Guzmania kentii
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Guzmania kentii faces severe pressure from deforestation and habitat conversion in Ecuador's cloud forests, where its epiphytic lifestyle makes it entirely dependent on mature forest canopy structure. Agricultural expansion and logging activities have fragmented its already limited range, while climate change threatens to shift the optimal elevation zones where this bromeliad can survive. The species' slow growth rate and specialized pollination requirements make population recovery particularly challenging once local extinctions occur.
Habitat
Guzmania kentii is an epiphytic bromeliad endemic to the cloud forests of Ecuador, typically found growing on tree branches and trunks in montane rainforest between 1,200-2,000 meters elevation. The species requires the high humidity and consistent moisture provided by cloud forest conditions, making it highly specialized to these threatened Andean ecosystems.
