Llagunoa nitida

Native to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, it is an Andean shrub or small tree. Its small flowers lack petals and have a cup-shaped calyx; the male flowers bear eight unequal stamens. The fruit is a rounded, three-part capsule that opens through three valves to expose glossy black seeds. These seeds have traditionally been used to make rosaries. Photographed in Bogotá, Colombia.