Rhaphithamnus venustus

Rhaphithamnus venustus, known locally as Juan Bueno, is a species of plant in the family Verbenaceae. It is endemic to the Juan Fernández Islands, an archipelago west of Chile. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Rhaphithamnus venustus
Rhaphithamnus venustus at the Conservatoire botanique national de Brest, France
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Verbenaceae
Genus: Rhaphithamnus
Species:
R. venustus
Binomial name
Rhaphithamnus venustus
(Phil.) Rob.
Synonyms[2]

Juan Bueno flowers are an important source of nectar for the Juan Fernández firecrown (Sephanoides fernandensis), a hummingbird that is also only found on the Juan Fernández Islands but is almost extinct today. The hummingbird, in turn, may be an important pollinator for the plant.

References

  1. IUCN Red List: Rhaphithamnus venustus entry - World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. IUCN Red List of All Threatened Species. - (Downloaded on 23 August 2007.)
  2. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  3. Phil. ex Miers Trans. Linn. Soc. London 27: 98 1870


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