''Magnolia sharpii'' is a tree

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of ''

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

'' from

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

, Mexico. It grows in wet tropical habitats.

Description

''Magnolia sharpii'' is a large tree, growing up to 25 meters tall with a trunk more than 50 cm in diameter.

Range and habitat

''Magnolia sharpii'' is endemic to the Central Highlands of Chiapas, where it is known from scattered localities between 1,950 and 2,940 meters elevation. 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 2,228 km². Its typical habitat is on steep slopes or in ravines in

cloud forests A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, ...

and humid oak and pine–oak forests. It favors mature closed-canopy forests dominated by oaks which sustain a cool and moist forest floor environment. It is shade-tolerant but intolerant of prolonged drought.

Conservation and threats

The species has a small, scattered population, and is threatened by severe deforestation across much of its range. It favors undisturbed forests which are becoming rarer across its range. Its conservation status 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, inv ...

Prehistory

Fossil records indicate that the species was widely distributed in North America during the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

, with widespread fossils from Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central America. Over 25 million years its range contracted, and the species is now limited to a disjunct distribution across a small area of Mexico.

Name

The specific epithet of ''sharpii'', refers to Aaron John Sharp (1904–1997), known professionally as ''Jack Sharp'', who was an American

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and bryologist, considered an expert on

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

es.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q15494811 sharpii Flora of Chiapas Cloud forest flora of Mexico Flora of the Chiapas Highlands Chiapas montane forests Endemic flora of Mexico