Carnivorous Epiphytes and Balsawood Trees

In this episode we slowly ascend through a lush lowland forest up to a neotropical cloud forest at 5,000 ft. We encounter a variety of strange plants along the way including the Balsawood Tree, a velvet-leaf endemic Magnolia (pallescens), a bizarre tree in the Ginseng Family (Araliaceae), quite a few orchids and an even more bizarre member of the blueberry family (#Gonocalyx tetrapterus). The highlight of the video is the rare and endemic carnivorous plant #Pinguicula casabitoana, which is threatened by poaching and forest clearance. Unlike most other members of its genus, this Pinguicula grows high in the canopy of other trees in this ultra-moist, mossy cloud forest. It is an epiphytic carnivore, trapping small gnats and flies on its narrow,thin leaf blades in order to supplement its nitrogen. Your contributions support this content. It sounds clichéd, but it’s true. Whether it’s travel expenses, vehicle repair, or medical costs for urushiol poisoning (or rockfalls, beestings, hand slice