Nasa hornii
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Nasa hornii faces significant pressure from habitat destruction as cloud forests in the Andes are cleared for agriculture and human settlement. The species' restricted range in high-altitude montane environments makes it particularly vulnerable to climate change, as warming temperatures force suitable habitat zones upward to increasingly smaller areas. Fragmentation of remaining forest patches isolates populations and reduces genetic diversity, while invasive plant species alter the understory composition that this nettle depends upon.
Habitat
Nasa hornii inhabits cloud forests and humid montane environments in the Andean highlands, typically occurring at elevations between 2,000-3,500 meters. The species thrives in the understory of these moist, fog-shrouded forests where it grows among other native vegetation in nutrient-rich soils.