Clidemia purpurea
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Clidemia purpurea faces severe pressure from agricultural expansion and urban development throughout its limited range in the Caribbean. Deforestation for coffee plantations and cattle ranching has fragmented its montane forest habitat, while invasive plant species compete for resources in disturbed areas. Climate change poses an additional threat as rising temperatures force this cool-climate specialist to retreat to increasingly restricted high-elevation refugia.
Habitat
This species inhabits montane rainforests and cloud forests at elevations between 800-1,500 meters in the Caribbean islands. It typically grows in the understory of humid, cool forests with consistent moisture and filtered sunlight.