Avelara, a species extinct in the wild but preserved in the UC Botanical Garden
Avellara fistulosa is an endemic plant typically found in reed beds and wetlands of the western region of the Iberian Peninsula. Although it is listed as "critically endangered" in the wild in Portugal, it can be observed at the UC Botanical Garden.
We would expect to find the Avellara fistulosa in the Ria de Aveiro and the Sado estuary. However, the last sighting of this species was in 1991, and it has since been classified as critically endangered in Portugal. It is the 'rarest plant in the collection' of the Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra (JBUC). Named Avellara fistulosa in honour of JBUC's second director, Avelar Brotero, it thrives in the garden's pond and greenhouse.
Commonly known as avelara, it is a "quite peculiar species from an evolutionary point of view," explains JBUC botanist and researcher João Farminhão. "It is the only representative of its botanical genus and evolved separately from its closest relatives 12 million years ago." A member of the dandelion or marigold family, the avelara "has the unique characteristic of being an aquatic plant', he adds.
Find out more at www.uc.pt/jardimbotanico/