''Nesogenes rotensis'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family

Orobanchaceae Orobanchaceae, the broomrapes, is a family (biology), family of mostly parasitic plants of the order (biology), order Lamiales, with about 90 genus, genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera (e.g., ''Pedicularis'', ''Rhinanthus'', ...

. It 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 Rota, one of the

Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territory and Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States consistin ...

in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. An inhabitant of the

commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

, it was federally listed as 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 ...

of the United States in 2004.USFWS
Determination of endangered status and prudency determination for designation of critical habitat for two plant species from the commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands; final rule.
''Federal Register'' April 8, 2004. This plant has oppositely arranged lance-shaped leaves and white flowers which occur in the leaf axils.USFWS
Final recovery plan for two plants from Rota.
May 3, 2007. It grows on coastal

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

outcrops with several other plants, including nanaso (''Scaevola taccada''), talisai ganu (''Terminalia samoensis''), paodedo (''Hedyotis strigulosa''), and gausali (''Bikkia tetrandra''). Little else is known about the plant. Nesogenes rotensis 1-26-2024

There are two known populations of this plant, which are located at Poña Point and Puntan Fina Atkos on the island of Rota. The former had a total number of 579 individuals in 2001, zero individuals after

Typhoon Pongsona Typhoon Pongsona was the last typhoon of the 2002 Pacific typhoon season, and was the second costliest United States disaster in 2002, only behind Hurricane Lili. The name "Pongsona" was contributed by North Korea for the Pacific tropical cyclon ...

swept the area in 2002, and a total of about 20 individuals, including

seedling A seedling is a young sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed. A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle (embryonic root), the hypocotyl (embry ...

s, in 2005. The second population was discovered in 2005 and had 15 to 20 individuals, including seedlings. The plant is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat due to human activity, including

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, development, and recreation. The small population size makes the species vulnerable to

extinction Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

in the event of a natural disaster, such as a

typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...

References

{{Authority control Orobanchaceae Flora of the Northern Mariana Islands Plants described in 1983 Endemic flora of the Mariana Islands

See also

References