Coccocypselum lanceolatum

Native to Central and tropical South America, it is a low, spreading perennial herb found in humid forests and woodland habitats. Its hairy stems bear opposite pairs of oval to lance-shaped leaves, with soft hairs and conspicuous curved side veins. Dense, rounded flower clusters develop on stalks from the leaf axils. The small flowers have a tubular corolla with four spreading lobes, varying from white to pink or purplish. Rounded to egg-shaped berries become bright blue when ripe, retaining hairs and the flower’s calyx lobes at their tips. Each berry contains numerous small seeds. Photographed in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.