By Alexandra Lishansky | Communications Assistant
Magnolia rzedowskiana, Magnolia pedrazae
The Magnolia rzedowskiana and Magnolia pedrazae are micro-endemic to the Sierra Gorda Mountain Range and critically endangered. 90% of their global population can be found in our private nature reserves.
These two specieswere discovered thanks to the photography of Roberto Pedraza Ruiz, Head of the Lands for Conservation Program. If not for our network of private nature reserves and your donations, the Magnolia rzedowskiana and Magnolia pedrazae would have disappeared before we had even realized that they exist.
Discovery of the Magnolia rzedowskiana and the Magnolia pedrazae:
For Roberto Pedraza Ruiz, photography has been an essential tool for documenting the biological wealth of the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve and communicating the imperative to protect it. Occasionally, it has also served to identify new species.
In 2013, Roberto uploaded photographs of a local species of magnolias to the ARKive project, an online “Ark” that contains images of endangered species. Dr. José Antonio Vázquez, a botanist from the Universidad de Guadalajara, found these images and, because something about the magnolias seemed strange to him, requested more photographs. Roberto made several trips to photograph the magnolias’ flowers and fruits, and after a long process, it was determined that the magnolias were, in fact, two new species!
In 2015, Dr. Vázquez named one of the two new species Magnolia rzedowskiana in honor of Dr. Jerzy Rzedowski, Mexico’s preeminent botanist, and the second Magnolia pedrazae, in honor of Roberto Pedraza Ruiz.
About Magnolias:
Magnolias are extremely special trees. They are an ancient genus, living fossils, and the first flowering plants on Earth. Because they appeared before bees did, their flowers are theorized to have evolved to encourage pollination by beetles. They have survived many geological events, including ice ages, mountain formation, and continental drift, all of which have determined their distribution on the planet.
Thank you for helping us protect these unique magnolia species. We are all extremely grateful for your continued support.
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