Orthophytum triunfense is a heliophyte found on granite outcrops in Triunfo municipality, one of the most remote Brejos de altitude in Pernambuco. Pico do Papagaio, the type locality, is the state's highest peak and the second highest peak in Brazil's Northeast at 1,193 m in altitude. In the 1970s, ecologist Vasconcelos-Sobrinho (1970) was already sounding the alarm concerning destruction of ; the Brejo de altitude at Triunfo and surrounding areas. The situation has gone downhill since then, with increased disturbance of the original plant cover. No conservation measures have been taken, even though the extreme biological importance of the area has been repeatedly recognized by state and federal governments (Pernambuco, 2002; MMA, 2002). Orthophytum triunfense is therefore living proof of how important this Brejo de altitude is floristically. It should be placed immediately on the red list of threatened Brazilian plant species in the category "critically endangered"
This species often grows in association with Nanuza luetzelburgii, the only Velloziaceae species recorded for Pernambuco. —SeeSiqueira & Leme 2007
