Most Endangered Plants – Erakina

There are approximately 391,000 known species of plants across the world and many of the species are among the most endangered plant species. This article aims to raise awareness regarding the endangered plants that are around us. It will help to have conservation measures to preserve the most endangered plants. 

Pitcher Plant

• Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants. They earn the name ‘pitcher’ due to their resemblance with such a substance and vary in different sizes.
• It is one of the endangered plants and is native to the South American rainforests. 
• Owing to their carnivorous nature, the pitcher plants trap preys like insects and smaller animals like mice

Sight of the endangered pitcher plants

Scientific classification of the endangered pitcher plants:

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Nepenthales

Family: Nepenthaceae

Genus: Nepenthes   

Acacia Anegadensis

• The acacia anegadensis is an endangered plant that belongs to the acacia family.
• The endangered plant is native to the British Virgin Islands. Its survival is at stake due to global warming, especially the rise of the sea level in its habitat. 
• The flowers of the plant are the highlights that add to its beauty. The bright yellow-colored flower of the acacia adds serenity to the surroundings.  

Flowers of acacia anegadensis

Scientific classification of acacia anegadensis:

Kingdom: Plantae

Order: Fabales

Family: Fabaceae

Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae

Genus: Vachellia

Species: V. anegadensis

Dionaea Muscipula

• Dionaea muscipula is another endangered plant that can be found widely across Hawaii. 
• It is another carnivorous plant that usually preys on various kinds of insects. 
• The plant is popularly called, “Venus flytrap” and is widely found across the US.
• The endangered plant species have their ideal habitat in the wetlands and swamps that are on the verge of decay due to certain natural causes.  

An insect on the edge of dionaea muscipula

Scientific classification of Dionaea Muscipula:

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade: Angiosperms / Eudicots / Tracheophytes

Order: Caryophyllales

Family: Droseraceae

Genus: Dionaea

Species: D. muscipula

Corpse Flower

• The corpse flower is a big plant that can grow up to 16 feet in width and 20 feet in length. Some specimens of this endangered plant can weigh hundreds of pounds. 
• This endangered plant despite its weird name is pretty distinctive in nature emitting a strong smell like that of decomposition. 
• The flower of the plant blooms irregularly, say once in a decade owing to a lower pollination rate. It adds rarity to the flower and gradual declination of the plant due to erratic climate changes. 

Corpse flower is an endangered plant species

Scientific classification of Corpse Flower:

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade: Angiosperms / Tracheophytes / Monocots

Order: Alismatales

Family: Araceae

Genus: Amorphophallus

Species: A. titanium

Jellyfish Tree

• The jellyfish trees are grown in Seychelles off the East African coast and are quite rare in the scenario. Due to their rarity, they are often seemed to be extinct and are categorized as endangered plant species. 
• The jellyfish tree gets its name due to its fruit that looks like the jellyfish. 
• The seeds of this endangered plant do not germinate in the natural habitat. 
• The endangered plant requires preservation through artificial germination to survive in the current scenario. 

Jellyfish tree, an endangered plant species

Scientific classification of Jellyfish Tree:

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade: Angiosperms / Eudicots / Tracheophytes / Rosids

Order: Malpighiales

Family: Ochnaceae

Subfamily: Medusagynoideae

Genus: Medusagyne   

Species: M. oppositifolia

Wollemia Nobilis

• Wollmia Nobilis or Wollemi pine is probably the oldest plant on the list. The plant species is existing on the earth for over 90 million years and is native to Sydney, Australia. 
• The plant can grow up to 40 meters and there are more than 80 species of the plant on the earth. 
• The plant is quite exotic and has a huge demand in the market owing to the desire of the collectors to have such a specimen. So the plant runs the risk of extinction and makes to the list of the endangered plant species. 

The oldest endangered plant species

Scientific classification of Wollemia Nobilis:

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade: Tracheophytes

Division: Pinophyta

Class: Pinopsida

Order: Pinales

Family: Araucariaceae

Genus: Wollemia

Species: W. nobilis

These are some of the endangered plants that the earth is required to protect or else the specimens are on the verge of extinction. It is our responsibility to conserve these endangered plant species for the future. 

 Shuvendu Modak

17.01.22