Callisthene erythroclada
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Callisthene erythroclada faces severe pressure from agricultural expansion and cattle ranching across the Brazilian Cerrado, where its specialized savanna habitat is being rapidly converted to cropland and pasture. Deforestation rates in the Cerrado have accelerated in recent decades, fragmenting the remaining populations of this endemic tree species. Urban development and infrastructure projects further reduce available habitat, while altered fire regimes disrupt the natural ecological processes this species depends upon for regeneration.
Habitat
This species is endemic to the Brazilian Cerrado, occupying gallery forests and woodland savannas with well-drained soils. It typically grows in transitional zones between dense cerrado vegetation and more open grassland areas, requiring the specific fire and rainfall patterns characteristic of this threatened biome.