Copper Vernonia (Vernonia ledocteana)
This remarkable highly specialized plant species was endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it was restricted to copper-rich soil.
The species disappeared, together with several other highly specialized species, due to habitat loss by copper mining. [1]
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References:
[1] Michel-Pierre Faucon; Arthur Meersseman; Mylor Ngoy Shutcha; Grégory Mahy; Michel Ngongo Luhembwe; François Malaisse; Pierre Meerts: Copper endemism in the Congolese flora: a database of copper affinity and conservational value of cuprophytes. Plant Ecology and Evolution 143(1): 5-18. 2010
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edited: 21.03.2018