Gaussia spirituana is a palm which is endemic to the Sierra de Jatibonico in east-central Cuba.[2]

Gaussia spirituana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Gaussia
Species:
G. spirituana
Binomial name
Gaussia spirituana

Gaussia spirituana stems are whitish, up to 7 metres tall. Stems are 30–35 centimetres in diameter, swollen at the base and tapering upward. Trees have up to ten pinnately compound leaves. Fruit are orange-red, 1 cm in diameter.[3]

The species is considered endangered based on the fact that only 150 individuals are known to exist, and they are fragmented into five subpopulations.[1] They are also threatened by habitat destruction and non-native pathogens.[1]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Moya, C. 1998. Gaussia spirituana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. Downloaded on 08 September 2015.
  2. ^ "Gaussia spirituana". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Archived from the original on 2013-08-02. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  3. ^ Henderson, Andrew; Gloria Galeano; Rodrigo Bernal (1995). Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-08537-4.