Drone video of Pseudophoenix vinifera habitat, Dominican Republic

[GMann]

Another drone video from my recent trip to the Dominican Republic. This is the natural habitat of Pseudophoenix vinifera, just outside the town of Azua. This location was visited by the IPA group trip back in 2006. But it was much more green at that time due to the season. The closest palm to the road that many of you took photos of has died. But there were many others that I was able to reach with the drone up on the hill. Looking on Google Maps I can now see with hindsight that just beyond the hill there were many more palms in a valley that I did not capture with the drone, I am a little annoyed that I did not realize that at the time. But this was the last day of the trip and all my memory cards were full of amazing footage and so I was a little scared of losing the drone and with it one of the precious memory cards so I was purposefully not flying it too far away from me. Nevertheless I still think I got some pretty good footage of the habitat. What the video does not quite capture is that the habitat stretches on quite a way with may more specimens beyond the hill.
 

 

Thanks again to Leonel Mera for bringing us to the spot.

[akamu]

Great video  and it is Amazing how good these look growing in the wild. Thanks for sharing with us

[pietropuccio]

Many thanks for this very interesting video. Only adult plants are seen, are there regeneration problems?

[GMann]

18 hours ago, pietropuccio said:

Many thanks for this very interesting video. Only adult plants are seen, are there regeneration problems?

Yes, apparently there are goats that eat up all the seeds, though we did not see any. I think there has also been encroachment of agriculture in the area too. I don't think that field was there in 2006 (at minute 2:00 in the video), at least from the photos I have seen it looks like it was all wild back then, I did not go on that trip. 

Thankfully this is not the only vinifera habitat in DR. There is another one near the town of Jimani (far inland, near the Haitian border). Leonel explained that in that location there are many juvenile palms growing as well.

According to Palmpedia, vinifera also grows in 2 locations in Haiti as well.

[aztropic]

2 hours ago, GMann said:

Yes, apparently there are goats that eat up all the seeds, though we did not see any. I think there has also been encroachment of agriculture in the area too. I don't think that field was there in 2006 (at minute 2:00 in the video), at least from the photos I have seen it looks like it was all wild back then, I did not go on that trip.

100% correct. The farm was NOT there in 2006. Unfortunately,even back then,there were no juvenile vinifera palms at this location.While scouting for seeds on this trip,I noticed dried red skins from the seeds under each tree,but only found 1 viable seed after visiting a few trees.There was a big bird? nest built in the canopy of one of these trees so maybe they like to eat these seeds too.

This population is definitely in decline.Here is a pic of the tree that everyone posed by in 2006.RIP

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

Edited March 5, 2020 by aztropic

[aztropic]

Here is a pic of somebodys house in the vinifera fronds.Apparently,it wanted to be close to the food source.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[jimmyt]

@GMann  Nice flying and great video!  Thanks for getting to look at the "lost" colony of Pseudophoenix.

[hbernstein]

Ooh la la!

[pietropuccio]

@GMann

Thanks for the reply.

[TomJ]

Thank you...

[Kris]

Nice video,Thanks.

Love,

Kris.

[Yunder Wækraus]

Great footage and fantastic trees!