Flora of Chile
Encyclopedia
of the north, Central Chile, and the humid regions of the south.
Northern Chile
The first is an arid desert absolutely barren along part of the coast,between Arica
Arica
Arica is a city in northern Chile. "Arica" may also refer to:Places* Arica and Parinacota Region, Chile* Arica Airport , Chile* Arica, Amazonas, town in Colombia* Rio Aricá-açu, tributary of the Cuiabá River south of Cuiabá, BrazilOther...
and Copiapó
Copiapó
Copiapó is a city in northern Chile, located about 40 miles east of the coastal town of Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capital of Copiapó Province and Atacama Region....
, but with a coarse scanty vegetation
near the Cordilleras along watercourses and on the slopes where
moisture from the melting snows above percolates through the sand.
The altiplano of the northernmost portion of the Chilean territory is home to the Browningia candelaris, a candelabrum-shaped cactus. Another cactus species, the Echinopsis atacamensis, grows in the pre-Andean area. The high Andean region is also characterized by the presence of species of the genus Polylepis
Polylepis
Polylepis is a genus containing about twenty species of shrubs or trees native to the mid- and high-elevation regions of the tropical Andes. This group is unique in the rose family in that it is predominantly wind-pollinated. They are usually gnarled in shape, but in certain areas some trees are...
and the Azorella compacta. Cacti occur in the coastal desert. Here, the most common species are those of the genus Copiapoa
Copiapoa
Copiapoa is a genus of cacti from the dry coastal deserts of northern Chile. It comprises about 26 species. These species vary in form from spherical to slightly columnar and in color from a brownish to blue-green body.-Taxonomy:...
, which are recognizable by their distinctive shapes.
A endemic tree of the Norte Grande
Norte Grande, Chile
The Norte Grande is one of the five natural regions into which CORFO divided continental Chile in 1950. It borders Peru to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Altiplano, Bolivia and Argentina to the east, and the Copiapó River to the south, beyond which lies the Norte Chico natural...
is the Prosopis tamarugo
Prosopis tamarugo
Prosopis tamarugo, commonly known as the Tamarugo, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. It is only found in northern Chile, particularly in the Pampa del Tamarugal, some east of the city of Iquique. This bushy tree apparently grows without the benefit of rainfall, and...
. It grows mainly in the Pampa del Tamarugal
Pampa del Tamarugal
Pampa del Tamarugal is a vast plain encompassing a significant portion of the Norte Grande, Chile, and originally named for the Prosopis tamarugo trees that used to cover its surface. It is located between the parallels 19°30’ and 22°15’ south latitude and is considered part of the Atacama Desert...
. South of Loa River
Loa River
The Loa River is a U-shaped river in Chile's northern Antofagasta Region. At 440 km long it is the country's longest river and the main watercourse in the Atacama Desert.-Course:...
and west of Cordillera Domeyko
Cordillera Domeyko
The Cordillera Domeyko is a mountain range of the Andes located in northern Chile, west of Salar de Atacama. It runs north-south for approximately 600 km, parallel to the main chain...
, the Atacama Desert
Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert is a plateau in South America, covering a strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. It is, according to NASA, National Geographic and many other publications, the driest desert in the world...
is completely destitute of vegetation.
In the valleys of the Copiapó
Copiapó River
Copiapó River is a river of Chile located in the Atacama Region. Starting at the confluence of the Jorquera and Pulido rivers, the Copiapó flows for only 2.5 km before receiving the waters of the Manflas River.-References:...
and Huasco
Huasco River
Huasco River is a river of Chile located in the Huasco Province, Atacama Region. It begins at the confluence of the rivers Del Carmen and Del Tránsito...
rivers a meagre vegetation is to be found near their channels, apart from what is produced by
irrigation, but the surface of the plateau and the dry. river channels below the sierras are completely barren. Continuing southward into the Coquimbo Region
Coquimbo Region
The IV Coquimbo Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It is some 400 km north of the capital, Santiago.The capital and largest city is La Serena, other important cities include the seaport Coquimbo and the agricultural centre...
a gradual change in the arid conditions may be observed. The higher summits of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
afford a larger and more continuous supply of water, and so dependent are
the people in the cultivated river valleys on this source of water supply that they watch for snowstorms in the Cordilleras as an indication of what the coming season is to be. The arborescent growth near the mountains is larger and more vigorous, in which are to be found the "algarrobo" (Prosopis chilensis) and "chañar" (Geoffroea decorticans
Geoffroea decorticans
Geoffroea decorticans, the chañar, kumbaru, or Chilean palo verde , is a small deciduous tree, up to tall that inhabits most arid forests of southern South America. The chañar is cold and drought deciduous; it loses its leaves in winter, and possibly in summer if conditions get too dry...
