Zelkova sicula

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Zelkova sicula
Zelkova sicula.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Ulmaceae
Genus: Zelkova
Species:
Z. sicula
Binomial name
Zelkova sicula
Di Pasq., Garfì & Quézel [2]

Zelkova sicula is a species of Zelkova in the family Ulmaceae, endemic to Sicily. [3]

Contents

Description

It is a deciduous shrub growing to 2–3 metres (7–10 ft) tall; its natural mature size is unknown, as all existing specimens have been heavily browsed by goats, limiting their growth. The leaves are oval, 10–50 millimetres (0.4–2.0 in) long and 5–35 mm (0.2–1.4 in) wide, with a petiole 1–4 mm (0.04–0.16 in) long; the margins are lobed, with 6–8 lobes on each side. [3] [4]

Conservation

The only known population, found in 1991, consists of 200–250 plants growing on the Monti Iblei area, in Buccheri, in southeast Sicily near Syracuse. This population are all thought to derive from possibly just one clone, or at the most only a very few distinct individuals. Its natural habitat is temperate forests and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. It is threatened by habitat loss. The IUCN list this species as Critically Endangered . [1]

Accessions

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<i>Zelkova</i> Genus of trees

Zelkova is a genus of six species of deciduous trees in the elm family Ulmaceae, native to southern Europe, and southwest and eastern Asia. They vary in size from shrubs to large trees up to 35 m (115 ft) tall. The bark is smooth, dark brown. Unlike the elms, the branchlets are never corky or winged. The leaves are alternate, with serrated margins, and a symmetrical base to the leaf blade. The leaves are in two distinct rows; they have pinnate venation and each vein extends to the leaf margin, where it terminates in a tooth. There are two stipules at each node, though these are caducous, leaving a pair of scars at the leaf base. Zelkova is polygamous. Staminate flowers are clustered in the lower leaf axils of young branchlets; the perianth is campanulate, with four to six lobes, and the stamens are short. Pistillate and hermaphrodite flowers are solitary, or rarely in clusters of two to four, in the upper leaf axils of young branchlets. The fruit is a dry, nut-like drupe with a dorsal keel, produced singly in the leaf axils. The perianth and stigma are persistent.

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References

  1. 1 2 Garfì, G.; Pasta, S.; Fazan, L.; Kozlowski, G. (2017). "Zelkova sicula". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T61678A86134112. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T61678A86134112.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. G. Di Pasquale; G. Garfì & P. Quézel (1992). "Sur la présence d'un Zelkova nouveau en Sicile sud-orientale". Biocosme Mésogéen. 8–9: 401–409.
  3. 1 2 Giuseppe Garfì (2006). "Zelkova sicula". IUCN Top 50 Campaign Mediterranean Island Plants. IUCN. Archived from the original on May 27, 2008.
  4. Keith D. Rushforth (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins. ISBN   0-00-220013-9.