''Heptapleurum palawanense'' 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 exclu ...

in the family

Araliaceae The Araliaceae are a family of flowering plants composed of about 43 genera and around 1500 species consisting of primarily woody plants and some herbaceous plants. The morphology of Araliaceae varies widely, but it is predominantly distinguish ...

. 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 else ...

to the island of

Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It 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 ...

Description

''Heptapleurum palawanense'' is sub-erect shrub which starts as an epiphyte and grows 3 to 4 meters tall. The fruits are bright yellow to orange, and appear in April. Fruit and seeds are likely dispersed by birds.

Range and habitat

''Heptapleurum palawanense'' was described in 1915 from a specimen collected in Taytay municipality in northern Palawan. Other specimens were collected in the Pagdanan Range of San Vicente municipality south of Taytay, and on

Lagen Island El Nido, officially the Municipality of El Nido ( cyo, Banwa i'ang El Nido, tgl, Bayan ng El Nido), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 50,494 people. It is ...

in El Nido municipality north of Taytay. It commonly grows in thickets bordering open grasslands and exposed karst formations, from sea level to 300 meters elevation.

References

Endemic flora of the Philippines Flora of Palawan palawanense Endangered flora of Asia Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Elmer Drew Merrill {{Araliaceae-stub