Pentacalia albipanquei
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Pentacalia albipanquei faces severe pressure from agricultural expansion and cattle ranching activities that fragment and destroy its native páramo habitat. Mining operations in the Colombian Andes pose additional threats through habitat degradation and pollution. Climate change compounds these pressures by altering the temperature and precipitation patterns essential for páramo ecosystem stability.
Habitat
This endemic Colombian species inhabits high-altitude páramo ecosystems in the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes, typically found between 3,200-4,000 meters elevation. It grows in the characteristic wet, cold grasslands and shrublands of these tropical alpine environments, often associated with Espeletia and other specialized páramo vegetation.