Columnea capillosa
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Columnea capillosa faces significant pressure from deforestation and habitat fragmentation across its limited range in Central American cloud forests. Agricultural expansion, particularly coffee cultivation and cattle ranching, continues to reduce the specialized epiphytic habitats this species requires. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the moisture regimes essential for this humidity-dependent plant's survival.
Habitat
This epiphytic plant inhabits humid montane cloud forests, typically growing on tree branches and trunks in the canopy where it benefits from consistent moisture and filtered light. It occurs at elevations between 1,200-2,400 meters in specialized microhabitats that maintain high humidity levels year-round.