Endangered plants. Rare and Endangered Plants

The disappearance of many species of flora often depends on the person and his destructive, as it turns out, activities. Thousands of copies of rare plants will never see humanity. The Red Book is a list of plants and animals, either extinct or on the verge of it. But even despite the existing records, it is impossible to find out exactly how many copies of these or those plants are left in the world.

Disappearing species

Extinct species of plants receive this status and their place in the "black list" after the last copy, documented officially, disappears. Many of the extinct species are known only for their "remains" - prints on stones, evidence in official documents.

One of the most ancient extinct plants is the arhefructus. His remains were discovered in 1998 in the Lower Cretaceous sediments in China.

The whole genus of these plants died out, but their probable descendant or closest relative is considered to be water lilies. Arhefructus also grew in water bodies, but was not completely formed (for example, there were no petals). Scientists believe that this ancient plant is the progenitor of all flowers in modern history.

Extinct species of plants usually belong to the early epochs of nature development. It is worth mentioning Archeopteris - an ancient fern that grew back in the Paleozoic era. It is considered the oldest tree. Also interesting in its structure is the tree-like plant lepidodendron, which existed in the Carboniferous period. His leaves grew straight from the trunk, without petioles, so after the fall of the trunk the trunk remained excised by scars, which made the cortex similar to that of crocodile skin.

Unfortunately, ancient extinct plants are not alone in their lot. Even in the 20th century, it became possible for the flora to disappear from the face of the earth. So, for example, the violet violet of Kriy was irretrievably lost, which grew on limestone soils in the southeast of France. Her death resulted in the unexpected destruction of limestone.

According to 2011 data, 799 species (including the fauna) have completely disappeared, 61 species have ceased to exist in the wild and a huge number is on the verge of extinction. Every year these figures, unfortunately, only grow.

Disappeared in the wild

EW - this status is obtained by plants that survived only in captivity. Usually they grow in botanical gardens or reserves, where their population is closely monitored.

So, for example, Wood's encephaltery, growing on the forest slopes of South Africa, was removed from the wild and placed in botanical gardens in different parts of the world. Due to unfavorable conditions this plant could forever disappear. And all because it is a kind of male plant, that is, it does not multiply in the usual way, but spreads by dividing a single specimen.

Endangered plants are sometimes considered completely extinct from the world, but a miracle happens and someone finds the last specimen. It happened with the Gibraltar Smoothie, which for many years was considered lost to nature. But in 1994, one mountaineer accidentally stumbled upon this flower high in the mountains. To date, this plant lives in the Gibraltar Botanical Garden and in the Royal Garden of London.

Due to the extinction of their only pollinators - bird birds of the sun - the most beautiful flower, called "Beak of a parrot", disappeared. Its inflorescence really resembles a bird's beak, although they have a red-orange color. The birthplace of the flower are the Canary Islands.

Another interesting flower growing now in captivity is the chocolate cosmos. This unusual name was given to a Mexican flower with a vanilla scent.

The cause of the disappearance of many plants is human activity, but the natural elements contribute their sad contribution. So, after the fires in 1978 in Hawaii from the wild nature, the Kokio flower disappeared, which grew only on the trunks of a certain kind of trees.

Species to the point of extinction

CR - this category is critical for all species under threat. Perhaps those plants that are in this category have long been dead, but scientists do not have enough time to make enough research to verify this. In 2011, under the sign of CR, there were 1619 species of plants.

Endangered plants of Russia also entered this category. Such plants as ginseng, adonis spring, yellow water-lily, are on the verge of extinction in our country because of their medicinal properties. Many people, unaware that they are plants from the Red Book, tear them down, thereby ruining the entire population.

One of the most rare plants in the world is the Edelweiss mountain flower. It can be found in the Alps, the Altai and the Caucasus, but for this you need to climb to a height of several thousand meters. The flower, surrounded by legends, having inflorescences in the form of stars, loves solitude, although it is the patron of lovers.

Plants from the Red Book are forbidden to pluck. For example, in Switzerland for such misconduct will have to pay an impressive fine.

Endangered species

EN is a status that is received by species that are at risk of disappearing due to their small number or unfavorable conditions of the surrounding world and habitat.

Since the first human appeared on the planet, the extinction of species of animals and plants began to gain rapid pace. This was connected with agriculture, and with hunting.

Which plants are dying out and which are not, it can be difficult to determine. This is because some habitats of species are simply unknown, it is not possible to establish their exact number.

In the Red Book of Russia there are 652 plant species that are considered to be extinct. Among them are a half-moon, a flat-bottomed snowdrop, a rhododendron fori, a lotus nut -tree , a mountain peony and many others.

Endangered plants in Russia are under protection, however, administrative. But in case of complete extermination of any kind of plant from the Red Book, criminal responsibility will follow.

Vulnerable species

VU - the status of protection of plant species that are at risk of becoming extinct. But there are plants that multiply perfectly in captivity and, in fact, are not under threat. However, scientists tend to leave this status behind them, since there is a probability of a decline in the wildlife population. For example, a predator plant Venus flytrap, which feeds on insects and sometimes mollusks, has the status of VU.

This category of plants has more than five thousand plants, including mosses. For example, cornflower Russian, Scythian duck, bear nut, Tulip Gesner, yew berry , etc.

Species that are dependent on conservation efforts

Since 1994, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has not introduced new plant species into this category. CD is a subcategory that is divided into three branches:

• Dependent on conservation;
• Are close to a vulnerable position;
• A small threat.

The International Red Book contains 252 species belonging to this subcategory. For example, kunonya round-leaved, several species of the eleocarpus, Mexican viburnum, etc.

Endangered plants in this category are almost never returned, since it is almost impossible to restore the population of endangered plants.

Close to vulnerable position

NT-status is assigned to animals and plants that may fall into the group of vulnerabilities in the near future, but at the moment are not subject to any threat. The main criteria for falling into this category are the decline in population and distribution in the world.

In 2011, this status was more than 1200 plants.

Species under the least threat

The LC status is assigned to all other species and plants and animals that are not assigned to any other category. Endangered plants have never been in this category.