In 1991, Rodrigo Bernal, a botanist who specializes in palms, was driving into the Tochecito River Basin, a secluded mountain canyon in central Colombia, when he was seized by a sense of foreboding.

The wax palm of Quindío is a vulnerable species native to Quindío, Colombia, and is also the country's national tree. The palm is protected by various measures put forth by the Colombian government ...