Meet the hand tree (Cheiranthodendron pentadactylon), also known as macpalxóchitl, a species native to the montane cloud forests of Mexico and Central America. Its flowers, which resemble small red hands, have not only earned it a place in traditional medicine and in the history of Indigenous peoples, but also play an essential ecological role for birds, bats, and other pollinators. Today, the species faces threats that put its conservation at risk.
