''Azorina'' is a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

of flowering plants within the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Campanulaceae The family Campanulaceae (also bellflower family), of the order Asterales, contains nearly 2400 species in 84 genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and rarely small trees, often with milky sap. Among them are several familiar garden plants belon ...

, whose sole species, ''Azorina vidalii'', the Azores Bellflower, 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 ...

to the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

. Its fragmented population is made up of fewer than 1000 mature plants limited to the coastlines of several of the islands. It is also the only species in this family native to the Azores.

Description

''Azorina'' is a small perennial shrub about tall, but can reach heights of up to . It has glabrous branches. Leaves are long and wide, glabrous and dark green or reddish-green. The flowers are white or pinkish-pale, up to , and bell-shaped. It forms a capsule with numerous seeds.

Ecology

''Azorina vidalii'' is

to all nine islands of the

. It grows in association with other species tolerant to the

sea breeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is any wind that blows from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass; it develops due to differences in air pressure created by the differing heat capacities of water and dry land. As such, sea breezes ar ...

, mainly in the crevices of the coastal cliffs, but also in steep slopes with sandy deposits, always in heavily exposed habitats. It also appears in replacement habitats such as roofs and walls. It is planted as an ornamental in some of the native islands and other parts of the world. Its leaves are edible and can be eaten raw.

History

It was first harvested by Watson, along the coast of Santa Cruz on the Azorean island of

Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Including the Komodo Islands off its west coast (but excluding the Solor Archipelago to the east of Flores), the land area is 15,530.58 km2, and th ...

, during his botanical expedition in 1843.Rúben Coelho (2014), p.17 It was initially designated ''Campanula vidalii'' by Watson and published in 1844. Its ecology has been presented in an inconsistent manner; it has been referred to as adapting to cracks in the sea cliffs, or to deposits, and in abrupt and sandy slopes. ''Azorina vidalii'' was protected by the Bern Convention in 1992 (Annex I) and by the Habitats Directive 140/99 (Diário da República, Anexo 2B), where it was considered a priority species in critical risk; it is an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

due to

habitat degradation 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 ...

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...

, and development.M. Bliz (2011) It diverged from its ancestral descendants around 8.3±1.7 million years ago, associated with its first island of colonization, Santa Maria (Olesen et al., 2012), which formed 8-10 million years ago (Serralheiro & Madeira, 1993). Carine et al. (2004) and Fernández-Palacios et al. (2011) also refer to the existence of submarine mounts, formerly immersed, that functioned as stepping-stones from the continent. At the same time, ''Azorina vidalii'' is not vulnerable to the rise in temperature and prefers the zones along the coast to propagate.

References

Notes

Sources

* {{Taxonbar, from1=Q13054166, from2=Q794040 Campanuloideae Monotypic Campanulaceae genera Endemic flora of the Azores