''Chuquiraga jussieui'', the flower of the Andes, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

. It is a low shrub, reaching a height of about 75 cm. ''Chuquiraga jussieui'' is an endangered flower. Flowers are pale yellow or orange. It is native to

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, and grows at 3000 to 5000 meters above sea level. Additionally, it contains bioactive components with medicinal properties. The hummingbird '' Oreotrochilus chimborazo'' feeds on the nectar.Description and image of the species
/ref> File:Ecuadorian Hillstar.jpg, Male '' Oreotrochilus chimborazo'' feeding on ''C. jussieui'' File:Oreotrochilus chimborazo 104829698.jpg, Female ''O. chimborazo'' feeding on ''C. jussieui''

References

Barnadesioideae Flora of Ecuador Flora of Peru Endangered flora of South America Plants described in 1792 Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin Taxa named by Aimé Bonpland {{Asteraceae-stub