The harsh conditions of the high altitude regions has forced many plants to take major adaptive measures. This plant from the genus Aetanthus solves its problems by parasitizing trees in much the same way as mistletoes do. Its hard to find information on many of these plants but, supposedly, the plants germinate on open wounds of trees where they are able to tap into the sap flow. These are found in the Polylepis forests at around 10-13000ft in the Andes. The long orange flowers are a sure indication of pollination by hummingbirds and the Shining Sunbeam is a likely suspect in the areas where these grow. The Shining Sunbeam is a beautiful hummingbird which is mostly orangish-brown with a patch on its rump that can shine almost any color but often looks like its plated with gold.
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