Chusquea bamboo is an indicator species of the ecoregion.
The species seems to be associated with climbing grasses, such as Arthrostylidium pinifolia and Chusquea species.
Some animals are, to various extents, associated with stands of Chusquea, for example the Inca Wren and the Plushcap.
Chusquea elegans is a bamboo species in the genus Chusquea.
Plushcaps prefer to live in montane forest or secondary woodland by Chusquea bamboo which they use to find food.
•
Its natural habitat is humid montane forests and it is always found in close association with Chusquea bamboo.
It is most commonly found in forests dominated by southern beech trees, with dense undergrowth of South American bamboo.
It inhabits dense thickets of Chusquea bamboo within cool temperate rainforests, occurring from sea-level up to 1,200 metres, but also can occur in early-successional shrublands of highly shade-tolerant Myrtaceae species, chiefly Amomyrtus.