Asteraceae FAMILY Endangered

Espeletia tunjana

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Espeletia tunjana is an evergreen perennial plant with a short stem up to 30cm tall topped by a rosette of leaves. It produces several, erect, branched flowering stems that can be 100cm or more tall. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, resin and source of materials Most of the population of.Espeletia tunjana is found in small isolated subpopulations, with little or no exchange of individuals among themselves, so the population is considered to be severely fragmented. In addition, there is a continuous decrease in the quality and extent of the habitat, due to the expansion of the agricultural activity. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' 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. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeNorthwest S. America - Colombia

HabitatThis species occurs in ecosystems of páramo, subparamo and paramized areas of high Andean forest, in a dry to humid climate, occasionally in sandy soils and in grasslands[ 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. ].