Catesbaea melanocarpa
Encyclopedia
Catesbaea melanocarpa is a rare species of flowering plant in the coffee family
known by the common name tropical lilythorn. It is native to five Caribbean
islands: Puerto Rico
, St. Croix
in the United States Virgin Islands
, Antigua
, Barbuda
, and one island in Guadeloupe
. The plant is threatened by habitat loss.
This is a shrub
which can reach three meters in height, its spreading branches lined with spines
up to two centimeters long. Between the spines are clusters of green leaves with blades up to 2.5 centimeters long by 1.5 wide. Flowers are solitary or grow in pairs from the leaf axils. The funnel-shaped white corolla of the flower is about a centimeter long. The fruit is round and black in color.
This plant was first discovered on Antigua. The original specimens were kept in an herbarium
in Berlin
until they were destroyed in a bombing during World War II. Today the plant is reportedly rare in Antigua and its abundance and distribution in Barbuda and Guadeloupe is not well known. There is a single remaining wild specimen in highly disturbed, privately owned land in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
; approximately 100 plants remain on St. Croix. Its rarity in these insular area
s of the United States prompted its listing as an endangered species
of that country in 1999. It has a high risk of extinction
because of its low numbers and the threats that still remain. The main threats are habitat destruction during development of residential areas and tourist destinations, fires, and any single severe event that could destroy large sections of the remaining populations, such as a hurricane. For example, the plant was difficult to locate after Hurricane Hugo
in 1989.
In the insular areas, the plant occurs in subtropical dry forests
, which are relatively dry compared to other habitat types on the islands, receiving up to 40 inches (100 centimeters) of rain yearly.
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...
known by the common name tropical lilythorn. It is native to five Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
islands: Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, St. Croix
Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Croix is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Formerly the Danish West Indies, they were sold to the United States by Denmark in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies of...
in the United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
, Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
, Barbuda
Barbuda
Barbuda is an island in the Eastern Caribbean, and forms part of the state of Antigua and Barbuda. It has a population of about 1,500, most of whom live in the town of Codrington.-Location:...
, and one island in Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
. The plant is threatened by habitat loss.
This is a shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
which can reach three meters in height, its spreading branches lined with spines
Thorns, spines, and prickles
In botanical morphology, thorns, spines, and prickles are hard structures with sharp, or at least pointed, ends. In spite of this common feature, they differ in their growth and development on the plant; they are modified versions of different plant organs, stems, stipules, leaf veins, or hairs...
up to two centimeters long. Between the spines are clusters of green leaves with blades up to 2.5 centimeters long by 1.5 wide. Flowers are solitary or grow in pairs from the leaf axils. The funnel-shaped white corolla of the flower is about a centimeter long. The fruit is round and black in color.
This plant was first discovered on Antigua. The original specimens were kept in an herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
until they were destroyed in a bombing during World War II. Today the plant is reportedly rare in Antigua and its abundance and distribution in Barbuda and Guadeloupe is not well known. There is a single remaining wild specimen in highly disturbed, privately owned land in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo is a municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area....
; approximately 100 plants remain on St. Croix. Its rarity in these insular area
Insular area
An insular area is a United States territory, that is neither a part of one of the fifty U.S. states nor the District of Columbia, the federal district of the United States...
s of the United States prompted its listing as an endangered species
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...
of that country in 1999. It has a high risk of extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
because of its low numbers and the threats that still remain. The main threats are habitat destruction during development of residential areas and tourist destinations, fires, and any single severe event that could destroy large sections of the remaining populations, such as a hurricane. For example, the plant was difficult to locate after Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
in 1989.
In the insular areas, the plant occurs in subtropical dry forests
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest biome, also known as tropical dry forest, is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive several hundred centimeters of rain per year, they have long dry seasons...
, which are relatively dry compared to other habitat types on the islands, receiving up to 40 inches (100 centimeters) of rain yearly.