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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

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Jennifer Possley

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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Calyptranthes thomasiana

Family:	Myrtaceae
Common Name:	Thomas' lidflower
Author:	Berg
Growth Habit:	Tree, Shrub
CPC Number:	698

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

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Photographer: Jennifer Possley
jpossley[at]fairchildgarden.org
Image Owner: Fairchild Tropical Garden

Calyptranthes thomasiana is Not Sponsored

Primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants is:

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Calyptranthes thomasiana

Calyptranthes thomasiana is a small evergreen shrubby-tree that may reach up to ten meters in height (Vivali and Woodbury 1981, USFWS 1997). The species is currently known from three locations: the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico, St. John, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands (Center for Plant Conservation 1992). Habitat loss, coupled with inherent rarity, are the primary threats to Calyptranthes thomasiana. In February of 1994, the species was determined to be endangered (USFWS 1994).

Distribution & Occurrence

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State Range

Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands

Habitat

Calyptranthes thomasiana grows in the moist montane forest types of Vieques Island and ST. John , U.S. Virgin Islands. The long, narrow island of Vieques is 7 miles southeast of Puerto Rico. Calyptranthes thomasiana can be found at the islands highest elevation, 300 meters, in the moist deciduous inner hills and slopes (USFWS 1997). Up to one half of the species located in this region are deciduous and include epiphytic orchids, vines and bromeliads (USFWS 1997).

The soils of St. John are volcanic in origin; the dominant soil is type is a clay loam (Woodbury and Weaver 1987). Here, Calyptranthes thomasiana is also found at the highest elevation, about 380 meters, in the upland moist forest type (Ewel and Whitmore 1973, USFWS 1997). Unlike the site at Vieques Island, epiphytes and vines are rarer.

Species that are associated with Calyptranthes thomasiana on Vieques Island are the common Coccothrynax argentea. Other native species include Trichilia hirta, Citharexlum fruticosum, Eugenia fragans, Eugenia sessiliflora, Palicourea domingensis, Licaria triandra, Nectandra coriacea, Maytenus elliptica, Maytenus cymosa and Miconia laevigata (USFWS 1997).

In St. John, Calyptranthes thomasiana shares the lower strata of the forest with Ilex urbanii, Myrcia citrifolia, Guettarda scarba, Clusia rosea, Psidium amplexicaule, and Acacia muricata (USFWS 1997).

Distribution

Calyptranthes thomasiana was first described in 1855 from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. It is currently known from three sites, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands and Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands (Center for Plant Conservation 1992, USFWS 1997).

Number Left

Less than 250 individuals are known from three sites (USFWS 1997).

Protection

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Global Rank:	G1	5/23/1984	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	LE	10/24/1996	Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	Yes	9/30/1997

State/Area Protection

State/Area	Rank	Status	Date
Puerto Rico	S1		6/11/1985
Virgin Islands	*FR83		2/14/1984

Conservation, Ecology & Research

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Ecological Relationships

Ecological relationships are essentially unknown.

Threats

Habitat loss in tandem with inherent rarity and limited distribution are the primary threats to Calyptranthes thomasiana's survival. On Vieques Island, Calyptranthes thomasiana is found in a conservation zone owned by the U.S. Navy. But change in this area's status or expansion of Navy facilities would eliminate this species (USFWS 1997). Environmental stochasticity, such as hurricanes pose further threats (USFWS 1997).
On St. John Island, individuals are in the National Park, but are nevertheless threatened by feral donkeys, goats and pigs that uproot seedlings (USFWS 1997).

Current Research Summary

Plants have been cultivated at Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami, Florida (Center for Plant Conservation 1992).

Current Management Summary

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1997) management objective is to protect known populations, establish and develop a management plan.

Research Management Needs

The primary management goal set forth by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1997) is to develop a management plan for species protection in cooperation with the U.S. Navy and Park Service. A subset of this goal is to monitor existing populations and to establish new ones. Vital ingredients for management include understanding general life history traits, such as habitat, germination and seedling requirements as well as general reproductive biology (USFWS 1997).

Ex Situ Needs

References

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Books (Single Authors)

Little, E.L., Jr.; Woodbury, R.O.; Wadsworth, F.H. 1974. Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands: Agriculture Handbook No. 449. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.

Electronic Sources

FCONSERVE. (2002). Threatened and endangered species in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico's Conservation Foundation. http://www.tld.net/users/fconserv/List.htm. Accessed: 2002.

Journal Articles

USFWS. 1994. Determination of endangered status for the plants Myrcia paganii and Calyptranthes thomasiana. Federal Register. 59, 34: 8138-8141.

Personal Communications

Kraus, F. 3/19/92, 1992. Information on CPC species of interest. Letter sent to Peggy Olwell, Center for Plant Conservation, St. Louis, MO on 3/19/92. Letter to Olwell, P.

Reports

CPC. 1992. Report on rare plants of Puerto Rico. St. Louis Missouri: Center for Plant Conservation, Missouri Botanical Garden.

Ewel, J.S.; Whitmore, J.L. 1973. Ecological life zones of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. USDA Forest Serv. Res. Paper ITF-18.

USFWS. 1997. Calyptranthes thomasiana Recovery Plan. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. p.17.

Vivaldi, J.L.; Woodbury, R.O. 1981. Status report on Tilladsia lineatispica. Atlanta, Georgia: Unpublished report submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Woodbury, R.O.; Weaver, P.L. 1987. The vegetation of St. John and Hassel Island. U.S. virgin Islands, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Southeast Regional Office, research/Resources Management Report SER-83. p.103.

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This profile was updated on 3/4/2010