Ceratonia oreothauma

Ceratonia oreothauma is a species of tree native to Oman and Somaliland.

Ceratonia oreothauma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Genus: Ceratonia
Species:
C. oreothauma
Binomial name
Ceratonia oreothauma
Hillc., G.P.Lewis & Verdc.[1]

Description

Ceratonia oreothauma is a small tree with gnarled branches and rough bark which grows up to 8 meters high. It is evergreen, with singly-pinnate leaves bearing up to 20 leaflets.[2]

Ceratonia oreothauma flowers in March and April. Flowers are either purely male or purely female, with minute and sterile primary anthers.[3]

Distribution and habitat

Ceratonia oreothauma has two widely separated populations which are classified as separate subspecies. C. oreothauma ssp. oreothauma is found in a single valley on Jebel Aswad in the eastern Hajar Mountains of Oman between 900 and 2000 meters elevation.[2] C. oreothauma subsp. somalensis occurs in the mountains of Somaliland between 1500 and 1800 meters elevation.[4]

Conservation

The population trend of subspecies oreothauma is not well understood. The eastern portion of its population is in Wadi Siren Nature Reserve. The northwestern portion of the population is not regenerating. The subspecies is considered Vulnerable.[5]

The known populations of subspecies somalensis in Somaliland are very small. Its habitat is unprotected, and is under pressure from human use. The subspecies is considered Endangered.[6]

Systematics

Ceratonia has one other species, Ceratonia siliqua or carob, which is distributed around the Mediterranean. C. oreothauma is morphologically distinct from C. siliqua. In addition the pollen grains of C. oreothauma are slightly smaller than those of C. siliqua and are tricolporate rather than tetracolporate.[4]

References
  1. "Ceratonia oreothauma". GRIN Global. Accessed 12 December 2020.
  2. Lewis, Gwilym. "Plants in Peril". Curtis' Botanical Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 4, November 1985, Pages 380-382. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8748.1985.tb00251.x
  3. Batlle, I. and J. Tous. 1997. Carob tree. Ceratonia siliqua L. Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops. 17. Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gatersleben/International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Rome, Italy.
  4. Hillcoat, D., G. Lewis, and B. Verdcourt. "A New Species of Ceratonia (Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae) from Arabia and the Somali Republic." Kew Bulletin 35, no. 2 (1980): 261-71. Accessed December 4, 2020. doi:10.2307/4114570.
  5. Ghazanfar, S.A. 1998. Ceratonia oreothauma subsp. oreothauma. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 1998: e.T30384A9543470. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T30384A9543470.en. Accessed 27 March 2023.
  6. Thulin, M. 1998. Ceratonia oreothauma subsp. somalensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 1998: e.T32490A9704577. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T32490A9704577.en. Accessed 27 March 2023.
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