Cryptanthus felixii J.A.Siqueira & Leme
Literature references:
Comments:
- Cryptanthus felixii is endemic to the Pernambuco Center and is found in the states of Pernambuco and Alagoas. The type locality in Bonito is an area of extreme biological importance (MMA, 2002; Pernambuco, 2002) and is very rich in plant species. Half of the 217 species found there have not yet been recorded for 22 nearby sites (Rodal et al., 2005). Species richness has most certainly been underestimated, for these authors list only one bromeliad species of the eight given here for the region (see Chapter 4, table I).
Furthermore, the area is suffering from illegal extractivism, especially of orchids, such as the highly valued Phragmipedium sargentianum (L. P Felix, pers. comm). Therefore the creation of a Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN) at Fazendo Muito Tudo is of utmost importance for conservation of local biological diversity. In this context, given the high risk of extractivism, C. felixii should be included on the red list of threatened Brazilian plant species in the category "critically endangered". —See Siqueira & Leme 2007
