Aristolochia boosii
Encyclopedia
Aristolochia boosii is a species of woody vine
in the Aristolochiaceae
plant family which is endemic to Trinidad and Tobago
. Known only from a few locations in southern Trinidad
, the species was first collected by Julius Boos in 1977. After determining that it was new to science, the species was described by Jacqueline Anne Panter in 1981 and named for its discoverer.
Although Aristolochia boosii is not listed in the IUCN Red List
, the authors of a recent assessment of the endemic plant species of Trinidad and Tobago considered it endangered
because it is only known from three locality, and this area is shrinking or experiencing habitat degradation.
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
in the Aristolochiaceae
Aristolochiaceae
The Aristolochiaceae, or the Birthwort family, are a family of flowering plants with 7 genera and about 400 species belonging to the order Piperales...
plant family which is endemic to Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. Known only from a few locations in southern Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, the species was first collected by Julius Boos in 1977. After determining that it was new to science, the species was described by Jacqueline Anne Panter in 1981 and named for its discoverer.
Although Aristolochia boosii is not listed in the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
, the authors of a recent assessment of the endemic plant species of Trinidad and Tobago considered it endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
because it is only known from three locality, and this area is shrinking or experiencing habitat degradation.