Columnea katzensteinii
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Columnea katzensteinii faces significant pressure from habitat destruction as cloud forests in its native range are cleared for agriculture and urban development. The species' restricted distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to localized environmental changes, while climate change threatens to alter the specific moisture and temperature conditions required by this epiphytic plant. Collection pressure for the horticultural trade may also impact wild populations of this attractive flowering species.
Habitat
This epiphytic plant inhabits humid cloud forests and montane rainforests, typically growing on tree branches and trunks in areas with consistent moisture and filtered sunlight. It occurs at elevations between 1,000-2,500 meters in Central American mountain ranges where fog and mist provide the high humidity essential for its survival.