Eysenhardtia orthocarpa
Encyclopedia
Eysenhardtia orthocarpa is a species of small flowering tree
, (a kidneywood) in the legume family, Fabaceae
. Its range is at the northern region of the Sierra Madre Occidental
cordillera of eastern Sonora
; it is also in central Sonora, with the species ranging into southeast Arizona
and the extreme southwest, bootheel region of New Mexico
, the entire sky island
region at the northern cordillera called Madrean Sky Islands
.
, with the desert extending into southeast Arizona. The species avoids the hotter, and lower elevation desert region west-northwestwards in Arizona; in Sonora it also avoids the hot Gran Desierto de Altar
that lies to the northwest, at the eastern shore of the Sea of Cortez.
range of "kidneywood" from Chihuahua-Coahuila-Nuevo Leon-Tamalulipas south to Hidalgo in the Sierra Madre Oriental
, in the southeast, and to Pacific Coast western Oaxaca
at the south.
On the map, E. orthocarpa is a disjunct
population of the Sonoran-Arizona-New Mexico group. Of note E. Texana (Scheele), lies intersecting the range E. polystachya to the northeast in southeast Chihuahua-Coahuila-Nuevo Leon; there, it is the continuation of the species E. polystachya northeastwards into Texas
, but as the species Eysenhardtia texana
.
The resolution of the three groups are thus orthocarpa in the northwest, texana in the northeast, and polystachya in the rest of central and southern Mexico.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
, (a kidneywood) in the legume family, Fabaceae
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
. Its range is at the northern region of the Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
cordillera of eastern Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
; it is also in central Sonora, with the species ranging into southeast Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and the extreme southwest, bootheel region of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, the entire sky island
Sky island
Sky islands are mountains that are isolated by surrounding lowlands of a dramatically different environment, a situation which, in combination with the altitudinal zonation of ecosystems, has significant implications for natural habitats. Endemism, vertical migration, and relict populations are...
region at the northern cordillera called Madrean Sky Islands
Madrean sky islands
The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine-oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are surrounded at lower elevations by the Sonoran and...
.
Range
The range in central Sonora is the eastern Sonoran DesertSonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
, with the desert extending into southeast Arizona. The species avoids the hotter, and lower elevation desert region west-northwestwards in Arizona; in Sonora it also avoids the hot Gran Desierto de Altar
Gran Desierto de Altar
The Gran Desierto de Altar is one of the major portions of the Sonoran Desert of Mexico, including the only active erg dune region in North America. It extends across much of the northern border of the Gulf of California, reaching more than 100 kilometers east to west, and over 50 km north to...
that lies to the northwest, at the eastern shore of the Sea of Cortez.
Ranges of 3 Mexican species
The range of E. polystachya, (Ortega) Sarg. in Vol. 3, Minor Western Hardwoods, Little, shows the Mexican PlateauMexican Plateau
The Central Mexican Plateau, also known as the Mexican Altiplano or Altiplanicie Mexicana, is a large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico...
range of "kidneywood" from Chihuahua-Coahuila-Nuevo Leon-Tamalulipas south to Hidalgo in the Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico...
, in the southeast, and to Pacific Coast western Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
at the south.
On the map, E. orthocarpa is a disjunct
Disjunct distribution
In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but widely separated from each other geographically...
population of the Sonoran-Arizona-New Mexico group. Of note E. Texana (Scheele), lies intersecting the range E. polystachya to the northeast in southeast Chihuahua-Coahuila-Nuevo Leon; there, it is the continuation of the species E. polystachya northeastwards into Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, but as the species Eysenhardtia texana
Eysenhardtia texana
Eysenhardtia texana, commonly known as Texas Kidneywood, Bee-Brush, or Vara dulce, is a species of small flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae...
.
The resolution of the three groups are thus orthocarpa in the northwest, texana in the northeast, and polystachya in the rest of central and southern Mexico.