''Pilgerina'' is a
monotypic
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 "unisp ...
genus of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s belonging to the family
Santalaceae
The Santalaceae, sandalwoods, are a widely distributed family of flowering plants (including small trees, shrubs, perennial plants, perennial herbs, and epiphyte, epiphytic climbersHewson & George t al.'Santalaceae'' taxonomy, 1984, pp. 191-1 ...
. It only contains one known species, ''Pilgerina madagascariensis''.
It is native to
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
,
where it is known as ''sakaimboalavo''.
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Description
''Pilgerina madagascariensis'' is a shrub or small tree. It flowers from October to January, and fruits from November to April.[
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Range and habitat
''Pilgerina madagascariensis'' is distributed widely in Madagascar. There are ten known subpopulations, in the former provinces of Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Toamasina and Toliara. The estimated extent of occurrence
Extent may refer to:
Computing
* Extent (file systems), a contiguous region of computer storage medium reserved for a file
* Extent File System, a discontinued file system implementation named after the contiguous region
* Extent, a chunk of st ...
(EOO) is 224,809 km2, and the estimated area of occupancy
Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while ''surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-dimen ...
(AOO) is 108 km2.[
The species is found in dry, subarid, humid, subhumid, and littoral forests between sea level and 1,499 meters elevation. It grows on sandy, sandstone, and calcareous substrates.
There are 10 known subpopulations of this species. The last recent collection was done in 2012 at Ste Luce (Anosy region).
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Conservation and threats
The species is threatened with 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 ...
, and has a declining population. Seven of the ten populations are now in protected areas
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...
. The three unprotected populations are threatened by continuing deforestation from mining, wildfire, and logging. The species' conservation status is assessed as endangered
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 ...
.[
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Name
The genus name of ''Pilgerina'' is in honour of Robert Knud Friedrich Pilger (1876–1953), a German botanist, who specialised in the study of conifers.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21078421, from2=Q18076077
Santalaceae
Monotypic Santalales genera
Plants described in 2008
Endemic flora of Madagascar
Santalaceae genera