Flora in Chile

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Atacama Desert and the Andes are functioning as barriers, which have led to isolation of flora and fauna, which again has caused a high degree of endemism.

The native flora of Chile contains relatively few species, compared to that of the neighbouring countries. The Atacama Desert is home to a large number of cacti and other plants, of which the majority are endemic to the country. Further south are forests, dominated by Araucaria and southern beeches (Notofagus), and in the southernmost part, south of the Biobío River, the climate is very wet, producing lush forests. Grasslands are found some places in the High Andes, and in the Chilean part of Patagonia.

The following pictures show the great diversity of the Chilean landscape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would be grateful to receive information on any errors, or if you are able to identify any of the species left unidentified. You may use this address: respectnature108@gmail.com.

 

 

The family name is derived from Ancient Greek aeizoon (‘houseleek’), from aei (‘forever’) and zoion (‘a living thing’), alluding to the succulent, long-living leaves of the members, similar to the houseleeks (Sempervivum).

 

Many members have glistening bladder cells covering their stems, fruit and leaves, giving rise to the popular name ice plant. The main function of these cells is to preserve water.

The name midday flower stems from Polish merchant and naturalist Jacob Breyne (1637-1697), who named the genus in 1684, using the spelling Mesembrianthemum, derived from Ancient Greek mesembria (‘noon’) and anthemon (‘flower’), thus ‘midday flower’. He had noticed that these plants mostly opened the flowers around noon.

In 1719, however, German botanist Johann Jacob Dillenius (1684-1747) discovered that some members were flowering at night, so he changed the spelling to Mesembryanthemum, derived from Ancient Greek mesos (‘middle’), embryon (‘pistil’), and again anthemon (‘flower’), thus ‘flower with the pistil in the centre’.

 

The leaves are edible, and in southern Africa leaves and stems are pickled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The genus was named by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) in honour of his friend, baron Clas Alströmer (1736-1794), who travelled throughout southern Europe 1760-64, collecting plants for Linnaeus. He established a botanical garden and natural museum near Gothenburg, western Sweden.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘narrow-leaved’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is distributed in central and southern Chile and southern Argentina, found up to elevations around 1,500 m. Formerly, it was utilized medicinally.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘golden’, alluding to the flower colour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Together with A. umbellata below, it was among the plants described by Prussian physician and botanist Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen (1804-1840), who participated in an expedition to South America 1830-1832, related in his book Reise um die Erde ausgeführt auf dem Königlich Preussischen Seehandlungs-Schiffe Prinzess Louise, commandirt von Captain W. Wendt, in den Jahren 1830, 1831 und 1832 (‘Journey around the world, executed on board the Royal Prussian maritime merchant ship Prinzess Louise, commanded by Captain W. Wendt, in the years 1830, 1831, and 1832′).

He also described a number of animals new to science, including the Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti).

The specific name is Latin, meaning something like ‘to uncover’, perhaps alluding to the hardiness of this plant, which often grows in places that have been covered by a thick layer of snow for months.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘with an umbel’, alluding to the inflorescence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘with various colours’, alluding to the speckled flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previously, these plants were included in the genus Hippeastrum, and later Rhodophiala, whose members have been moved to other genera, including Zephyranthes (below).

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek rhodon (‘rose’) and leirion (‘lily’, ‘narcis’), referring to the beautiful flowers.

 

The specific name is derived from Andes and the Latin colo (‘to inhabit’).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today, Zephyranthes, according to Plants of the World Online, contains about 185 species, found in tropical and subtropical America.

The generic name refers to Zephyrus, the Greek God of the West Wind, who re-awakened nature every spring, and anthos (‘flower’).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘brilliant’ or ‘gorgeous’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This species is endemic to central Chile, growing in dry shrubland in coastal mountains and in the lower foothills of the Andes.

The plant lives up to its specific name, as its sap is caustic and can cause a rash of the skin.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek skhinos, the classical name of another member of the family, Pistacia lentiscus.

 

Its pinkish-red fruits are sold as ‘pink peppercorns’, and they have been used as a flavouring agent in drinks and syrups. However, there has been records of small children experiencing vomiting and diarrhea after eating them. The leaves may also be poisonous. In traditional medicine, the species has been used for wounds and infections, as a diuretic, and for toothache, rheumatism and menstrual disorders.

The specific name is a corruption of mulli, the Quechua name of the tree.

 

 

 

 

 

The inflorescence of this family is unique. In almost all species, the flowers are arranged in terminal umbels, which may be simple, usually with bracts at the base, and each of the stalks, the so-called primary rays, ending in a flower. More commonly, the umbel is compound, consisting of a number of primary rays, each ending in a secondary umbel. Each of these umbels usually has small bracts, bracteoles, at the base, and a number of secondary rays, each ending in a flower. Usually, the secondary umbels together form a flat-topped inflorescence, mostly with white, yellow, pink, or purple flowers, rarely blue or bright red. The flowers have five petals and stamens. This also accounts for the sepals, if they are present. They are usually missing, however.

The family name is derived from the name of honey bees, genus Apis, referring to the fact that many plants of the family are much visited by bees and other nectar-sucking insects, in particular hovering flies.

 

 

This species is distributed in central and southern Chile and southern Argentina.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The roots of this plant may survive fire, enabling it to regenerate. The species is noted for being an aggressive invader of grazing grounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This plant grows on bare, sandy or stony soil, often on volcanic slopes or among scree, at altitudes between 1,000 and 3,700 m. It is native to central Chile and western Argentina.

 

 

 

 

 

The New Zealand kauri tree (Agathis australis) is the third-largest conifer after the North American genera Sequoiadendron and Sequoia (Cupressaceae). All three genera are described in depth on the page Plants: Ancient and huge trees.

 

The generic name is derived from the name of a Chilean people, the Araucanians, for whom the seeds were an important food item. A sub-group of this people are the Pehuenches. In their language, pehuén is the name of Araucaria, whereas che means ’people’.

In English, members of the genus are called monkey-puzzle trees – indeed a peculiar name, as no monkeys live where these trees grow. The name originates from around 1850. In an English park, which had specimens of Araucaria, a visitor jokingly remarked that it would “puzzle a monkey to climb that tree” – referring to the stiff, spiny leaves. The name monkey-puzzle tree stuck to this day.

 

The leaves are triangular, to 4 cm long and 3 cm broad at the base, very tough and with a sharp point. They can remain on the tree for as long as 15 years, and in time they cover the entire surface of younger branches, only the trunk and old branches being bare.

This species is dioecious, with male and female cones on separate trees. The female cones are wind-pollinated, maturing in about 18 months. The mature cones are very large, 12-20 cm diameter, holding about 200 seeds, each 3-4 cm long. The edible, nut-like seeds are extensively harvested in Chile.

In 1791-95, