Pereskia quisqueyana

Pereskia quisqueyana
Conservation status
	; Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Genus:	Pereskia
Species:	P. quisqueyana
Binomial name
	Pereskia quisqueyana; E.Ekman

Last updated May 01, 2019

Pereskia quisqueyana, commonly known as the Bayahibe rose, is a species of cactus that is endemic to the Dominican Republic.^[1]P. quisqueyana is one of only several cactus species which possess leaves. Its natural habitat includes subtropical or tropical dry forests that are found on the Southeast coast of Hispaniola; particularly around the town of Bayahibe, its namesake. It is critically endangered due to habitat loss.

A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word "cactus" derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek κάκτος, kaktos, a name originally used by Theophrastus for a spiny plant whose identity is not certain. Cacti occur in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Most cacti live in habitats subject to at least some drought. Many live in extremely dry environments, even being found in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on earth. Cacti show many adaptations to conserve water. Almost all cacti are succulents, meaning they have thickened, fleshy parts adapted to store water. Unlike many other succulents, the stem is the only part of most cacti where this vital process takes place. Most species of cacti have lost true leaves, retaining only spines, which are highly modified leaves. As well as defending against herbivores, spines help prevent water loss by reducing air flow close to the cactus and providing some shade. In the absence of leaves, enlarged stems carry out photosynthesis. Cacti are native to the Americas, ranging from Patagonia in the south to parts of western Canada in the north—except for Rhipsalis baccifera, which also grows in Africa and Sri Lanka.

Endemism is the ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation, country or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. The extreme opposite of endemism is cosmopolitan distribution. An alternative term for a species that is endemic is precinctive, which applies to species that are restricted to a defined geographical area.

The Dominican Republic is a country located in the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands, along with Saint Martin, that are shared by two sovereign states. The Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean nation by area at 48,671 square kilometers (18,792 sq mi), and third by population with approximately 10 million people, of which approximately three million live in the metropolitan area of Santo Domingo, the capital city.

The species was discovered by the French botanist, Henri Alain Liogier, in 1977. He named it quisqueyana, in honor of the Dominican Republic, which is also referred to as Quisqueya . Law 146-11 of the Dominican Republic, established the Bayahibe Rose as the national flower of the country and ensured its protection due to its endangered status.

France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast, Switzerland and Italy to the east, and Andorra and Spain to the south. The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The country's 18 integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres (248,573 sq mi) and a total population of 67.3 million. France, a sovereign state, is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Other major urban areas include Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille and Nice.

Description

P. quisqueyana is a dioecious cactus that resembles a shrub and reaches up to 6 metres (20 ft) in height. Its trunk is surrounded by groups of spines which erupt in bunches. Its succulent leaves are elliptical in shape and are a bright green color. The flower of the P. quisqueyana is pink in color and blooms from the ends of its branches. Its fruits are yellow and contain black seeds.

A shrub or bush is a small- to medium-sized woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple stems and shorter height, and are usually under 6 m (20 ft) tall. Plants of many species may grow either into shrubs or trees, depending on their growing conditions. Small, low shrubs, generally less than 2 m (6.6 ft) tall, such as lavender, periwinkle and most small garden varieties of rose, are often termed "subshrubs".

Related Research Articles

Pereskia, as traditionally circumscribed, is a genus of 17 tropical species and varieties of cacti that do not look much like other types of cacti, having substantial leaves and thin stems. They originate from the region between Brazil and Mexico. Members of this genus are usually referred to as lemon vines, rose cacti or leaf cacti, though the latter also refers to the genus Epiphyllum. The genus is named after Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, a 16th-century French botanist.

Pereskiopsis is a genus of cacti.

San Francisco de Bánica, or simply Bánica, is a municipality of the Elías Piña province, on the border with Haiti and near the Artibonite river. The name Bánica comes from the Taíno name of the region, Banique.

Calyptronoma rivalis is a pinnately compound leaved palm species that is found in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Its common names include palma de manaca and Puerto Rican manac. C. rivalis stems grow singly and reach heights of 4–15 m, with stems 15–30 cm in diameter. It grows in waterlogged areas near the banks of streams; in Hispaniola it occurs less than 450 m above sea level, and Calyptronoma plumeriana replaces it above that elevation.

