Ceratostema silvicola

Endemic to Ecuador, this epiphytic shrub in the heath family grows on trees in wet tropical and foothill forests. Its leathery, oval leaves have deeply heart-shaped bases that clasp the stems. The bark peels in thin strips. Clusters of three to eight fleshy crimson flowers hang from slender stalks; each flower is about 1 to 1½ inches long, with narrow blue-black lobes that curve backward. Like other members of its genus, it produces berries. In Ecuador, it grows near Archidona at about 2,100 feet and in Antisana Ecological Reserve at about 5,600 feet. Photographed near Puyo, Ecuador.