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Cuban Moist Forests
The Cuban moist forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion that occupies on Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. The ecoregion receives more than of rainfall annually, and does not have a dry season. Soils are usually derived from quartz, limestone, or serpentinites. Cuban moist forests can be differentiated into lowland forests (sea level to ), sub-montane forests (), and montane forests (). Lowland forests Lowland forests are found at elevations from sea level to and reach heights of . They consist of three tree stories. The upper story includes achiotillo ('' Alchornea latifolia''), najesí (''Carapa guianensis'') and acana ('' Manilkara valenzuelana''); the middle story has tagua-tagua ('' Diospyros caribaea''), '' Ocotea floribunda'', '' Oxandra laurifolia'', '' Talauma minor'', ''Terminalia'' spp. and ''Ficus'' spp.; and the lower story has a number of species of tree ferns, Myrtaceae and Melastomataceae. Epiphytes are abundant and varied, including '' Elaphogloss ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pico Turquino
Pico Turquino (), sometimes erroneously spelled as Pico Torquino, is the highest point in Cuba. It is located in the southeast part of the island, in the Sierra Maestra mountain range in the municipality of Guamá, Santiago de Cuba Province. It is the only place in Cuba where snowfall has been officially recorded, which last fell in February 1900. Etymology The name is believed to be a corruption of the phrase for "turquoise peak" (), so-named for its apparent blue hues seen by the heights in certain views. History The peak was first mentioned (under the name "Tarquino") on a map drawn by Geert de Kremer in the late 16th century. The first documented ascent of the peak was in 1860 by Fred W. Ramsden, a twenty-year-old Englishman then living in Santiago de Cuba. The climb was not widely publicized at the time. In 1915 the Swedish botanist Erik Leonard Ekman climbed the mountain and speculated that he was probably the first person to have done so. The following year, in respons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alchornea Latifolia
''Alchornea latifolia'' is a species of tree in the family Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae (), the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of Euphorbia, the type genus of the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', ar .... It is native to Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean, where its common names include aguacatillo, baconá and chote. Description Alchornea latifolia is a little evergreen tree that can reach a height of approximately 20 metres (66 feet), occasionally having a trunk buttressed. The leaves have thick stalks and are ovate to elliptic, with a rounded base and a short pointed apex. They have three veins radiating from the base and are long and wide. The leaf margins have a small number of short, blunt teeth and the lower side of the leaf blade is downy. The male flowering spike is slender, up to long. The individual flowers are stalkless and hav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elaphoglossum Crinitum
''Elaphoglossum'' is a genus of ferns in the family Dryopteridaceae, subfamily Elaphoglossoideae, in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). Taxonomy ''Elaphoglossum'' was first described in 1841 by John Smith, who attributed the name to Heinrich Schott. The name ''Elaphoglossum'' in botanical Latin means 'stag's tongue', in reference to the shape and texture of the leaf fronds.Gledhill D. 1996. ''The Names of Plants''. Cambridge University Press. Species The genus has a large number of species. The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I) suggested there were about 600; ''Plants of the World Online'' and the ''Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World'' both listed at least 730 . Species include: *'' Elaphoglossum conforme'' ( Sw.) J.Sm. (type species) *'' Elaphoglossum pattersoniae'' Mickel *'' Elaphoglossum peltatum'' (Sw.) Urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geograp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phorophytes. Epiphytes take part in nutrient cycles and add to both the diversity and biomass of the ecosystem in which they occur, like any other organism. In some cases, a rainforest tree's epiphytes may total "several tonnes" (several long tons). They are an important source of food for many species. Typically, the older parts of a plant will have more epiphytes growing on them. Epiphytes differ from parasites in that they grow on other plants for physical support and do not necessarily affect the host negatively. An organism that grows on another organism that is not a plant may be called an epibiont. Epiphytes are usually found in the temperate zone (e.g., many mosses, liverworts, lichens, and algae) or in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melastomataceae
