''Magnolia vallartensis'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

'' from

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

state in western

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 vallartensis'' is a medium-sized tree, growing to about 15 meters tall.

Range and habitat

''Magnolia vallartensis'' is native to a small area of

Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadala ...

and Cabo Corrientes municipalities in the Pacific coastal lowlands of western Jalisco. It grows on the upper edges of

gallery forest A gallery forest is one formed as a corridor along rivers or wetlands, projecting into landscapes that are otherwise only sparsely treed such as savannas, grasslands, or deserts. The gallery forest maintains a more temperate microclimate above th ...

s along streams and rivers, between 100 and 1000 meters elevation. The coastal lowlands are part of the

Jalisco dry forests The Jalisco dry forests is a Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in southwestern Mexico. Geography The Jalisco dry forests occupy the coastal lowlands and foothills of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, ...

ecoregion. The species has a very limited range, and its extent of occurrence (EOO) is estimated to be less than 100 km².

Conservation

The species 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 ...

from deforestation and conversion of its habitat to agriculture, pasture, and urbanization. Its conservation status is assessed as Critically Endangered.

Systematics

''Magnolia vallartensis'' belongs to sect. ''Magnolia''. Other closely related species live in western Mexico, and constitute the ''Magnolia pacifica'' group – ''

Magnolia pacifica ''Magnolia pacifica'' is a species of ''Magnolia'' from Jalisco and Nayarit states in western Mexico. Description ''Magnolia pacifica'' is a medium-sized tree, growing 15 to 25 meters tall, with a trunk up to 40–80 cm in diameter. Range and ...

'' from the seaward-facing mountains of Nayarit and western Jalisco, and '' Magnolia pugana'' from inland canyons and cloud forests in northern Jalisco and southern

Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...

.Vázquez-García, José & Muñiz-Castro, Miguel Angel & Dahua-Machoa, Alex & Osorio-Muñoz, Edson & Hernández-Vera, Gerardo & Ortega-Peña, Alondra Salome & Jacobo-Pereira, César & Romo Campos, Rosa & Roman, Noelia & Shalisko, Viacheslav. (2020). "How to Save Endangered Magnolias?" in ''Population Biology to Conservation Action: The Case of Allopatric Radiation in Western Mexico''. 10.5772/intechopen.94346. ''M. vallartensis'' and ''M. pugana'' are sometimes classed as subspecies of ''M. pacifica''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q81736603 vallartensis Endemic flora of Mexico Trees of Northern America Jalisco dry forests