Aristida chaseae
Encyclopedia
Aristida chaseae is a rare species of grass
known by the common name Chase's threeawn. It is endemic to Puerto Rico
, where it is known from two locations in the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge
and the Sierra Bermeja
. It is a federally listed endangered species
of the United States. It cannot compete with introduced species
of grasses, such as Brachiaria subquadripara, which are invading
its habitat.
This is a perennial grass producing a tuft of stems up to half a meter high or a bit taller. Plants occurring in the deep soils of Cabo Rojo tend to be more robust than those growing in the poorer soils of the Sierra Bermeja. Cabo Rojo plants occur in coastal grassland
habitat, and those in the Sierra grow in acidic clay soils with many rocky outcrops. Development of the Sierra Bermeja is a potential threat for the grass and many other endemic plant species.
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
known by the common name Chase's threeawn. It is endemic to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, where it is known from two locations in the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge
Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge
Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge is located on the southwestern side of Puerto Rico in the municipio of Cabo Rojo. It was established in 1974, when 587 acres of land were obtained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from the Central Intelligence Agency which had operated the Caribbean Bureau of...
and the Sierra Bermeja
Sierra Bermeja
Sierra Bermeja is a mountain range in southwestern Puerto Rico. It covers the area from the Laguna Cartegena to the north, to the Caribbean Sea to the south. From the Boqueron Forest to the west, to La Parguera to the east. It consists of a combination of volcanic rocks, completely crossed by...
. It is a federally listed endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
of the United States. It cannot compete with introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
of grasses, such as Brachiaria subquadripara, which are invading
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
its habitat.
This is a perennial grass producing a tuft of stems up to half a meter high or a bit taller. Plants occurring in the deep soils of Cabo Rojo tend to be more robust than those growing in the poorer soils of the Sierra Bermeja. Cabo Rojo plants occur in coastal grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
habitat, and those in the Sierra grow in acidic clay soils with many rocky outcrops. Development of the Sierra Bermeja is a potential threat for the grass and many other endemic plant species.