Clusia flaviflora
The Guandera, Forest Tree of the Andes
The trees in the cloud forests drip with orchids, mosses, lichens, ferns and bromeliads and the Guandera Clusia flaviflora, in the family Clusiaceae, is no exception. But it is a lifeform like no other. The Guandera is a hemi-epiphyte, beginning its life cycle as an epiphyte high in the tree tops and sending roots earthwards until they root in the soil. The host tree becomes enshrined in a maze of roots, while the shoot of the Guandera develops into a spreading crown above it. Eventually, the host tree may succumb to competition for light and die, leaving a hollow core within the root mass, though it is also common for the host to survive and grow on as part of the tangled forest.
Description
The foliage of the Guandera is distinctive, with thick rounded leaves in pairs opposite on the stem. The trees can exceed 30m in height. Flowers have four petals and numerous stamens, and the fruit is a capsule opening to expose flesh-coated seeds.
Habitat and Distribution
The Missouri Botanic Gardens Tropicos Database holds records of the Guandera from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. The specimens held in the collection come from altitudes ranging from 1,800 to 4,200 m, where mists shroud the forests and rainfall is high.
Conservation
The habitat of the Guandera is threatened by ongoing large-scale and incremental clearing. Even reserved land is sometimes poorly protected from mining, burning from the edges, grazing and small-scale clearing for subsistence farming. In northern Ecuador, good profits can be made from growing potatoes after the forests are cleared, but the soil is quickly exhausted of nutrients and abandoned. Forest trees regenerate very slowly in these high, cold environments and may never regain the species diversity of the original forests.
Although seedlings usually establish high in tree tops where birds and mammalian dispersers distribute seeds, seeds are easy to grow in nursery conditions and the seedlings can be planted directly into the soil where they will thrive in well lit positions. An artificial Guandera forest can be recreated in this way, but best results will always result from conservation of natural forests, especially when a huge diversity of slow growing species make up the plant community.
Where to See the Guandera
In Ecuador, the Guandera can be reached from the Jatun Sacha Biological Station named after the Guandera. Here, the cloud forest borders spectacular páramo (high altitude grassland) where the curious Frailejones are close to the southern limit of their distribution. Volunteer programs or short term visits are possible and can be arranged by email or by contacting or visiting the Quito office. Acclimatize well before traveling to this high altitude destination and be prepared for cold, wet and muddy conditions as well as the possibility of clear skies and burning sun.
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