Extinction of vascular plants in Spain

19 May 2014

Aedo, Carlos; Medina, Leopoldo; Barberá, Patricia; Fernández-Albert, Marta

The catalogue of extinct plants in Spain, comprising 27 taxa is updated. We included in this category four plants which had not been previously classified as extinct in Spain: Cyclamen purpurascens, Grammitis quaerenda, Stratiotes aloides and Vallisneria spiralis. We analyze the causes of extinction and explore the possible influence of botanical collections in species loss. The data obtained suggest that habitat loss has been the main cause of extinction and the impact of collecting has been demonstrated to be irrelevant. We list the 21 species that had been designated as extinct in previous catalogues but which have reversed that status, 14 of them having recovered thanks to botanical exploration and collection works.

10.1111/njb.00575