Rauvolfia capixabae
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Rauvolfia capixabae faces severe pressure from ongoing deforestation and habitat fragmentation within Brazil's Atlantic Forest, one of the world's most threatened biodiversity hotspots. Urban expansion and agricultural conversion have reduced its native forest habitat to small, isolated fragments. The species' limited distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to local extinctions, while its slow growth rate as a woody plant hampers natural recovery.
Habitat
This endemic Brazilian species inhabits remnant Atlantic Forest fragments in Espírito Santo state, typically growing in humid lowland and montane forest understories. It requires well-preserved forest conditions with stable canopy cover and rich, organic soils characteristic of mature Atlantic Forest ecosystems.