Study of the establishment of the endangered Echium acanthocarpum (Boraginaceae) in the Canary Islands Original Research Article

Blue bugloss (Echium acanthocarpum Svent.) is an endangered endemic plant of La Gomera (Canary Islands). Little is known about its autecology. A seedling cohort was monitored to reveal the causes of extreme fluctuations observed in the population. For this purpose we analysed two plots, one in which we removed the litter and other plants (managed plot), leaving only the seedlings of E. acanthocarpum, and a second, control, plot. Seedling mortality in the managed plot was correlated with the available area and with the biovolume of individual plants, but this was not the case in the control plot. There were significantly more seedlings under the canopy of adult plants (influence area) than outside this canopy zone. There was also significantly more germination near to dead plants than live plants. Some management measures for the conservation of E. acanthocarpum are proposed.