From his recent trip to the East, Eldis brings news of two melastomes that were considered lost. This large botanical family has species that are exclusive from Cuba with the urgent need to be found. An unexplored site found during this trip was a treat for Planta!’s team! on their last day in the field.
Date: 28/05/2019
Project: Lost melastomes of the Cuban flora.
One more time in eastern Cuba, the biggest house of my favorite plants, the melastomes. We are following the trail of five threatened species very hard to find. These are: Miconia rosmarinifolia, Miconia grandibracteata, Miconia victorinii, Miconia omissa and Miconia scaberrima, which was last collected 34 years ago. Nothing could be more challenging for two «treasure hunters» like my partner Luis Manuel (Luisma), a 5th year biology student, and myself.
Our first destination, the Natural Reserve «Pinares de Montecristo» is 700 to 890 meters above the sea level. Pine forests and thickets turn this place into a rich sample of the native Cuban flora. However, the most important areas are the rare pine forests on bare limestones -the so-called dog tooth-, unique in the country at that altitude.
Upon arriving at the hostel, Aysel receives us, a specialist and friend, whom you already know from my trip to Cupeyal del Norte. The building is surrounded by thyme (Thymus vulgaris), an aromatic species, native to the Mediterranean, slightly cultivated in Cuba. It is surprising to find the taste and smell of the world in a place where almost every plant is exclusive to this Caribbean island.
For two days we checked the roads crossing the area. When we entered the pine forest, we discovered that the ground was full of cavities, some of them as big as caves. These cavities are very difficult to see because they are covered with pine branches and dry leaves, becoming real traps. We suffered a few falls, but none of them serious. An interesting fact is that, due to the risk involved, the pine forest remains in excellent condition. Loggers do not dare to cut wood in this place since they do not know how to remove it later.
Around noon, Luisma found the first plant of Miconia scaberrima on a side of the road, almost imperceptible among the other bushes. To reaffirm the success of our trip, we also found a Miconia collected in the previous expedition to Cupeyal del Norte, a species possibly new to science.
We left the pine forest that grows on laterite soil, and once the limestone appeared everything changed drastically. A splendid forest with a very diverse vegetation opened up before us. Several of its species are threatened in some degree. The higher parts of the forest were covered by smaller bushes growing on bare stones. It was here where we finally found Miconia grandibracteata and also another population of Miconia scaberrima.
No matter how much we searched, we could not find the specific place where the other three melastomes were reported. However, an unexplored site, new to the eyes of Planta!, revealed before us. You could not ask for more.
Mucaral is a locality of the National Park Alejandro de Humboldt where the vegetation grows on limestone. According to Aysel García, this site had never been explored by botanists. We were very excited to spent our last day in the field exploring it.
What we found at Mucaral surpassed our expectations. Not only we were able to find a new subpopulation of Miconia scaberrima, but we also located two other threatened melastomes: Miconia heterophylla and Miconia discolorata.
Like almost every time we go on expedition we travelled with numerous requests from our conservation colleagues. Which is why I am happy to announce the discovery at Mucaral of several plants of a new species of Phyllanthus, currently investigated by Banessa Falcón. We also discovered a palm of the genus Coccothrinax still pending for identification, but according to Raúl Verdecia, a specialist in these plants, it belongs to a group that has been poorly collected and studied.
For these valuable species every plant found is a step forward to their conservation. From the “lost” melastomes that started our search, I can assure you that 2 out of 5 is not a bad balance. In this endless endeavor, success only comes step by step.
by Alejandro Palmarola
A Project from the Madagascar Plant Specialist Group was funded by Planta! as part of the SSC – Internal Grant since January 2020. The Project aims to create an action plan to preserve Critically Endangered regional plants.
by Alina Cuza
Published in 2013 in Bissea, “The top 50 most threatened plants of Cuba” has inspired conservation actions across Cuba. It has been a call for conservationists, local communities, and stakeholders, gathered by the common interest of protecting the unique flora of Cuba.
by Maritza Deroncelé
Maritza Deroncelé is a psychologist turned into a conservationist. Currently the Natural Reserve “El Retiro” manager, she tells us how her work preserving the Aguacate cimarron, changed her life.
