Researchers discover new details about a tree endemic to Brazil

Researchers from the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute (JBRJ) have made discoveries about a species endemic to Brazil, the Quararibea floribunda (A.St.-Hil. & Naudin) K.Schum., popularly known as virote. The study, recently published in the Nordic Journal of Botany, was led by Carlos Ferreira, José Baumgratz and Massimo Bovini.

The research updated the taxonomy, geographical distribution and conservation status of Q. floribunda, a large tree species that has been little studied and has little knowledge of its biology. The researchers discovered that the species is not exclusive to the Cerrado biome, as previously believed. The known populations in this biome inhabit humid environments, more similar to the vegetation of the Atlantic Forest biome than to the typical dry forests of the Cerrado. The studies confirmed that the virote also occurs in the Atlantic Rainforest.

Another interesting piece of information described by the researchers was the unexpected record of hummingbirds visiting the flowers of the species. According to Carlos, "although this record is unprecedented for the genus(Quararibea), it does not necessarily indicate that hummingbird species are pollinators of the virote. The flowers of Q. floribunda are white, small, smell like bleach and open at dusk, characteristics that usually indicate pollination by sphinxes (moths) and not by hummingbirds. This suggests that these birds are probably sporadic visitors."

The study also recognized the species' conservation status as Vulnerable (VU), due to habitat loss, which occurs especially in the Cerrado, where the species occurs in association with limestone outcrops, which are highly attractive to large mining companies. The authors state that "the loss of the few known populations in this biome (Cerrado) could make it impossible to carry out future ecological and genetic studies, which are essential for understanding the evolutionary history and biology of the species."

For more information, see the full article in the Nordic Journal of Botany.