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Spring/Summer 2012 | Montgomery Botanical Newsâ 3
Pseudophoenix sargentiiâ isâ foundâ inâ manyâ placesâinâtheâCaribbeanâBasin.âInâtheâFloridaâKeysâitâisâ
knownâasâtheâBuccaneerâPalm.âWhereâitâdoesâoccur,âtheâpopulationsâtendâtoâbeâsmall,âwithâonlyâaâfewâpalmsâinâeachâplace.âExpertsâbelieveâtwoâcircumstancesâimperilâtheâspeciesâââtheâpalmâisâvisuallyâstrikingâandâslowâgrowing,âpromptingâremovalâofâmatureâplantsâforâlandscaping.
Monaâ isâ aâ remote,â uninhabitedâ islandâ halfwayâbetweenâPuertoâRicoâandâtheâDominicanâRepublic.âWrit-ersâsometimesâcompareâMonaâtoâtheâGalapagos,âperhapsâfromâtheâvenerableâbeastsâonâboth.âTheâIslandâsâhistoryâincludesâtheâTaĂno,âPonceâdeâLeon,âCaptainâKiddâââandâDr.â N.â L.â Britton.â Brittonâ authoredâ theâ firstâ botanicalâreportâonâMonaâinâ1915.âOverâtheânextâcentury,âreportsâaboutâpalmsâonâMonaâwereâquiteâvaried.âSomeâcountedâtwoâdozenâPseudophoenixâ plants,â someâ claimedâ fewerâââoneâalarmingâpaperâclaimedâonlyâoneâpalmâwasâleft!
Thisârecordâinspiresâstudyâandâconservationâofâtheseâfascinatingâpalms.âTheâInternationalâPalmâSocietyâprovidedâaâveryâgenerousâgrant,âandâwithâthisâsupport,âIâteamedâupâwithâthreeâexperts:âEugenioâSantiagoâ(Uni-versityâofâPuertoâRico),âJoseâSustacheâ(DepartamentoâdeâRecursosâNaturalesâyâAmbientalesâofâPuertoâRico),âandâJavierâFrancisco-Ortegaâ(FIUâandâFTBG).âIâwasâgrate-fulâforâtheseâidealâcolleagues,âwithâexpertiseâonâpalmâconservationâgenetics,âtheâCaribbeanâfloraâandâextensiveâexperienceâonâMona.â
Overâ severalâ daysâ ofâ fieldwork,â weâ thoroughlyâ doc-umentedâ theseâ rareâ palmsâ onâ Monaâ Islandâ ââ weâ tookâspecimens,â detailedâ notesâ andâ photographsâ ââ andâ col-lectedâ seedsâ forâ conservation.â Ourâ findingsâ canâ nowâprovideâdetailedâanswersâtoâbasicâquestionsâaboutâPseudo-phoenixâonâMonaâââhowâmanyâpalmsâgrowâonâtheâisland,âareâ theyâ imperiledâandâwhatâcanâweâdo?âOurâworkâcanâleadâ toâ betterâ understandingâ andâ protectionâ ofâ otherâPseudophoenixâ populationsâ asâ wellâ asâ theseâ intriguingâMonaâIslandâpalms.â
Dr. M. Patrick Griffith, Executive [email protected]
A iving reasure on ona sland
The Mona Ground Iguana is found no other placePatrick measuring a specimen
Eugenio, Jose and Javier with Pseudophoenix sargentii
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