''Magnolia tarahumara'' is a species of flowering plant 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 ...

, where it occurs in scattered locations in the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American C ...

of southeastern

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

, southwestern

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...

, and northwestern

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...

."''Magnolia tarahumara'' (Vazquez) A.Vázquez". ''Plants of the World Online'', Kew Science. Accessed 27 August 202

/ref>

Description

It is an evergreen tree with tough leaves, which are dark-green and glaucous on both surfaces. Its flowers are large and white, first appearing in March and April and peaking in May before disappearing in July. The fruit sets by March or April the following year, and falls to the ground where it can germinate with the summer monsoon. It can grow to 50 or 60 feet high, taking a slender form in the north and a generally broader-crowned form further south.Felger, Richard S. “The Distribution of Magnolia in Northwestern Mexico.” Journal of the Arizona Academy of Science, vol. 6, no. 4, 1971, pp. 251–253. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40022834. Accessed 28 Aug. 2021.

Distribution

The tree is found in the Pacific (western) slope of the Sierra Madre Occidental, from 900 to 1980 meters elevation. The northernmost populations occur in scattered locations in the Sierra Saguaribo on the border of Sonora and Chihuahua, and in the

Sierra de Álamos Sierra de Álamos is a range of mountains, in the Sierra Madre Occidental in the Álamos Municipality of Sonora. References Landforms of the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountain ranges of Sonora {{NorthAm-mountain-stub ...

40 miles west of the Sierra Saguaribo. In eastern Sinaloa and northwestern Durango the populations are larger and more continuous.

Ecology

It grows in cool sheltered canyons with year-round moisture in the

Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests The Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests ( es, Bosques de pino-roble de la Sierra Madre Occidental) are a Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the Sierra Madre Occidental range from the southwest USA region to the western part ...

ecoregion. It is frequently a canopy tree within riparian oak woodland, accompanied by other broadleaved species of ''

Clethra ''Clethra'' is a genus of flowering shrubs or small trees described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753.Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending in ...

Oreopanax ''Oreopanax'' is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Araliaceae, comprising circa 85 species native to the Americas. Distribution ''Oreopanax'' species' range extends from Mexico and the Antilles to Argentina and Brazil, with most species ...

Quercus 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 '' ...

'', and ''

Platanus ''Platanus'' is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae. All mature members of ''Platanus'' are tall, reaching in height. All except f ...

''. The bright red seeds remain attached to the fruits as they fall to the ground, and are relished by native birds including the

crested guan The crested guan (''Penelope purpurascens'') is a member of an ancient group of birds of the family Cracidae, which are related to the Australasian megapodes or mound builders (Megapodiidae). It is found in the Neotropics, in lowlands forests ran ...

(''Penelope purpurascens''),

hooded grosbeak The hooded grosbeak (''Hesperiphona abeillei'') is a passerine bird in the finch family found in the highlands of Central America, principally in Mexico and Guatemala. This is a medium large grosbeak with a large bill. The male has a black head ...

(''Hesperiphona abeillei''), masked tityra (''Tityra semifasciata''),

rufous-bellied chachalaca The rufous-bellied chachalaca (''Ortalis wagleri'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, and curassows. It is endemic to western Mexico. Taxonomy and systematics The rufous-bellied chachalaca was at one time co ...

(''Ortalis wagleri''), and jays.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q81734598 tarahumara Endemic flora of Mexico Trees of Mexico Flora of the Sierra Madre Occidental Flora of Sonora Flora of Sinaloa Flora of Chihuahua (state) Flora of Durango Cloud forest flora of Mexico