Banara vanderbiltii - Earth.com
banara vanderbiltii
12-22-2016

Banara vanderbiltii

Banara vanderbiltii NatureServe Explorer Species Reports — NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

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Banara vanderbiltii is a rare species of plant in the willow family known by the common name palo de ramon. It is endemic to Puerto Rico, where there are fewer than 20 known individuals left in the wild. At the time it was listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1987, there were only six plants remaining.

This is an evergreen shrub which can grow up to 9 meters tall, bearing rough-textured hairy leaves up to 12 centimeters long by 4 wide. The flowers are yellow and have many stamens. The red-purple fruits provide food for birds, including the bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) and the western spindalis (Spindalis zena).

The shrub grows in moist forests on limestone substrates. Its habitat has been subject to deforestation, the main cause of its rarity. Land is cleared for agriculture, including coffee plantations, and livestock are grazed in the area. Military exercises have also occurred nearby, with sections of the forest being trampled.

The plant was known to occur near San Juan long ago, but these occurrences have long since been extirpated by urban development. It now occurs only in one area along the northwestern coast, with one tiny population located near Cayey and a second, smaller one near Bayamón

Detailed information
Full Name: palo de ramon (Banara vanderbiltii)
Where found: Wherever found
Critical Habitat:N/A
Species Group:Flowering Plants
Current listing status
Status Date Listed Lead Region Where Listed
Endangered 01/14/1987 Southeast Region (Region 4) Wherever found
  • States/US Territories in which the palo de ramon, Wherever found is known to or is believed to occur: Puerto Rico
  • US Counties in which the palo de ramon, Wherever found is known to or is believed to occur: View All
Recovery
No critical habitat rules have been published for the palo de ramon.
Date
Title
Plan Action Status
Plan Status
03/15/1991 Recovery Plan Banara vanderbiltii View Implementation Progress Final
Date
Title
Plan Action Status
Plan Status
03/15/1991 Recovery Plan Banara vanderbiltii View Implementation Progress Final
Date
Citation Page
Title
Document Type
04/09/2010 75 FR 18232 18233 5-Year Status Reviews of 15 Caribbean Species
  • Notice 5-year Review, Initiation
Date
Title
01/10/2014 Palo de Ram?n (Banara vanderbiltii) 5-Year Review
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