Over the past two months, I have been fortunate to visit many of the incredibly different environments in Colombia. Each environment presents a very different kind of flora, or plants; and fauna, or animals. Throughout many hikes and treks, I've gotten up close and personal with the fraylejon, a plant that grows only in Páramo habitats. I have seen the fraylejon throughout Colombia on trips near Villa de Leyva, in the river region of La Macarena, and most recently in Manizales. It's also in Venezueal and Ecuador!
The fraylejon's more scientific name, Espeletia grandiflora, comes from a city official names José Manuel de Ezpeleta, a Spanish military official who later was a member of the Cuban government.
Looking at a fraylejon is a sight to behold! From afar, it looks as though it has a tree trunk attached to a cactus neck with a yellow, flowery head. Imagine that! The trunk is thick, with succulent hairy leaves that are in a dense spiral pattern. The hair makes it look animal-like! The flowers are usually yellow, similar to daisies. Did you know its a member of the sunflower family? There are also larger, green leaves that surround the yellow flower.
