A botanist from La Paz, Arely N. Palabral Aguilera, accompanied us to Sajama specifically to introduce us to this fungus, whose impact she is studying as part of an effort to conserve the trees it affects. Image three shows the characteristic scaring pattern left behind by L. polylepidis colonization of the wood. The queñoa, as it is known locally, is the only timber at this altitude, and as such is of great importance to the Aymara communities who harvest it. The Polylepis forests of the altiplano are the highest in the world, and one of South America's most endangered habitats.