Melastomataceae () is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants found mostly in the tropics (two-thirds of the genera are from the New World tropics) comprising c. 175 genera and c. 5115 known species. Melastomes are annual or perennial herbs, shrubs, or small trees. Description The leaves of melastomes are somewhat distinctive, being opposite, decussate, and usually with 3-7 longitudinal veins arising either from the base of the blade, plinerved (inner veins diverging above base of blade), or pinnately nerved with three or more pairs of primary veins diverging from the mid-vein at successive points above the base. Flowers are perfect, and borne either singly or in terminal or axillary, paniculate cymes. Ecology A number of melastomes are regarded as invasive species once naturalized in tropical and subtropical environments outside their normal range. Examples are Koster's curse (''Clidemia hirta''), '' Pleroma semidecandrum'' and '' Miconia calvescens'', but many othe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All species are woody, contain essential oils, and have flower parts in multiples of four or five. The leaves are evergreen, alternate to mostly opposite, simple, and usually entire (i.e., without a toothed margin). The flowers have a base number of five petals, though in several genera, the petals are minute or absent. The stamens are usually very conspicuous, brightly coloured, and numerous. Evolutionary history Scientists hypothesize that the family Myrtaceae arose between 60 and 56 million years ago (Mya) during the Paleocene era. Pollen fossils have been sourced to the ancient supercontinent Gondwana. The breakup of Gondwana during the Cretaceous period (145 to 66 Mya) geographically isolated disjunct taxa and allowed for rapid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyatheales
The order Cyatheales, which includes most tree ferns, is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic order of the fern class, Polypodiopsida. No clear morphology (biology), morphological features characterize all of the Cyatheales, but DNA sequence data indicate the order is monophyly, monophyletic. Some species in the Cyatheales have tree-like growth forms from a vertical rhizome, others have shorter or horizontal expanding rhizomes. Some species have scales on the stems and leaves, while others have hairs. However, most plants in the Cyatheales are tree ferns and have trunk-like stems up to tall. It is unclear how many times the tree form has evolved and been lost in the order.Judd, W.S., C.S. Campbell, E.A. Kellogg, P.F. Stevens, and M.J. Donoghue (Eds.) 2008. Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach, Third Edition. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts, USA. Description While the Cyatheales have been shown to be monophyletic through molecular analysis, no prominent morphologic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ficus
''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The common fig (''F. carica'') is a temperate species native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region (from Afghanistan to Portugal), which has been widely cultivated from ancient times for its fruit, also referred to as figs. The fruit of most other species are also edible though they are usually of only local economic importance or eaten as bushfood. However, they are extremely important food resources for wildlife. Figs are also of considerable cultural importance throughout the tropics, both as objects of worship and for their many practical uses. Description ''Ficus'' is a pantropical genus of trees, shrubs, and vines occupying a wide variety of ecological niches; most a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terminalia (plant)
''Terminalia'' is a genus of large trees of the flowering plant family Combretaceae, comprising nearly 300 species distributed in Tropics, tropical regions of the world. The genus name derives from the Latin word ''terminus'', referring to the fact that the leaves appear at the very tips of the shoots. Terminalia latifolia, Axlewood (''T. latifolia'') is used for its wood and tannins and as a fodder. Terminalia leiocarpa, African birch (''T. leiocarpa'') is used for its wood and to make yellow dye and medicinal compounds. A yellow dyestuff produced from the leaves of ''T. leiocarpa'' has traditionally been used in West Africa to dye leather. Selected species There are 278 accepted ''Terminalia'' species as of July 2024 according to Plants of the World Online. Selected species include: *''Terminalia acuminata'' (Fr. Allem.) Eichl. *''Terminalia albida'' Scott-Elliot *''Terminalia amazonia'' (J.F.Gmel.) Exell – white olive *''Terminalia anogeissiana'' – axlew ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Talauma Minor
''Magnolia minor'' is a species of plant in the family Magnoliaceae. It is endemic to Cuba. It is threatened by habitat loss. References minor Minor may refer to: Common meanings * Minor (law), a person not under the age of certain legal activities. * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Mathematics * Minor (graph theory), a relation of one graph to an ... Endemic flora of Cuba Endangered plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Magnoliales-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oxandra Laurifolia
''Oxandra'' is a genus of flowering plants in the custard apple family Annonaceae, native to Mexico and tropical America. Species , Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ... accepts the following 28 species: References Annonaceae genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Annonaceae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ocotea Floribunda
''Ocotea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lauraceae. Many are evergreen trees with lauroid leaves. There are over 520 species currently accepted within the genus, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas (around 300 species) including the Caribbean and West Indies, but also with some species in Africa, Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands. One species (''O. foetens'') is native to the Macaronesia (in Canary Islands and Madeira). The genus is suspected to be paraphyletic. Description They are trees or shrubs, occasionally with adventitious roots (''O. hartshorniana'', ''O. insularis''). Leaves simple, alternate, rarely opposite or whorled. The leaves are lauroid, they are commonly dark green glossy with sometimes brown on the underside and fragrant oil cells. The African and Madagascan species all have bisexual flowers (possessing both male and female parts), whereas many of the American species have flowers that a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
