Rosa arabica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rosa arabica | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Rosa |
| Species: | R. arabica |
| Binomial name | |
| Rosa arabica | |
Rosa arabica is a species of rose in the plant family of the Rosaceae, endemic to the Mount Catherine region in the south of the Sinai in Egypt and Jordan.[2] The species is considered critically endangered.[1]
Rosa arabica has light pink to deep rose flowers that range in size between 3.5 and 4.5 centimeters.[3] The leaves are pinnate compound with between 5 and 7 leaflets that are broadly elliptic to elliptic obovate in shape.[3] This shrub grows to a height ranging from half a meter to a meter and a half, with shoots that are typically curved.[3] Rosa arabica flowers in late summer.[1]
Classification
There has been much discussion in recent years regarding the classification of R. arabica and whether it is in fact its own species or part of an already identified and existing species.[3] More specifically, there have been questions about where its placement lies within a phylogenetic tree.[3] The use of molecular distance comparisons (with molecular markers) combined with taxonomy, based on morphology, has allowed researchers to identify R. arabica as being its own species that is closely related to Rosa rubiginosa as well as Rosa canina, which all fall under the section of caninae within the family Rosaceae.[3]
Habitat and distribution
Rosa arabica can be found in a national park named Saint Katherine Protectorate located within Mount Catherine within the South Sinai region of Egypt.[3] It is very specific in the environment it prefers to grow in, favoring very rocky terrain provided by the mountains in Saint Katherine Protectorate.[4] Its preferred altitudinal range is between 1700 and 2350 meters above sea level.[4] This preference has resulted in an increased risk for isolation due to a couple of factors.[5][1] One factor is that at these heights, the surrounding groups of mountains limits seed dispersal for R. arabica.[5] The second factor increasing isolation and limiting population growth is that the plant itself produces very small numbers of seeds.[1] The area that can actually support the growth of the R. arabica is very small, with an extent of occurrence of about 40 km2 and an area of occupancy of 36 km2.[1]