Markea epifita
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Markea epifita faces significant pressure from deforestation and habitat fragmentation across its Central American range, particularly affecting the cloud forest ecosystems where it grows as an epiphyte. Agricultural expansion and logging activities have reduced the availability of suitable host trees and altered the microclimate conditions essential for this species' survival. Climate change poses an additional threat by shifting the altitudinal zones where cloud forests can persist, potentially forcing populations into increasingly restricted habitat patches.
Habitat
Markea epifita is an epiphytic plant species that grows on trees in montane cloud forests and humid tropical forests of Central America. It typically occurs at elevations between 1,000-2,500 meters where consistent moisture and fog provide the humid conditions necessary for epiphytic growth.