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Melocactus Lemairei
''Melocactus lemairei'' is a species of cactus endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti). It is named after French botanist and cactus expert Charles Antoine Lemaire.Urs Eggli, Leonard E. Newton: ''Etymological Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names''. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg 2010, , S. 135. Taxonomy ''Melocactus lemairei'' was described by M. Chevalier de Monville, Charles Antoine Lemaire, and Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel, and published in L'Horticulteur Universel. Description ''Melocactus lemairei'' is a cylindrical or slightly pyramid-shaped green cactus that can grow up to 20 cm (8 inches) in height, and 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inches) in diameter. It has between 9 and 10 ribs with 8 to 10 spines each. These spines are yellow to brown in color, and can reach anywhere from 2 to 3 cm (1 inch) in length. The cephalium is brown, with white wool and thorn-like bristles, and grows up to 10 cm (4 inches). The flowers are pink, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melocactus As A Medicine
''Melocactus'' (melon cactus), also known as the Turk's cap cactus, is a genus of cactus with about 30–40 species. They are native to the Caribbean, western Mexico through Central America to northern South America, with some species along the Andes down to southern Peru, and a concentration of species in northeastern Brazil., pages=456–467 The first species was named by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, as ''Cactus melocactus''. When the genus was separated from ''Cactus'', the pre-Linnaean name ''Melocactus'' was used. Acting on the principle of priority, in 1922 Nathaniel Britton and Joseph Rose resurrected Linnaeus' ''Cactus''. However, the 1905 Vienna botanical congress had already rejected the name ''Cactus'', so this name was not available, and ''Melocactus'' Link & Otto is the correct genus name. Mature plants are easily recognizable by their cephalium, a wool- and bristle-coated structure at the apex of the plant, containing a mass of areoles from which the small flowers gro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hispaniolan Dry Forests
The Hispaniolan dry forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion on the island of Hispaniola (split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti). They cover , around 20% of the island's area. Geography The dry forests are found mostly on the southern and western portions of the island of Hispaniola, covering portions of both the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The ecoregion covers the southern and western coastal lowlands, the Cul-de-Sac–Enriquillo lowland, and the Cibao Valley in the north-central portion of the island. Flora Plant communities include high dry forest and cactus scrub dominated by species of ''Prosopis, Pilosocereus, Hippomane, Cylindropuntia, Agave'', and ''Bursera'', as well as '' Melocactus lemairei''.Cano-Ortiz, Ana & Musarella, Carmelo & Piñar Fuentes, José Carlos & Gomes, Carlos & Cano, Eusébio. (2015). Forests and Landscapes of Dominican Republic. Jordan Journal of Applied Science. Fauna Given the climate, reptiles are numerous in this region ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Missouri Botanical Garden
The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located at 4344 Shaw Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder and philanthropist Henry Shaw. Its herbarium, with more than 6.6 million specimens, is the second largest in North America, behind that of the New York Botanical Garden. The '' Index Herbariorum'' code assigned to the herbarium is MO and it is used when citing housed specimens. History The land that is currently the Missouri Botanical Garden was previously the land of businessman Henry Shaw. Founded in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the oldest botanical institutions in the United States and a National Historic Landmark. It is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1983, the botanical garden was added as the fourth subdistrict of the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District. The garden is a center for botanical research and science education of international repute, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gonaïves
Gonaïves (; ht, Gonayiv, ) is a commune in northern Haiti, and the capital of the Artibonite department of Haiti. It has a population of about 300,000 people, but current statistics are unclear, as there has been no census since 2003. History The city of Gonaïves was founded around 1422 by a group of Taíno, who named it ''Gonaibo'' (to designate a locality of cacicat of the Jaragua). The Gulf of Gonâve is named after the town. In 1802, an important battle of the Haitian Revolution, the Battle of Ravine-à-Couleuvres was fought near Gonaïves. Gonaïves is also known as Haiti's city of independence, because it was the location of Jean-Jacques Dessalines declaring Haiti independent from France on January 1, 1804, by reading the Act of Independence, drafted by Boisrond Tonnerre, on the Place d'Armes of the town. Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité, the wife of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, died here in August 1858. In the early 2000s, Gonaïves was the scene of substantial riot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deforestation In Haiti
Deforestation in Haiti is a severe environmental problem. Haitians burn wood charcoal for 60% of their domestic energy production. In 1923 over 60% of Haiti's land was forested. In 2006, less than 2% of the land was forested. Targeting of Dominican Republic forests Dominican military officials have created a lucrative charcoal trade, and have hired Haitian labor to produce charcoal just over the border. Much of this charcoal is destined for Puerto Rico and the United States mainland, although a small amount crosses over the border into Haiti. Some estimates calculate the illegal movement of 115 tons of charcoal per week from the Dominican Republic to Haiti in 2014, but these estimates are based on incomplete surveys and the numbers are highly contested. Dominican officials estimate that at least 10 trucks per week are crossing the border loaded with charcoal. The uncertainty around how much charcoal is originating from the Dominican Republic will be settled by a nationwide cha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. It