''Magnolia vallartensis'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of ''

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

'' from

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

state in western

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Description

''Magnolia vallartensis'' is a medium-sized tree, growing to about 15 meters tall.

Range and habitat

''Magnolia vallartensis'' is native to a small area of

Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican resort city near the Bahía de Banderas on the Pacific coast of the Mexico, Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalajara ...

and Cabo Corrientes municipalities in the Pacific coastal lowlands of western Jalisco. It grows on the upper edges of

gallery forest A gallery forest is one formed as a corridor along rivers or wetlands, projecting into landscapes that are otherwise only sparsely treed such as savannas, grasslands, or deserts. The gallery forest maintains a more temperate microclimate above th ...

s along streams and rivers, between 100 and 1000 meters elevation. The coastal lowlands are part of the

Jalisco dry forests The Jalisco dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in southwestern Mexico. Geography The Jalisco dry forests occupy the coastal lowlands and foothills of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán states. The ecoregion mostly ...

ecoregion. The species has a very limited range, and its extent of occurrence (EOO) is estimated to be less than 100 km².

Conservation

The species is threatened by

habitat loss 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 ...

from deforestation and conversion of its habitat to agriculture, pasture, and urbanization. Its conservation status is assessed as

Critically Endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

Systematics

''Magnolia vallartensis'' belongs to sect. ''Magnolia''. Other closely related species live in western Mexico, and constitute the ''Magnolia pacifica'' group – ''

Magnolia pacifica ''Magnolia pacifica'' is a species of '' Magnolia'' from Jalisco and Nayarit states in western Mexico. Description ''Magnolia pacifica'' is a medium-sized tree, growing 15 to 25 meters tall, with a trunk up to 40–80 cm in diameter. Range and ...

'' from the seaward-facing mountains of Nayarit and western Jalisco, and '' Magnolia pugana'' from inland canyons and cloud forests in northern Jalisco and southern

Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...

.Vázquez-García, José & Muñiz-Castro, Miguel Angel & Dahua-Machoa, Alex & Osorio-Muñoz, Edson & Hernández-Vera, Gerardo & Ortega-Peña, Alondra Salome & Jacobo-Pereira, César & Romo Campos, Rosa & Roman, Noelia & Shalisko, Viacheslav. (2020). "How to Save Endangered Magnolias?" in ''Population Biology to Conservation Action: The Case of Allopatric Radiation in Western Mexico''. 10.5772/intechopen.94346. ''M. vallartensis'' and ''M. pugana'' are sometimes classed as subspecies of ''M. pacifica''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q81736603 vallartensis Endemic flora of Mexico Trees of Northern America Jalisco dry forests