Rediscovery of Bouteloua vaneedenii (Gramineae: Chloridoideae): Endemic species from the West Indies

Abstract

Bouteloua vaneedenii is an endemic and extremely rare grass of the West Indies. Very few collections are known, and the most recent collection is from 1922. With the aim of finding the species, a team of Mexican and Cuban agrostologists conducted a field trip and found B. vaneedenii in the same locality where it was collected in 1922 on dry limestone rocks. Although it was stated that B. vaneedenii probably was extinct from Cuba, vigorous populations remain in at least 2 localities in Pastelillo. Further exploration may lead to the discovery of additional populations and the reevaluation of its current conservation status.