''Axinaea sclerophylla'' is a species of tree in the family Melastomataceae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

, where its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

subtropical or tropical moist montane forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

Description

''Axinaea sclerophylla'' is a small tree up to about high. The inflorescences are few in number with a small number of flowers in each inflorescence, the individual flowers being long. The flowers are purple, pink or nearly white and have fleshy, oblong petals and parts in fives.

Distribution and habitat

The species is endemic to Ecuador where it is found in the southern

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

at altitudes of between . It is known from just twelve populations in the montane forest zone, one from Sevilla de Oro in Azuay Province, one from near the Sígsig to

Gualaquiza Gualaquiza is a town in the Morona Santiago province of Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Repub ...

road in Morona-Santiago Province, and the rest from Loja and Zamora-Chinchipe Provinces.

Ecology

The flowers of ''A. sclerophylla'' are pollinated by birds. The

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s have inflated appendages attached to them on which birds feed. The bird is attracted to the stamens by the high sugar content and plucks and eats the whole anther. When a bird grasps one of the appendages with its beak, air is forced out through a small hole, carrying a puff of pollen which lands on the bird's face and neck. When it visits another flower, pollination is likely to occur. The disadvantage of this specialised pollination mechanism is that if a key bird species were to decline, the tree might be unable to find an alternative pollinator and soon become extinct. The

masked flowerpiercer The masked flowerpiercer (''Diglossa cyanea'') is a species of bird in the tanager family, Thraupidae. It is found in humid montane forest and scrub in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Flowerpiercers got their name from the fact ...

(''Diglossa cyanea'') has been observed feeding on the stamens, removing them one by one.

Status

''Axinaea sclerophylla'' is an uncommon tree with a small range in the high Andes of southern Ecuador. It is known from just twelve populations; three of these populations are within the borders of the

Podocarpus National Park Podocarpus National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Podocarpus) is a national park located in the provinces of Zamora Chinchipe and Loja Province, Loja, in the south-east of Ecuador. It was created in 1982. It covers 1462.80 km2, from two spur ...

. Apart from

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, no particular threats have been identified, but because of its rarity, the

International Union for Conservation of Nature 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 natu ...

has rated the tree as " vulnerable".

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4830487 Endemic flora of Ecuador sclerophylla Vulnerable plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot