''Magnolia krusei'' is a species of

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

in the family

Magnoliaceae The Magnoliaceae () are a flowering plant family, the magnolia family, in the order Magnoliales. It consists of two genera: ''Magnolia'' and ''Liriodendron'' (tulip trees). Unlike most angiosperms, whose flower parts are in whorls (rings), the ...

. 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 ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Description

''Magnolia krusei'' is a medium-sized to large tree, growing ups to 25 meters high with a trunk diameter of 50 to 100 cm. It is similar in appearance to ''

Magnolia iltisiana ''Magnolia iltisiana'' is a species of plant in the family Magnoliaceae. It is Endemism, endemic to Mexico. Common names include ahuatoso and yoloxochitl. Description ''Magnolia iltisiana'' is a large evergreen tree. It grows up to 40 meters hig ...

'' and '' M. tamaulipana'', but differs from those related species in its smaller flowers and follicles. The seeds are spread by birds.

Range and habitat

''Magnolia krusei'' is known from one location in the Sierra Madre del Sur of central Guerrero state, around Acahuizotla and San Roque in the mountains south of

Chilpancingo Chilpancingo de los Bravo (commonly shortened to Chilpancingo; ; Nahuatl: Chilpantsinko) is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Guerrero, Mexico. In 2010 it had a population of 187,251 people. The municipality has an area of in ...

. A second population may occur further east in the Sierra Madre del Sur of neighboring Oaxaca state. Its known population has 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 ...

of only 10 to 500 km². The area of potential forest remaining in the area is 9,120 km². It is found in montane

cloud 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 ...

s dominated by

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

s (''Quercus'' spp.) on soils derived from shale rocks between 1140 and 1600 meters elevation.

Conservation

The species threatened by habitat loss from forest clearance, including for illegal crops. Its known populations are outside protected areas, and there is no plan for the species' conservation. It is assessed as

endangered 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 inva ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15492781 krusei Endemic flora of Mexico Cloud forest flora of Mexico Flora of the Sierra Madre del Sur Trees of Guerrero Plants described in 2005