About Colobanthus quitensis (Kunth) Bartl.
Colobanthus quitensis (Kunth) Bartl. has yellow flowers and grows to around 5 centimetres (2 inches) tall. It has a cushion-like growth habit that gives it a moss-like appearance. It is an angiosperm, a type of plant that produces flowers, and is capable of asexual reproduction. Due to the absence of bees and other pollinating insects in the Antarctic region, this species relies on wind pollination. Despite its moss-like appearance, Colobanthus quitensis is a tracheophyte, or vascular plant, meaning it contains the vascular tissues phloem and xylem. This species is distributed along the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, as well as on South Georgia, the South Shetland Islands, the Falkland Islands, and the Andes. It grows increasingly rare at more northern latitudes, but its range still extends to Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador, with an additional isolated population located in Mexico. It is one of only two flowering plant species native to Antarctica; the other is Deschampsia antarctica.