The rhinoceros iguana is a threatened species of lizard in the family Iguanidae that is primarily found on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, shared by the Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. They vary in length from 60 to 136 centimetres and skin colours range from a steely grey to a dark green and even brown. Their name derives from the bony-plated pseudo-horn or outgrowth which resembles the horn of a rhinoceros on the iguana's snout.

Pereskia grandifolia is a cactus native to the Northeastern Brazil restingas.

The Hispaniolan amazon or Hispaniolan parrot is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is found on Hispaniola, and has been introduced to Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Pereskia aureiflora is a species of cactus that is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and hot deserts. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Pereskia bahiensis is a species of cactus that is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Pereskia stenantha is a species of cactus that is endemic to Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Bayahíbe is a town in the Dominican Republic, located about 10 miles (16 km) east of La Romana on the shore of the Caribbean Sea. Founded as a fishing village in 1874 by Juan Brito and his family, who came from Puerto Rico, the town is now a tourist destination.

Pereskia aculeata is a scrambling shrub in the family Cactaceae. Common names include Barbados gooseberry, blade-apple cactus, leaf cactus, rose cactus, and lemonvine. It is native to tropical America. The leaves and fruits are edible, containing high quantities of protein, iron and other nutrients, and it is a popular vegetable in parts of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais under the name of ora-pro-nóbis.

Escobaria minima is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Nellie cory cactus, Nellie's pincushion cactus, birdfoot cactus, and others. It is a very popular species among cactus collectors. This is one reason why it is a highly endangered species in the wild today. This cactus is found only in Brewster County, Texas, in the United States, where there are three populations remaining near Marathon. The cactus is limited to one outcrop in the Marathon Uplift, where it grows in rocky novaculite soils. It was added to the endangered species list in 1979.

Escobaria sneedii is a rare species of cactus known by the common names Sneed's pincushion cactus and carpet foxtail cactus. It is native to the Chihuahuan Desert, where it occurs in scattered locations in New Mexico, Texas, and Chihuahua. Some plants occurring in Arizona may be included within this species. Botanical authors do not necessarily agree on the circumscription of this species. Most will agree at this point in the research, however, that there are two varieties of Escobaria sneedii, and that both are rare and endangered. The plant is popular with cactus enthusiasts and dealers because of its often petite size and tolerance for moderately cold climates. They have been overharvested from their natural habitat, the main reason why the two varieties, var. sneedii and var. leei, have been federally listed as endangered and threatened, respectively.

Dicerandra christmanii is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names Garrett's mint, yellow scrub balm, and Lake Wales balm. It is endemic to Highlands County, Florida, in the United States, where it is known from only four sites on the Lake Wales Ridge. All are contained within a tract of land measuring 6 kilometers by 3 kilometers. The plant is steadily declining due to the destruction and degradation of its habitat, and only one of the four occurrences is on protected land. It is a federally listed endangered species.

Pereskia bleo is a leafy cactus, native to the shady, moist forests of Central America, that grows to a woody, prickly shrub about 2 m tall with large, orange flowers resembling rose blossoms.

Pilosocereus robinii is a species of cactus known by the common name Key tree-cactus. It is native to the Florida Keys in the United States. It may occur in Cuba, but any populations there are unconfirmed. It has been reported from Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Mexico. It is a rare species which is threatened by the loss of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Sclerocactus wetlandicus is a rare species of cactus known by the common name Uinta Basin hookless cactus. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from the Uinta Basin. It may also be called the Pariette cactus, but this name is more appropriate for Sclerocactus brevispinus, the species endemic to the Pariette Draw of Duchesne County.

Eriosyce chilensis or "Chilenito" is a critically endangered species of cactus from Chile. Found on the coast between Coquimbo and Valparaiso, the plant is one of the world's 100 most threatened species according to the IUCN. Its rarity is primarily due to its small native habitat range and illegal overcollection for the ornamental cactus trade. The cactus as two know varieties, which are similar except that var. chilensis produces red flowers while var. albidiflora produces yellow flowers.

References

↑ PUCMM. "Pereskia Quisqueyana" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2010-09-24.

This Cactaceae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] PUCMM. "Pereskia Quisqueyana" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2010-09-24.

Pereskia quisqueyana

Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Cactaceae
Genus:	Pereskia
Species:	P. quisqueyana
Binomial name
*Pereskia quisqueyana* E.Ekman