''Cistus chinamadensis'' is a
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
by
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the family
Cistaceae
The Cistaceae are a small family of plants (rock-rose or rock rose family) known for their beautiful shrubs, which are profusely covered by flowers at the time of blossom. This family consists of about 170(-200) species in nine genera that are ...
, with purple-pink flowers, first described in 1991. It is endemic to the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
, where three subspecies occur on three separate islands (
Tenerife
Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
,
La Gomera
La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third smallest of the eight main islands of this archipelago. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tene ...
and
El Hierro
El Hierro, nicknamed ''Isla del Meridiano'' (the "Meridian Island"), is the second-smallest and farthest-south and -west of the Canary Islands (an autonomous community of Spain), in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, with a populatio ...
). The species has been assessed as endangered in the
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 biol ...
, being known only from small separated areas and facing a variety of threats.
Description
''Cistus chinamadensis'' is a
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
, usually tall. The woody stems have dark brown bark that easily frays and strips off. The upper branches have a dense velvety covering of fine hairs (
indumentum
In biology, an indumentum (Latin, literally: "garment") is a covering of trichomes (fine "hairs") on a plant Davis, Peter Hadland and Heywood, Vernon Hilton (1963) ''Principles of angiosperm taxonomy'' Van Nostrandpage, Princeton, New Jersey, pa ...
), beige to off-white in colour. The oppositely arranged leaves are light green (in subsp. ''gomerae'') or greyish green (in subsp. ''chinamadensis''), around long by wide, with a pointed tip. The leaves have three prominent veins. Opposite pairs of leaves are joined together at the base by a long sheath, the outside of which is furrowed and the inside covered in hairs (as is the outside in subsp. ''gomerae''). The upper sides of the leaves are more-or-less smooth, the lower sides rough and reticulate, to a varying degree between the subspecies.
[
The flowers are arranged in open, slightly branched ]cymes
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed on ...
, with 4–8 flowers to each inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
. The sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...
s have a short tooth, up to long, at the apex and are of two distinct sizes. Two outer sepals are around long by wide; three inner sepals are considerably larger, around long by wide. The petal
Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...
s are pink with yellowish bases, more-or-less rounded, about long and wide. The yellow 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 are somewhat shorter than the sepals. The ovary
The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...
is high, topped by a style
Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to:
* Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable
* Design, the process of creating something
* Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...
about long. In its native habitat, ''C. chinamadenis'' flowers in May and produces seeds in June to July.[
]
Taxonomy and phylogeny
''Cistus chinamadensis'' was first described in 1991 by Ángel Bañares Baudet and Pedro Romero Manrique.[ The species was first found at Roque de los Pinos near to the village of Chinamada in the ]Anaga
Macizo de Anaga is a mountain range in the northeastern part of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The highest point is 1,024 m (Cruz de Taborno). It stretches from the Punta de Anaga in the northeast to Cruz del Carmen in the sou ...
region of Tenerife
Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
;[ hence the specific epithet ''chinamadensis'' meaning "from Chinamada". Two ]subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
were initially described, ''C. chinamadensis'' subsp. ''chinamadensis'' and ''C. ch.'' subsp. ''gomerae''.[ In 2005 a further subspecies, ''C. ch.'' subsp. ''ombriosus'', was described by Jean-Pierre Demoly and M. Marrero.][
A 2011 molecular phylogenetic study placed ''C. chinamadensis'' as a member of the purple and pink flowered clade of ''Cistus'' species, along with some other Canary Island endemics ('']Cistus asper
''Cistus asper'' is a shrubby species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae with purple-pink flowers. It was first described in 2005 and is endemic to El Hierro in the Canary Islands.
Phylogeny
A 2011 molecular phylogenetic study placed '' ...
'', '' Cistus horrens'', '' Cistus ocreatus'', and '' Cistus symphytifolius''), although the three subspecies did not form a clade, with some analyses separating ''C. ch.'' subsp. ''ombriosus'' in particular from the other two subspecies.[
]
Distribution and habitat
''Cistus chinamadensis'' 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 Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
. The three subspecies are found on different islands: ''C. ch.'' subsp. ''chinamadensis'' in the north of Tenerife
Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
in three locations in the Anaga
Macizo de Anaga is a mountain range in the northeastern part of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The highest point is 1,024 m (Cruz de Taborno). It stretches from the Punta de Anaga in the northeast to Cruz del Carmen in the sou ...
region at altitudes of around ;[ ''C. ch.'' subsp. ''gomerae'' in one natural location and several introduced locations in ]La Gomera
La Gomera () is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. With an area of , it is the third smallest of the eight main islands of this archipelago. It belongs to the province of Santa Cruz de Tene ...
at around ;[ and ''C. ch.'' subsp. ''ombriosus'' in one location in ]El Hierro
El Hierro, nicknamed ''Isla del Meridiano'' (the "Meridian Island"), is the second-smallest and farthest-south and -west of the Canary Islands (an autonomous community of Spain), in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, with a populatio ...
at .[
]
Conservation
In 2011 when its status was assessed as "endangered" according to the 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 biol ...
criteria, ''Cistus chinamadensis'' was known from seven locations in the Canary Islands. ''C. ch.'' ssp. ''chinamadensis'' from Tenerife was present in three locations; its population appeared to be stable or increasing. ''C. ch.'' ssp. ''gomerae'' from La Gomera was found in two natural locations and has since been introduced to four others. Its range appeared to be decreasing. ''C. ch.'' subsp. ''ombriosus'' from El Hierro was present in a single location with an area of about . Threats to the species include a variety of natural hazards, such as landslides, fires and drought, and biological hazards, such as grazing.[
]
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15330461
chinamadensis
Plants described in 1991
Flora of the Canary Islands