Epiphytes of Phoenix canariensis Chabaud (Arecaceae) in five South American locations

Abstract

Phoenix canariensis, endemic tree of the Canary Islands is cultivated as an ornamental in several Latin American countries, anemochoria and Ornithocoria uses the decomposing fibers of the trunk as a substrate to germinate the seeds while it has moisture. Between the years 2017 and 2020, in Mendoza (Argentina), Ibarra, Quito, Riobamba (Ecuador) and Sogamoso (Colombia), epiphytes were photographed in 155 individuals of P. canariensis, in Quito it also became herbal; identification was made through web pages, books and the herbaria QAP, QCNE; the Sorencen Similarity Index. 71 species of epiphytes were recorded, 37 in Sogamoso, 33 Quito, 16 Ibarra, 30 Riobamba and 0 in Mendoza, 62 genders, 36 families, 2 divisions (15 Polypodiophytas, 56 Magnoliophytas), 38 native, 33 introduced, the similarity between the cities in Colombia and Ecuador oscillate between 29.9% and 44.9%, while that with Mendoza 0%; the species shared between four of the five localities are: 5, while three localities are common 7. The Environmental humidity is an important factor for seed germination in the trunks of P. canariensis, as happens in the cities of Ecuador and Colombia, not so in Mendoza - Argentina, whose precipitation is less than 300 mm/year.