Rhaphithamnus venustus

Rhaphithamnus venustus
Rhaphithamnus venustus at the Conservatoire botanique national de Brest, France in 2015 july
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Verbenaceae
Genus:	Rhaphithamnus
Species:	R. venustus
Binomial name
Rhaphithamnus venustus (Phil.) Rob.
Synonyms[1]
List Citharexylum elegans Phil. ex Miers Citharexylum venustum Phil. Rhaphithamnus coriaceus Miers ex Moldenke nom. inval. Rhaphithamnus elegans Deless. ex Moldenke nom. inval. Rhaphithamnus longiflorus Miers Rhaphithamnus lucidus Gay ex Moldenke nom. inval. Rhaphithamnus serratifolius Miers

Rhaphithamnus venustus, known locally as Juan Bueno, is a species of plant in the Verbenaceae family.

It is endemic to the Juan Fernández Islands, an archipelago west of Chile.

It is threatened by habitat loss.

Juan Bueno flowers are an important source of nectar for the Juan Fernández firecrown (Sephanoides fernandensis), a hummingbird that is also only found on the Juan Fernández Islands but is almost extinct today. The hummingbird, in turn, may be an important pollinator for the plant.

References

1. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved February 5, 2014.

• IUCN Red List: Rhaphithamnus venustus entry - World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998.
• IUCN Red List of All Threatened Species. - (Downloaded on 23 August 2007.)