Espeletia argentea

Botanical Description

Espeletia argentea is an evergreen plant with a short or subterranean stem topped by a dense whorl of leaves that are each around 25 - 45cm long and 12 - 20mm wide. It can grow around 30 - 50cm tall with erect flowering branches that can be up to 125cm tall The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of a resin. Although Espeletia argentea has a restricted distribution, it is present in protected areas and there are no significant threats that may be affecting its population. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].