Ciego de Avila,  August 25 (RHC)-- Environmental specialists from the central Cuban province of Ciego de Avila  are taking action to protect the blue palm, an endangered palm variety discovered last year in that region.

A group of experts from the Botanical Garden of Sancti Spiritus' city discovered the palm in 2018, on the border between that province and Ciego de Avila, which they named Coccothrinax espirituana.

The palm is only located in an area of about 25 kilometers of soils with substrates of serpentine rock, between the two territories of the center of the island, so protecting the area is of great importance to preserve the species.

Coccothrinax espirituana grows wild, reaches a height between three and five meters, has an erect stem and blue-colored leaves; hence, its popular alias of blue palm.

Ciego de Avila specialist Daylon Fundora told reporters that the plant is an endangered species due to the loss of its natural habitat on account of the clearing of the land where it grows.

He pointed out that fruits and seeds were collected in the area, which will be distributed across farms, botanical gardens and other sites to guarantee propagation, to prevent the palm's extinction and ensure its survival.