Blakea formicaria
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Blakea formicaria faces severe pressure from deforestation and habitat fragmentation across its limited range in Central American cloud forests. Agricultural expansion, particularly coffee cultivation and cattle ranching, has eliminated much of its specialized montane habitat. The species' narrow altitudinal requirements and dependence on specific microclimatic conditions make it extremely vulnerable to climate change-induced shifts in cloud forest zones.
Habitat
Blakea formicaria is endemic to montane cloud forests at elevations between 1,200-2,400 meters in Central America. It requires the persistent moisture and specific microclimatic conditions found in these fog-shrouded ecosystems, typically growing as an epiphyte or terrestrial shrub in the understory of primary forest.