''Magnolia tamaulipana'' 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 ...

to northeastern

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 ...

Range and habitat

''Magnolia tamaulipana'' is native to the

Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that f ...

Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...

and

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

states. It is known from only five locations, all within

El Cielo Biosphere Reserve The El Cielo Biosphere Reserve (''Reserva de la Biosfera El Cielo'' in Spanish) is located in the Sierra Madre Oriental in the southern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas near the town of Gómez Farias. The reserve protects the northernmost ...

. The potential forest distribution for the species is estimated at 2,458 km². It inhabits 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 between 1,180 to 1,500 meters elevation.

Ecology

''Magnolia tamaulipana'' is pollinated by beetles, including two species of the scarab beetles '' Cyclocephala'' and other beetles in family

Staphylinidae The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra (wing covers) that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With roughly 63,000 species in thousands of genera, the ...

. The plants produce large protogynous flowers which are viable for up to 24 hours. The flowers are thermogenic, and the heat produced dissipates the flower scent to attract pollinating beetles.

Conservation

Most of the species' range is within the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve. The species' population is in decline across its native range, despite living within a protected area. The causes of its population decline aren't well understood, but a study of the effects of hurricanes in the region indicated that hurricanes uproot and damage many mature trees, and the species may have lower regeneration capacity than other cloud forest trees. Other factors causing the population decline may include loss of habitat from deforestation and urbanization. The species 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 and inva ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15494576 tamaulipana Endemic flora of Mexico Cloud forest flora of Mexico Flora of the Sierra Madre Oriental Trees of Nuevo León Trees of Tamaulipas Plants described in 1994