic to Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb .... References wrightii Endemic flora of Cuba Vulnerable plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Arecaceae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Byrsonima Crassifolia
''Byrsonima crassifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Malpighiaceae, native to tropical America. Common names used in English include nance, maricao cimun, craboo, and golden spoon. In Jamaica it is called hogberry. It's valued for its small (between one, and one and a quarter centimeter in diameter) round, sweet yellow fruit which is strongly scented. The fruits have a very pungent and distinct flavor and smell. When jarred, their texture resembles that of a green or kalamata olive. Description and habitat ''Byrsonima crassifolia'' is a slow-growing large shrub or tree to . Sometimes cultivated for its edible fruits, the tree is native and abundant in the wild, sometimes in extensive stands, in open pine forests and grassy savannas, from central Mexico, through Central America, to Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil; it also occurs in Trinidad, Barbados, Curaçao, St. Martin, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and throughout Cu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Canopy (biology)
In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant cropping or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns. In forest ecology, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms (epiphytes, lianas, arboreal animals, etc.). The communities that inhabit the canopy layer are thought to be involved in maintaining forest diversity, resilience, and functioning. Sometimes the term canopy is used to refer to the extent of the outer layer of leaves of an individual tree or group of trees. Shade trees normally have a dense canopy that blocks light from lower growing plants. Observation Early observations of canopies were made from the ground using binoculars or by examining fallen material. Researchers would sometimes erroneously rely on extrapolation by using more reachable samples taken from the understory. In some cases, they would use unconventional methods such as chairs sus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tropical Pine
''Pinus tropicalis'', the tropical pine, is a pine tree endemic to the western highlands of the island of Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb .... See also * Cuban pine forests References * Endemic flora of Cuba Least concern plants tropicalis Trees of Cuba {{conifer-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caribbean Pine
The Caribbean pine (''Pinus caribaea'') is a hard pine species native to Central America and the northern West Indies (in Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands). It belongs to subsection '' Australes'' in subgenus ''Pinus''. It inhabits tropical and subtropical coniferous forests such as Bahamian pineyards, in both lowland savannas and montane forests. Taxonomy As of 2013, the species has three accepted varieties: *''Pinus caribaea'' var. ''caribaea'' – ''pino macho'', Caribbean pine, Nicaragua pine, pitch pine ( Pinar del Río Province and Isla de la Juventud in western Cuba) *''Pinus caribaea'' var. ''bahamensis'' (Grisebach) W.H.Barrett & Golfari – Bahamas pine, Caicos pine, Caribbean pine (The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands) *''Pinus caribaea'' var. ''hondurensis'' (Sénéclauze) W.H.Barrett & Golfari – Caribbean pine (states of Quintana Roo and the Yucatán in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua). The Yuca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pinar Del Río Province
Pinar del Río is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is at the western end of the island of Cuba. Geography The Pinar del Río province is Cuba's westernmost province and contains one of Cuba's three main mountain ranges, the Cordillera de Guaniguanico, divided into the easterly Sierra del Rosario and the westerly Sierra de los Órganos. These form a landscape characterised by steep sided limestone hills (called mogotes) and flat, fertile valleys. One such topographic feature, the Viñales Valley, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The northern coast opens to the great Gulf of Mexico, and is lined by the Colorados Archipelago, a string of cays and isles developed on a reef barrier. The westernmost point of Cuba, Cabo San Antonio, is located on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, which is a National Park and a Biosphere Reserve. History The city was founded by the Spanish as ''Nueva Filipinas'' (New Philippines), and the city was renamed Pinar del Río in 1774. The province was found ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sierra De Los Órganos
Sierra de los Órganos () is a mountain range in the province of Pinar del Río, western Cuba. Along with the Sierra del Rosario, it is part of the Guaniguanico mountain range. Geography The ''Sierra'' is the western part of Guaniguanico and spans from Guane to the San Diego River, in the municipality of Los Palacios. The other municipalities including the range are Mantua, San Juan y Martínez, Minas de Matahambre, Viñales, Pinar del Río, Consolación del Sur and La Palma. Landmarks In the middle of the Sierra de los Órganos is located the Viñales Valley, a natural reserve and World Heritage Site. In the east it is the protected area of Mil Cumbres, located almost entirely in the Sierra del Rosario. See also * Pan de Guajaibón *'' Eleutherodactylus zeus'' References External links Sierra de los Órganosat ''Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopæ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comocladia
''Comocladia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae. It is native to the Americas, where it is distributed in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.Atha, D. E., et al. (2011)A new species of ''Comocladia'' (Anacardiaceae) from Belize and Guatemala.''Brittonia'' 63(3), 370-74. Species are known commonly as maidenplums. The term ''guao'' is commonly used to refer to ''Comocladia'' species in Cuba and the Dominican Republic. These are shrubs and trees, mostly unbranched. The leaves are divided into opposite pairs of leaflets that usually have toothed or spiny edges. The inflorescences are panicles of flowers growing from the leaf axils. The plants are polygamodioecious, producing male, female, and bisexual flowers. The sepals are red and the corollas are red or purple. The fruit is a drupe covered in the remnants of the flower calyx. It is fleshy with a yellow, red, or black skin. The plants produce an exudate that turns black on contact with air. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
