Open Access

ARTICLE

Floristic and structural characterization of the southernmost natural population of Jubaea chilensis (Molina) Baill. in Chile

Flores S¹, A Promis², L Faúndez³

1 Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales y Recursos Naturales Renovables, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 1004, Santiago, Chile.
2 Departamento de Silvicultura y Conservación de la Naturaleza, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y de la Conservación de la Naturaleza, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 9206, Santiago, Chile.
3 BIOTA Gestión y Consultorías ambientales Ltda., Miguel Claro 1224, Santiago, Chile.

Address correspondence to: Sofía F lores Meza, e-mail:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2016, 85(all), 324-332. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2016.85.324

Abstract

Jubaea chilensis (Molina) Baill. (Chilean palm) is an endemic species in Chile. It has been classified as a vulnerable species because of the reduction and the fragmentation of its population numbers, the exploitation of the palms for the production of syrup, the indiscriminate harvest of seed for human consumption, and the reduction of the accompanying native vegetation cover. The southernmost limit of its natural distribution is located in Palmas de Tapihue (Pencahue, Maule region). The objective of this study was to benchmark the conservation status of this population and its accompanying vegetation. The population of J. chilensis in Tapihue was divided in three areas. The cover of all vascular plants was recorded with 8 plots (16 x 16 m), and the structure of the vegetation was evaluated with 3 plots (50 x 20 m). A total of 35 adult specimens of J. chilensis were found in the population, and a regeneration density of 0.2 seedlings/ ha, values that are lower than those in other populations. Seedlings were only found under the protection of Peumus boldus Molina. There were 75 species found on the accompanying vegetation, of which 58.6% were classified as introduced species and 52.0% corresponded to therophytes. This population in Palmas de Tapihue had a low richness of accompanying species and a higher species richness of introduced and therophytes species than other populations of J. chilensis. We conclude that the J. chilensis population in Palmas de Tapihue and its accompanying vegetation showed a degraded conservation status. Therefore, it should be necessary to develop an active rehabilitation strategy to aid the recovery of this southernmost J. chilensis population and its accompanying vegetation.

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