uses a set of precise criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of species and subspecies. These criteria are relevant to all species and all regions of the world. With its strong scientific base, the IUCN Red List is recognized as the most authoritative guide to the status of biological diversity. A series of Regional Red Lists are produced by countries or organizations, which assess the risk of extinction to species within a political management unit. The aim of the IUCN Red List is to convey the urgency of conservation issues to the public and policy makers, as well as help the international community to reduce species extinction. According to IUCN the formally stated goals of the Red List are to provi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It is involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, and education. IUCN's mission is to "influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable". Over the past decades, IUCN has widened its focus beyond conservation ecology and now incorporates issues related to sustainable development in its projects. IUCN does not itself aim to mobilize the public in support of nature conservation. It tries to influence the actions of governments, business and other stakeholders by providing information and advice and through building partnerships. The organization is best known to the wider ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ricord's Iguana
''Cyclura ricordii'', also known as Ricord's ground iguana or Ricord's rock iguana, is an endangered species of medium-sized rock iguana, a large herbivorous lizard. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola (in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic). It is known to coexist with the nominate subspecies of the rhinoceros iguana (''C. cornuta cornuta''); the two species are the only taxa of rock iguana to do so. The natural habitats of its three subpopulations are hot, dry, wooded savanna on limestone with access to soil and sandy flats in southern Hispaniola. It is threatened by predation by introduced predators and habitat loss, due to overgrazing and charcoal manufacture. Taxonomy The specific epithet ''ricordii'' commemorates the French doctor Alexandre Ricord who sent the first specimen to Paris. In 1837 ''Cyclura ricordii'' was described as a species new to science by André Marie Constant Duméril and Gabriel Bibron, who at that time named it ''Aloponotus ricordii''. In 1843 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Island
A lake island is any landmass within a lake. It is a type of inland island. Lake islands may form a lake archipelago. Formation Lake islands may form in numerous ways. They may occur through a build-up of sedimentation as shoals, and become true islands through changes in the level of the lake. They may have been originally part of the lake's shore, and been separated from it by erosion, or they may have been left as pinnacles when the lake formed through a raising in the level of a river or other waterway (either naturally, or artificially through the damming of a river or lake). On creation of a glacial lake a moraine can form an island. They may also have formed through earthquake, meteor, or volcanic activity. In the latter case, crater or caldera islands exist, with new volcanic prominences in lakes formed in the craters of larger volcanoes. Other lake islands include ephemeral beds of floating vegetation, and islands artificially formed by human activity. Volcanic crat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Enriquillo
Lake Enriquillo ( es, Lago Enriquillo) is a hypersaline lake in the Dominican Republic located in the southwestern region of the country. Its waters are shared between the provinces of Bahoruco and Independencia, the latter of which borders Haiti. Lake Enriquillo is the largest lake in both the Dominican Republic and Hispaniola, as well as the entire Caribbean. It is also the lowest point for an island country. Hydrology Lake Enriquillo covers an area of 145 mi2 (375 km2), and is the lowest point for an island country, falling below sea level. Its drainage basin includes 10 minor river systems. The rivers that rise in the Neiba Mountains to the north (lower center and lower right of the image) are perennial. Those rivers that rise in the Baoruco Mountains to the south are intermittent. Lake Enriquillo has no outlet. The lake's water level varies because of a combination of storm-driven precipitation events and the region's high evaporation rate. Salinity in the lake ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cephalium
Cephalium is a frequently brightly coloured structure of wool and bristle at the growing tip of certain cacti. It is most commonly found on cacti of the genus ''Melocactus'' and can take a number of colours, forms and shapes. The cephalium will only begin growing after a cactus has reached a certain size or age. Once flowering begins the flower buds will form from the cephalium. Image:Arrojadoa penicillata.jpg, Flowers emerge from cephalium of '' Arrojadoa penicillata''. Image:Melocactus matanzanus 1.jpg, Cephalium of ''Melocactus matanzanus ''Melocactus matanzanus'', common name dwarf Turk's-cap cactus or Turk's-cap cactus, is a cactus in the genus ''Melocactus'' of the family Cactaceae. The epithet ''matanzanus'' is derived from the Cuban province of Matanzas. Description ''Meloc ...'' Image:Espostoa lanata-IMG 1935.jpg, Lateral cephalium of '' Espostoa lanata'' External links * http://www.cactus-art.biz/note-book/Dictionary/Dictionary_C/dictionary_cephalium.htm {{Ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cactus
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek word (''káktos''), a name originally used by Theophrastus for a spiny plant whose identity is now not certain. Cacti occur in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Although some species live in quite humid environments, most cacti live in habitats subject to at least some drought. Many live in extremely dry environments, even being found in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. Because of this, cacti show many adaptations to conserve water. For example, almost all cacti are succulents, meaning they have thickened, fleshy parts adapted to store water. Unlike many other succulents, the stem is the only part of most cacti where this vital process takes place. Most species of cacti have lost true leaves, retaining only spines, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
