''Styrax portoricensis'', locally known as ''palo de jazmin'', is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Styracaceae The Styracaceae are a small family of flowering plants in the order Ericales, containing 12 genera and about 160 species of trees and shrubs. The family occurs in warm temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The family is c ...

. 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 ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. It is one of the rarest endemic trees of Puerto Rico and is known to occur only in the northeastern Luquillo Mountains (Sierra de Luquillo) and the north-central Cayey Mountains (Sierra de Cayey).

Description

''Palo de jazmín'' is an evergreen tree that can reach in height. It is recognized by star-shaped hairs on twigs, veins of lower leaf surfaces, branches of flower clusters, flowers and fruits; elliptically shaped leaves, 2 ¾ to 4 ¾ inches (6.9 to 12 centimeters) long and 1 ¼ to 2 inches (3 to 5 centimeters) wide, with six to seven ½ inch (1.2 centimeter) star-shaped whitish flowers drooping on short curved stalks. It has pointed gray-green fruit with cup-shaped outer leaves (calyces) for protection. It flowers in September, and October; fruits in April.

Distribution

It is very rare in Luquillo and Cayey mountains;

El Yunque National Forest El Yunque National Forest ( es, Bosque Nacional El Yunque), formerly known as the Caribbean National Forest (or ''Bosque Nacional del Caribe''), is a forest located in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is the only tropical rainforest in the United Sta ...

and Carite State Forest.

Threats

Currently listed under section (4) (C) 2 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 with a classification of Endangered on the list of Endangered or Threatened Wildlife and Plants (50 CFR 17.11 – 17.12).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5491220 portoricensis Endemic flora of Puerto Rico Critically endangered plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot