Marcgraviastrum mixtum

Native to Bolivia, northern Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, this climbing shrub is characteristic of wet tropical forests. Its greenish flowers form umbrella-like clusters at the ends of branches. Each flower stalk bears a hanging, sac-shaped nectar container formed from a modified bract, a distinctive feature of the genus. The fruits become red as they mature. In Colombia, it occurs from near sea level to about 6,550 feet in the Andes, Pacific region, Orinoquia and Guiana Shield. Its roots are used for basketry in Boyacá. Photographed in the western Andes mountain range of Colombia.