Uncaria thwaitesii
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Uncaria thwaitesii faces severe population decline primarily due to extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation across its native range in Sri Lanka's wet zone forests. The species is particularly vulnerable to logging activities and agricultural expansion, which have dramatically reduced the extent of suitable lowland rainforest habitat. Climate change poses an additional threat through altered precipitation patterns that may affect the humid conditions this climbing shrub requires for optimal growth.
Habitat
Uncaria thwaitesii is endemic to the tropical wet zone forests of Sri Lanka, where it grows as a climbing shrub in lowland rainforests and secondary forest areas. The species typically inhabits humid, shaded environments with consistent moisture levels, often found in forest understories and along forest edges at elevations below 1,000 meters.
