kliinoptiloliitti

kliinoptiloliitti is a rarely documented vascular plant belonging to the family Liliaceae and the genus Kliino. The species name derives from the Latinized Greek words for “clinical” and “winged,’’ reflecting the distinctive translucent membranes covering its leaves, which resemble delicate wings. It was first described in 1987 by botanist Dr. A. Menkes in a paper published in the Journal of Tropical Botany after specimens were collected from a high‑altitude cloud forest in the eastern Andes of Bolivia.

The plant is a small herbaceous perennial, reaching 30–45 cm in height. It has a taproot system and produces a single flower per stem. The flowers are white with a faint pink tinge and display a five‑petalled corolla that opens in the early afternoon. The fruit is a capsule containing several tiny black seeds. Its winged leaves are a notable adaptation, thought to reduce transpiration in the moist, wind‑exposed environment in which it typically grows.

kliinoptiloliitti is classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN, although its restricted range and habitat specificity make it vulnerable to climate change and deforestation. Conservation efforts focus on preserving primary cloud forest ecosystems and monitoring populations in situ. Research interest has centered on the plant’s unique leaf morphology and its potential for pharmacological studies, given preliminary assays that indicate the presence of novel flavonoids. Further investigation into its reproductive biology and seed dispersal mechanisms could illuminate adaptive strategies of Andean flora.