Prockia flava


Prockia flava is a species of flowering plant in the family Salicaceae, endemic to Venezuela. The plant was first described by Gustav [Karl Wilhelm Hermann Karsten] in 1863, and has a conservation status of least concern under the IUCN Red List.

Description

Prockia flava is a shrub or tree reaching up to a reported in height, characterized by branches that are supported by a thin trunk, about in diameter, and covered in grayish lenticellate bark. The leaves are, measuring up to long and wide; the shape is ovate, the apex is acute or acuminate, the base is cordate, and the margins are coarsely serrate or crenate. The leaf surface is chartaceous or membranaceous and densely tomentose, and the veins are quintuplinerved, coming in pairs that form an obscure pattern; the petiole is short and, measuring up to long.
The inflorescences occur as racemes that are either or, measuring up to long, including the peduncle; each bears a small number of fragrant flowers, typically yellow or green, sometimes white in color. The stamens are numerous and yellow in color, featuring filaments that measure roughly long, tipped by minute, biloculate anthers. The ovary is subglobose and glabrous, tapering into a slender style, measuring up to long, and topped by a stigma. The fruit is a berry up to in diameter that turns red, purple, or black at maturity; the seeds are small and black in color, measuring about long.

Distribution and habitat

The range of Prockia flava is restricted to Venezuela, primarily within the Capital District and the state of Miranda, but its distribution reportedly extends into the states of Bolívar, La Guaira, and Lara. Historically, Prockia flava was preserved from beyond its current range in Colombia, within the departments of Boyacá and Santander.
Prockia flava is a locally common tropical species recorded from a range of habitats at elevations typically up to, but further up to in historical accounts. The plant favors a variety of environments and is tolerant of disturbance, often spotted growing in secondary vegetation. Mainly found on hilly or premontane terrain, its habitats include deciduous, semi-evergreen, and montane forests, thickets, scrubland, savannas, ravines, and gorges.

Taxonomy

Prockia flava was first described by Gustav Karl [Wilhelm Hermann Karsten] in 1863 as the second addition to its genus. The family that Prockia and this species were placed into was initially ambiguous, either being grouped into Flacourtiaceae under the Cronquist system or Tiliaceae under the Bentham & Hooker system. Later on, these families became defunct because of the APG IV and APG systems respectively, resulting in Prockia being classified under Salicaceae according to modern systems; despite these taxonomic changes, the tribe Prockia is within, Prockieae, has remained with the genus and has not been absent in any of its classifications.

Etymology

The generic name Prockia is in honor of Christian Leberecht von Prøck, a Danish baron. The specific epithet, flava, means "yellow", likely denoting its flowers.

Conservation status

Prockia flava has a conservation status of least concern under the IUCN Red List, primarily due to a lack of apparent fragmentation or population loss, as well as its high ecological tolerance; despite this, its population is suspected to be declining due to threats such as agricultural expansion. Although it is present in certain protected areas like the Caracas Botanical Garden and El Ávila National Park, it is not undergoing any known conservation efforts.