''Ephippiandra masoalensis'' is a species 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 ...

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 else ...

to the Masoala Peninsula of eastern

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

Description

''Ephippiandra masoalensis'' is small tree, growing up to five meters tall.

Range and habitat

The species is known from a single population in

Masoala National Park Masoala National Park, in northeast Madagascar, is the largest of the island's protected areas. Most of the park is situated in Sava Region and a part in Analanjirofo. Created in 1997, the park protects 2,300 square kilometres of rainforest and ...

on the Masoala Peninsula of eastern Madgagascar, overhanging the Antalavia River at 380 meters elevation. It grows in humid tropical evergreen lowland forest on

lateritic soil Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...

Conservation and threats

The species sole known population is in Masoala National Park, which is considered to be well-protected. The larger

Madagascar lowland forests The Madagascar lowland forests or Madagascar humid forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion found on the eastern coast of the island of Madagascar, home to a plant and animal mix that is 80 to 90% endemic, with the forests of the e ...

ecoregion is threatened by deforestation, shifting agriculture, and illegal logging and wood harvesting, but it isn't known whether these threats to the ecoregion also pose a threat to this species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from= Q15593609 masoalensis Endemic flora of Madagascar Flora of the Madagascar lowland forests