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Espeletia
Espeletia, commonly known as Frailejon or Fraylejon is a genus of perennial subshrubs, in the family Asteraceae. The genus, which is endemic mainly to Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, was first formally described by botanist Alexander Von Humboldt in 1801. The genus was named after the New Granada viceroy Jose Manuel de Ezpeleta.
There are about 88 species in this genus, most of which are native to Colombia. The plants live at high altitude in the Paramo ecosystems. The trunk is thick, with succulent hairy leafs disposed in a dense spiral pattern. The flowers are usually yellow, similar to daisies.
The status of conservation of the Frailejon plant is endangered due to destruction of the paramo for agricultural purposes, especially potato crops. This activity continues, despite the fact that it was declared illegal by the Colombian government.
Species include:
Espeletia grandiflora Humb&Bonpl.
Espeletia killipii Cuatrec.
Espeletia uribei Cuatrec.
Espeletia picnophyla Cuatrec.
Espeletia schultzii (Benth.) W.M.Curtis
Espeletia curialensis
References
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Espeletia
