Gunnera brephogea

Native from Colombia to central Peru, this is a perennial herb that grows from a thick underground rhizome. Its large, rounded leaves are divided into eight main lobes, each with smaller lobes and sharply toothed edges. The leaf stalk usually joins the underside of the blade inside its margin rather than at the edge. Fine hairs cover the leaf surfaces. Short-stalked, branching flower clusters arise beside the leaf bases and bear tiny flowers with both male and female parts. The small, rounded fruits are whitish yellow. It forms a partnership with Nostoc cyanobacteria, which supply it with nitrogen captured from the air. Photographed in the department of Tolima, Colombia.