Previous Work 



Detailed information on the native and introduced 

 trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands (both United 

 States and British) is contained in the 2-volume illustrated 

 reference by the authors with Frank H. Wadsworth (12, 

 13, 15) and in publications cited there. The text compiled 

 for each species includes common and scientific names, 

 description (for nearly all), uses, and distribution within 

 these islands and beyond. Presence within public forests 

 and parks is mentioned. 



That reference contains additional information on the 

 rare and local trees not repeated here. The original draw- 

 ings of 133 endemic tree species are the first ever pub- 

 lished for most. This report adopts the same names and 

 for convenience the same species numbers, 1-250 in the 

 first volume and 251-750 in the second. 



The chapter in the second volume (15, p. 15-19) en- 

 titled "Endemic, Rare and Endangered Three Species" 

 serves as a background for this promised, expanded 

 report containing some more recent data. Lists in that 

 volume (75, p. iv-xiv and p. 19) designated the endemic 

 species (E) and those further grouped together as "rare or 

 endangered" (R). 



Endemic tree species of the Luquillo Mountains were 

 listed in a study of the relationships (7). A later study of 

 the trees of the Caribbean National Forest of 28,000 acres 

 (11,300 ha) within the Luquillo Mountains listed 225 

 species of native trees,, more than in any equal area of 

 continental United States (14). Among these species, 88 

 were classed as endemic or rare, 68 of these limited or 

 endemic to Puerto Rico, and 23 of the 68 found wild only 

 within the forest boundaries or slightly beyond. Weaver 

 (28) cited 28 species including 18 trees as endemic to the 

 Luquillo Mountains and found in the dwarf forest. 



Local lists of trees or seed plants of smaller islands 

 have been prepared by the authors (5, 6, 16, 31, 32) and 

 by others. 



"Flora Portoricensis" by Urban (27) and "Botany of 

 Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands" by Britton and 

 Wilson (2) contained plant lists and descriptions and in- 

 formation on ranges and serve as a foundation for later 

 studies. Analyses of geographic distribution of the flora 

 were made by Urban (27, p. 675-689) and by Gleason and 

 Cook (3). Studies of the fossil flora, for example, that of 

 an Oligocene formation by Graham and Jarzen (4), have 

 stressed the importance of time in relation to the present 

 geographic occurrence in space. 



Committee Report 



"Rare and Endangered Plants of Puerto Rico" is a 

 committee report published by the U.S. Department of 

 Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service (23), in coopera- 

 tion with the Department of Natural Resources, Com- 

 monwealth of Puerto Rico. Woodbury and two foresters 

 from the Institute of Tropical Forestry served on this 

 committee. 



The committee report compiled in tabular form the 

 rare and endangered plant species of Puerto Rico (omit- 

 ting the Virgin Islands) totaling 409, including about 189 

 trees. The four parts, with number of tree species in each, 

 were: Endangered Endemic Plants (74 tree species), Rare 

 Endemic Plants (12), Endangered Nonendemic Plants 

 (66), and Rare Nonendemic Plants (37). However, more 

 than half the species listed were not endemic, and threat- 

 ened species were not distinguished. 



Lists of rare and endangered plant species were 

 prepared for 10 public forests and 7 other localities where 

 these species were concentrated. The 7 localities of 

 privately owned lands, mostly small, were: Coamo area 

 (Coamo and east), Playa de Guayanes (Punta Guayanes), 

 Campanulas area (Toa Baja), Lake Tortuguero area, 

 Biafara area (near Arecibo), Monte la Torrecilla, and the 

 Quebradillas area. 



Recommendations for a plan of action included: (I) 

 Reduction of causes of endangerment by: (A) Habitat 

 preservation and management including creation of new 

 sanctuary areas, (B) regulation of plant collecting for or- 

 namental and other uses, (C) curtailment of lumbering 

 and consideration of a plan to replant, and (D) reseeding; 

 (II) information and education; and (III) monitoring and 

 research. 



New sanctuary areas were suggested for: (1) Forests of 

 the Central Mountains and limestone hills; (2) Lake Tor- 

 tuguero and adjacent swamplands; (3) dry forest habitat 

 in the southwest; (4) off-shore islands such as Mona, 

 Culebra, and Vieques; and (5) other specific areas with 

 unique plants, as mapped. 



The recommendation for reseeding included outplant- 

 ing, propagation of very rare species in botanical gardens 

 within these islands, and distribution of seeds to parks 

 and gardens in other parts of the world. Monitoring in- 

 volved surveying and mapping the range of each en- 

 dangered species and watching other rare species for 

 possible decrease in numbers or habitat destruction. 



