Distribution, ecology and conservation: Alcantarea trepida is a heliophyte, occuring between 300–900 ms.m. on steep rocky walls and also on inselberg plateaus at the municipalities of Baixo Guandu, in the central western region and also at Nova Venécia, 120 km further north in Espírito Santo State. The species is not threatened by extinction because it occurs within the Environmental Protection Area of Pedra do Elefante. Additionally, populations tend to present high densities of individuals (Fig. 3g) growing on hardly accessible places, as is the case in the type locality (Fig. 3a). Bees frequently eat petals and stamens and nests of Hemiptera sometimes can be seen underneath the primary bracts. Scars caused by these insects can also be seen as brownish protuberances along the lateral peduncles. If these injuries are caused by the Hemiptera phytophagy or by galling activity is still to be investigated. At the type specimen population several capsules were bearing germinated seeds inside (Fig. 3f) characterizing a case of viviparity. —SeePereira 1971
