Meriania nobilis

Native only to Colombia, this tree grows in Andean forests and open areas in the Central and Western mountain ranges. Its young branches are square in cross-section, with sharp, winglike ridges, and the leaf stalks are slightly winged. Branched clusters carry large, five-petaled flowers in fuchsia to red. The flowers have two contrasting sets of stamens, differing in anther length and the shape of their supporting structures. Bees pollinate the flowers by vibrating the stamens, releasing pollen through small pores in the anthers. Dry capsules contain numerous tiny, wedge-shaped seeds. Photographed in the Andes of Colombia.