Barbacenia longiscapa
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Barbacenia longiscapa faces severe pressure from mining activities and quarrying operations that directly destroy its specialized rocky outcrop habitats in the Espinhaço Range. Urban expansion and agricultural conversion of surrounding areas fragment remaining populations, while altered fire regimes disrupt the natural ecological processes this species depends upon. Climate change poses an additional threat by potentially shifting the specific microclimatic conditions required for survival on exposed rock faces.
Habitat
This endemic bromeliad inhabits rocky outcrops and quartzite formations in the Espinhaço Range of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It grows specifically on exposed rock faces and crevices where it forms specialized communities adapted to extreme conditions including intense solar radiation, temperature fluctuations, and periodic drought.