), but the only shrub to be found on the coast is a species of Skytanthus.
Proceeding southward cacti become common, first a dwarfed species, and then a larger columnar form (Echinopsis chiloensis
Echinopsis chiloensis
Echinopsis chiloensis is a species of cacti native to South America; genus members are known as hedgehog cacti, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus. This species, E chiloensis, is tree-like with branching structures beginning basally. This plant can attain a height of eight metres...
). The streams are fringed with willows; fruit trees and alfalfa fields fill the irrigated valleys, and the lower mountain slopes are better covered with a thorny arborescent growth. The divides between the streams, however, continue barren as far south as the transverse ranges of mountains across the province of Aconcagua.
Central Chile
To some degree the flora of central Chile is of a transition character between the northern and southern zones. It is much more than this, however, for it has a large number of genera and species peculiarlyits own. This zone, with the Chilean Matorral
Chilean Matorral
The Chilean Matorral is a terrestrial ecoregion of central Chile, located on the west coast of South America. It is in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, part of the Neotropic ecozone....
, extends from about the 30th
30th parallel south
The 30th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 30 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America....
to the 36th parallel
36th parallel south
The 36th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 36 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America....
, perhaps a little farther south to include some characteristic types. The evergreens largely predominate here as well as in the extreme south, and on the open, sunburnt plains the vegetation takes on a sub-tropical aspect.
One of the most characteristic trees of this zone is the peumo (Cryptocarya alba
Cryptocarya alba
Cryptocarya alba, the Peumo, is an evergreen tree that grows in Chile and Argentina from 33 to 40° southern latitude. It can live both in wet and as in dry conditions. Its distribution can reach up to 1500 meters above sea level. It measures up to 20 meters height and one meter diameter, with...
), whose dense evergreen foliage is everywhere conspicuous. The quillay (Quillaja saponaria) is another characteristic evergreen tree of this region, whose bark possesses saponaceousproperties. In earlier times the coquito palm (Jubaea chilensis) was to be found throughout this part of Chile, but it is almost completely extinct due to the destructive extraction process of its sweet sap, from which a syrup is made. Through the central zone the plains are open and there are forests on the mountain slopes.
Southern Chile
One of the most striking forest trees is the pehuén or Chilean pine (Araucaria araucanaAraucaria araucana
Araucaria araucana is an evergreen tree growing to tall with a trunk diameter. The tree is native to central and southern Chile, western Argentina and south Brazil. Araucaria araucana is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria...
), which often grows to a height of 100 ft. and is prized by the natives for its fruit. Three native species of the genus Nothofagus
Nothofagus
Nothofagus, also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 35 species of trees and shrubs native to the temperate oceanic to tropical Southern Hemisphere in southern South America and Australasia...
: the roble (Nothofagus obliqua
Nothofagus obliqua
Nothofagus obliqua, is a deciduous tree from Chile and Argentina. It grows from 33 to 43° South Latitude, in Chile and Argentina. The northern extent of this tree's range in Chile is considered to be the Vizcachas Mountains and La Campana National Park.-Description:N...
), coihue (Nothofagus dombeyi), and raulí (Nothofagus alpina
Nothofagus alpina
Nothofagus alpina also called Rauli Beech is a species of plant in the Fagaceae family. Deciduous tree, it grows in Chile and Argentina , it reaches 50 m height and more than 2 meters in diameter. Its distribution goes from 35 to 42° South latitude. It is found on the Andes...
)--are widely diffused and highly prized for their wood, especially the first, which is misleadingly called roble (oak).
Chile's thickest forest are found between the Bío-Bío River
Bío-Bío River
The Biobío River is the second largest river in Chile. It originates from Icalma and Galletué lakes in the Andes and flows 380 km to the Gulf of Arauco on the Pacific Ocean....
and the Taitao Peninsula
Taitao Peninsula
The Taitao Peninsula is a westward projection of the mainland of Chile, with which it is connected by the narrow Isthmus of Ofqui, over which the natives and early missionaries were accustomed to carry their boats between the Moraleda Channel and Gulf of Penas...
. Among those trees are the alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides), the ciprés de las Guaitecas (Pilgerodendron uviferum), the Chilean cypress (Austrocedrus chilensis), lingue (Persea lingue
Persea lingue
Persea lingue is a species of plant in the Lauraceae family. It is found in Argentina and Chile. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Use:In pharmacy its bark was once mentioned as cortex Lauri lingue , medicinal action unknown.-Etymology:...
