Barnadesia spinosa
Native to Colombia and Ecuador, this thorny shrub or small tree grows in the Andes, between about 6,400 and 13,500 feet in Colombia. Its stems have paired spines, and it is used for living fences and grown as an ornamental. White to pale pink flower heads have hairy, ribbon-like outer florets and long projecting anther tubes. Each head consists of several small flowers. The resulting dry fruits carry tufts of hairs or bristles. It occurs in forests, shrublands, and grasslands. Photographed in the eastern Andes mountain range of Colombia.








