Elaphoglossum serpens
Encyclopedia
Elaphoglossum serpens is a rare species of fern
that grows only on Cerro de Punta
, the highest mountain in Puerto Rico
. The fern grows at one location, where there are 22 known specimens. It was federally listed as an endangered species
of the United States in 1993.
The fern was described in 1947 from specimens found at Monte Jayuya
. This habitat was cleared for construction and the plant was extirpated
. It was later located on Cerro de Punta. This fern is an epiphyte
which grows on the trunks of the tree species Lyonia rubiginosa var. stahlii. There are only six trees that together host the 22 ferns. This mountain summit is coveted for its ideal location for communications facilities and construction of these facilities has led to destruction of part of the forest there.
This fern produces a few fronds of two different types. The sterile frond is up to 19 centimeters long with a blade at the end measuring up to 8 centimeters long by 3.5 wide. The fertile frond is up to 18 centimeters long and has a smaller blade, up to 4 centimeters long and only about a centimeter wide.
The fern grows on mossy tree trunks in the elfin forest
on the highest peak on the island of Puerto Rico. This cloud forest
has a short, dense canopy no more than about 7 meters tall. It is very wet, windy, and has saturated soils poor in nutrients.
Because this plant is known from only one location, habitat destruction or disturbance in that area could result in the extinction
of the species. The mountain peak was strongly impacted by Hurricane Hugo
in 1989. Many permits have been requested by entities interested in building structures in the area, an activity that has caused plant destruction in the past.
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
that grows only on Cerro de Punta
Cerro de Punta
Cerro de Punta or just Cerro Punta is the highest peak in Puerto Rico, raising to above sea level. It is located in the municipality of Ponce.-Location:...
, the highest mountain in 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...
. The fern grows at one location, where there are 22 known specimens. It was federally listed 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 the United States in 1993.
The fern was described in 1947 from specimens found at Monte Jayuya
Monte Jayuya
Monte Jayuya is the second highest peak of Puerto Rico measuring above sea level. The mountain is located in the Cordillera Central, on the border between the municipalities of Jayuya and Ponce....
. This habitat was cleared for construction and the plant was extirpated
Local extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
. It was later located on Cerro de Punta. This fern is an epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
which grows on the trunks of the tree species Lyonia rubiginosa var. stahlii. There are only six trees that together host the 22 ferns. This mountain summit is coveted for its ideal location for communications facilities and construction of these facilities has led to destruction of part of the forest there.
This fern produces a few fronds of two different types. The sterile frond is up to 19 centimeters long with a blade at the end measuring up to 8 centimeters long by 3.5 wide. The fertile frond is up to 18 centimeters long and has a smaller blade, up to 4 centimeters long and only about a centimeter wide.
The fern grows on mossy tree trunks in the elfin forest
Elfin forest
-Residential community:Elfin Forest is an unincorporated residential community of San Diego County in the foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains. The quiet grouping of homes is southwest of Escondido and according to the USGS it is located at in the Escondido zip code of 92029...
on the highest peak on the island of Puerto Rico. This cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
has a short, dense canopy no more than about 7 meters tall. It is very wet, windy, and has saturated soils poor in nutrients.
Because this plant is known from only one location, habitat destruction or disturbance in that area could result in the 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...
of the species. The mountain peak was strongly impacted by 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. Many permits have been requested by entities interested in building structures in the area, an activity that has caused plant destruction in the past.