''Azorina'' is a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

of flowering plants within the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Campanulaceae The family Campanulaceae (also bellflower family), of the order Asterales, contains nearly 2400 species in 84 genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and rarely small trees, often with milky sap. Among them are several familiar garden plants bel ...

, whose sole species, ''Azorina vidalii'', the Azores bellflower, is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

. Its fragmented population is made up of fewer than 1000 mature plants limited to the coastlines of several of the islands. It is also the only species in this family native to the Azores.

Description

''Azorina'' is a small perennial shrub about tall, but can reach heights of up to . It has glabrous branches. Leaves are long and wide, glabrous and dark green or reddish-green. The flowers are white or pinkish-pale, up to , and bell-shaped. It forms a capsule with numerous seeds.

Ecology

''Azorina vidalii'' is found in all nine islands of the

. It grows in association with other species tolerant to the

sea breeze A sea breeze or onshore breeze is a wind that blows in the afternoon from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass. By contrast, a land breeze or offshore breeze is a wind that blows in the night from a landmass toward or onto a large ...

, mainly in the crevices of the coastal cliffs, but also in steep slopes with sandy deposits, always in heavily exposed habitats. It also appears in replacement habitats such as roofs and walls. It is planted as an ornamental in some of the native islands and other parts of the world. Its leaves are edible and can be eaten raw.

History

It was first harvested by Watson, along the coast of Santa Cruz on the

Azorean The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two Autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaro ...

island of

Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Administratively, it forms the largest island in the East Nusa Tenggara Province. The area is 14,250 km2. Including Komodo and Rinca islands ...

, during his botanical expedition in 1843.Rúben Coelho (2014), p.17 It was initially designated ''Campanula vidalii'' by Watson and published in 1844. Its ecology has been presented in an inconsistent manner; it has been referred to as adapting to cracks in the sea cliffs, or to deposits, and in abrupt and sandy slopes. ''Azorina vidalii'' was protected by the Bern Convention in 1992 (Annex I) and by the Habitats Directive 140/99 (Diário da República, Anexo 2B), where it was considered a priority species in critical risk; it is an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

due to

habitat degradation Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

, and development.M. Bliz (2011) It diverged from its ancestral descendants around 8.3±1.7 million years ago, associated with its first island of colonization, Santa Maria (Olesen et al., 2012), which formed 8-10 million years ago (Serralheiro & Madeira, 1993). Carine et al. (2004) and Fernández-Palacios et al. (2011) also refer to the existence of submarine mounts, formerly immersed, that functioned as stepping-stones from the continent. At the same time, ''Azorina vidalii'' is not vulnerable to the rise in temperature and prefers the zones along the coast to propagate.

References

Notes

Sources

* {{Taxonbar, from1=Q13054166, from2=Q794040 Campanuloideae Monotypic Campanulaceae genera Endemic flora of the Azores Habitats Directive species