New Publication - New Tree Species from Centinela Highlights Urgency of Conservation
A new species of canopy tree, Phragmotheca centinelensis, has been described from the endangered cloud forests of western Ecuador in a study co-authored by Harvard University Herbaria postdoctoral fellow Dawson White, along with colleagues from the Universidad de Las Américas, the Herbario Nacional del Ecuador, the Field Museum, and the University of Wisconsin. The species is one of many recently discovered in Centinela — a small, highly deforested region of cloud forests known for its rich biodiversity. Through collaborative botanical surveys, Dr. White and his colleagues are using these discoveries to guide urgent conservation and reforestation efforts.
Abstract
During floristic inventories in remnant cloud forests of the Centinela Ridge of the Chocó Region of Ecuador, where less than 7 km2 of forest patches remain across an area of approximately 500 km2, we recently collected a new species in the genus Phragmotheca Cuatrec. We describe and illustrate this new species and contrast its morphology with known congeneric species. Due to its small range, threatened habitat and active targeting by loggers, this species is assessed as Endangered under IUCN Criterion B1B2ab (I,ii,iii,v).
Guevara-Andino JE, White DM, Pitman NCA, Cerón J-C, Fernández A, Navas-Muñoz D, Alverson WS (2025) Phragmotheca centinelensis (Malvaceae, Malvoideae or Matisioideae), a newly-discovered, endangered canopy tree species from a cloud forest in Pacific Ecuador. PhytoKeys 254: 41-59. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.254.143106