Begonia umbellata

Endemic to Colombia, this perennial herb or subshrub can scramble or climb among other vegetation. It grows in high-Andean forests and páramo between about 7,700 and 13,000 feet in Colombia. Hanging clusters of red flowers develop above asymmetrical leaves with toothed edges. Male flowers occur in umbrella-like clusters, while female flowers are solitary. The stems, flowers, and fruits can bear coarse reddish-brown hairs. Its seed capsules have three horn-like extensions, a distinctive feature of this group of Andean begonias. Photographed in the central Andes mountain range of Colombia.