Racinaea tandapiana
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Racinaea tandapiana faces severe pressure from habitat destruction as cloud forests in its limited Ecuadorian range are cleared for agriculture and cattle ranching. The species' extremely restricted distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to localized environmental changes and human encroachment. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the moisture regimes essential for this epiphytic bromeliad's survival in montane cloud forest ecosystems.
Habitat
This epiphytic bromeliad is endemic to the montane cloud forests of Ecuador, typically growing on tree branches and trunks in the humid, mist-shrouded environments between 1,800-2,500 meters elevation. It depends on the consistent moisture and stable microclimatic conditions characteristic of these specialized Andean ecosystems.
