Pilea cataractae
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Pilea cataractae faces severe threats from habitat destruction due to deforestation and agricultural expansion in its limited range. The species' restriction to waterfall spray zones makes it particularly vulnerable to hydrological changes from dam construction and water diversion projects. Climate change poses an additional threat through altered precipitation patterns that could disrupt the specific moisture conditions this species requires.
Habitat
Pilea cataractae is endemic to wet rocky surfaces in waterfall spray zones and moist cliff faces in tropical montane forests. The species requires constant moisture from waterfall mist and grows exclusively on moss-covered rocks in shaded, humid microhabitats.
