''Leptolaena cuspidata'' 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 ...

in the

Sarcolaenaceae The Sarcolaenaceae are a family of flowering plants endemic to Madagascar. The family includes 79 species of mostly evergreen trees and shrubs in ten genera. Recent DNA studies indicate that the Sarcolaenaceae are a sibling taxon to the family ...

family. It is found only in

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 ...

. 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 ...

s are subtropical or tropical dry

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by

habitat loss 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 ...

Description

''Leptolaena cuspidata'' is a shrub to a small tree. It flowers from January to November.

Range and habitat

''Leptolaena cuspidata'' is endemic to northwestern Madagascar. It inhabits dry deciduous forests of central

Diana Region Diana is a region in Madagascar at the northeast part of the island. It borders the regions of Sava to the southeast and Sofia to the southwest. It covers an area of 19,266 km2, and had a population of 889,736 in 2018. The regional capital i ...

, and the subhumid forests of the Sambirano region in southern Diana Region and northernmost

Sofia Region Sofia is a region in northern Madagascar. It is named for the Sofia River. The region covers 50,100 km² and had a population of 1,500,227 in 2018. The administrative capital is Antsohihy. Administrative divisions Sofia Region is divided int ...

. It grows from 10 to 500 meters elevation on a variety of substrates, including sandstone, lava, basement rock, Mesozoic limestone, unconsolidated sands, and alluvial and lake deposits. The species is known from 129 records at 21 locations. Based on the known locations, the species' estimated

extent of occurrence Extent may refer to: Computing * Extent (file systems), a contiguous region of computer storage medium reserved for a file * Extent File System, a discontinued file system implementation named after the contiguous region * Extent, a chunk of st ...

(EOO) is 24,265 km², and an estimated

area of occupancy Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open s ...

(AOO) of 252 km². These estimates may be low because of under-sampling.

Conservation and threats

The species has a declining population, and is threatened by

across much of its range. Threats include deforestation from shifting cultivation and logging, over-harvesting timber, and the declining population of animals, including birds and lemurs, which disperse its seeds.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5400615 cuspidata Endemic flora of Madagascar Flora of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests Flora of the Madagascar subhumid forests Least concern plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot