Endemic to the Dominican Republic and Haiti where it is mainly threatened by habitat loss due to agriculture, logging, fire and tornadoes.
Distribution
Distributed in Hispaniola in Haiti where it occurs in Parc National La Visite and in the Dominican Republic where it is afforded protection in the Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco.
Habitat and Ecology
Forms a shrub or small tree to 15m tall. This species can occur in cloud forests, typically on north-facing slopes with broadleaved species and tree ferns. In the Dominican Republic associated species include: Brunella comocladifolia, Didymopanax tremulus, Garrya fadyenii, Juniperus sp., Magnolia sp. Pinus occidentalis, Rapanea ferruginea and Vaccinium cubense. The substrate can be hard karst limestone (Haiti) or red clayey soils.
Human Uses
No uses have been recorded for this species.
Conservation Status
Global status
Endangered A2ac
Global rationale
Podocarpus buchii is distributed in the island of Hispaniola where it mainly occurs in the Dominican Republic and a small part of Haiti. In both countries it has suffered severe levels of habitat loss due to logging, forest clearance for agricultural and commercial plantations, fire and mining. The most severe habitat degradation and loss of locations is thought to have occurred in Haiti. The severity of loss is estimated as ca 50% over three generations; a generation here is estimated to be between 25–30 years. In both countries there continues to be a decline in habitat quality even in the protected areas where this podocarpus species occurs. As a result of this loss this species has been assessed as Endangered A2ac
Global threats
In Hispaniola the habitat of P. buchii is under continuous threat from habitat loss due to agriculture, logging, fire and tornadoes. In Haiti it is thought that most habitats for this species have either been lost or are severely degraded. In the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park there is relatively good protection but even here there are many threats which include, forest clearance for agriculture, charcoal production (the main cooking fuel in most of Haiti and in some rural areas of the Dominican Republic), forest fires and mining.
Conservation Actions
In Haiti it occurs in La Visite National Park. In the Dominican Republic it is afforded protection in the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park.
References and further reading
Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. and T. Strong, M. (2011). Catalogue of Seeds of the West Indies. Smithsonian Institutions Scholary Press.
Buchholz, J. and Gray, N.E. (1948). A taxonomic revision of Podocarpus II. The American species of Podocarpus: Section Stachycarpus. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 29: 117–151.
de Laubenfels, D. (1985). Taxonomic Revision of Podocarpus. Blumea 30(2): 251–278.
Mill, R.R & Stark Schilling, D. (2010). Typification and nomenclature of Podocarpus angustifolius Griseb.and Podocarpus aristulatus Parl. (Podocarpaceae). Taxon 59(3): 935–956.
Schilling, D.M.S. (2004). Taxonomic studies of Caribbean and Central American species of Podocarpus subgenus Podocarpus. RBG Edinburgh and University of Edinburgh.
Stark Schilling, D. & Mill, R.R. (2010). (1937) Proposal to conserve the name Podocarpus aristulatus (Podocarpaceae) with a conserved type. Taxon 59: 973–975.
Staszkiewicz, J. (1988). A taxonomic revision of the genus Podocarpus from the Greater and Lesser Antilles. Fragmenta Floristica et Geobotanica 23(1-2): 71–105.
Gardner, M. 2013. Podocarpus buchii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 07 September 2015
Zanoni, T.A. (1999) Regional Action Plan: Caribbean Conifers: current status. In: Farjon, A. and Page, C.N. (Editors), Conifers. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Conifer Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. ix + 121 pp.