), laurel (Laurelia sempervirens
Laurelia sempervirens
Laurelia sempervirens, called from mapuche: Tihue, Trihue, also called Chilean Laurel or Chilean Sassafras. It is a species of Evergreen tree in the family Atherospermataceae, formerly Monimiaceae family, in the southern hemisphere genus of plant Laurelia, not closely related to Lauraceae despite...
), avellano (Gevuina avellana
Gevuina avellana
Gevuina avellana is an evergreen tree of the family Proteaceae, up to 20 meters tall. It is native to southern Chile and adjacent valleys in Argentina. It is found from sea level to 700 meters above sea level. Its distribution extends from 35° to 44° south latitude...
), luma (Luma apiculata
Luma apiculata
Luma apiculata, is a species of tree in the genus Luma in the family Myrtaceae, native to the central Andes mountains between Chile and Argentina between 33 and 45° South Latitude. Synonyms include Myrtus luma Mol., Eugenia apiculata DC., Myrceugenia apiculata Niedenzu, and Myrceugenella...
), and many others.
In the southern zone there are no plains, with the exception of small areas near the Strait of Magellan
Strait of Magellan
The Strait of Magellan comprises a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland South America and north of Tierra del Fuego...
, and the forests are universal. In the variety, size and density of their growth these forests remind one of the tropics. They are made up, in great part, of the evergreen beech (Nothofagus betuloides
Nothofagus betuloides
Nothofagus betuloides, the Magellan's beech and is sometimes known by the common name guindo, is native to southern Patagonia.In 1769 Sir Joseph Banks collected a specimen of the tree in Tierra del Fuego during Captain Cook's first voyage....
), the deciduous antarctic beech (Nothofagus antarctica
Nothofagus antarctica
Nothofagus antarctica , is a deciduous tree or shrub native to southern Chile and Argentina from about 36°S to Tierra del Fuego . The southernmost occurrence is on Hoste Island, making it the southernmost trees on earth...
) and Winter's bark (Drimys winteri
Drimys winteri
Drimys winteri , or Canelo, is a slender tree, growing up to 20 m tall. It is native to the Magellanic and Valdivian temperate rain forests of Chile and Argentina, where it is a dominant tree in the coastal evergreen forests. It is found below 1200 meters between latitude 32° south and Cape...
), intermingled with a dense undergrowth composed of a great variety of shrubs and plants, among which are Maytenus magellanica
Maytenus magellanica
Maytenus magellanica, is a small evergreen tree from the genus Maytenus, up to 5 meters , in the Celastraceae...
, Gaultheria mucronata
Gaultheria mucronata
Gaultheria mucronata is a species of plant in the family Ericaceae, is a native to southern Argentina and Chile. It produces purple plum-shaped fruits. Commonly known as "Chaura". While the fruits are edible, they are sweet and somewhat tasteless. In North America this frost-tolerant species is...
, Berberis buxifolia
Berberis buxifolia
Berberis microphylla or Berberis buxifolia, common name the Magellan Barberry, in Spanish Calafate, is an evergreen shrub, with shiny box-like leaves. The Calafate is native to the south of Argentina and Chile and is a symbol of Patagonia.The bush grows to a height of . It has many arching...
, wild currant (Ribes magellanicum), a trailing blackberry, tree ferns, reed-like grasses and innumerable parasites (including species of the genus Misodendron). On the eastern side of the Cordillera, in the extreme south, the climate is drier and open, and grassy plains are found, but on the western side the dripping forests extend from an altitude of 1000 to 1500 ft. down to the level of the sea. A peculiar vegetable product of this inclement region
is a small globular fungus growing on the bark of the beech, which is a staple article of food among the Fuegians—probably the only instance where a fungus is the bread of a people.
See also
- Central Andean dry punaCentral Andean dry punaThe Central Andean dry puna is an ecoregion, in the Montane grasslands and shrublands biome, located in the Andean High plateau, in South America...
- Chilean MatorralChilean MatorralThe Chilean Matorral is a terrestrial ecoregion of central Chile, located on the west coast of South America. It is in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, part of the Neotropic ecozone....
- Valdivian temperate rain forestsValdivian temperate rain forestsThe Valdivian temperate rain forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed-forest ecoregion located on the west coast of southern South America, lying mostly in Chile and extending into a small part of Argentina. It is part of the Neotropic ecozone. The forests are named after the city of Valdivia...
- Magellanic subpolar forestsMagellanic subpolar forestsThe Magellanic subpolar forests are a terrestrial ecoregion of southernmost South America, covering parts of southern Chile and Argentina, and is part of the Neotropic ecozone...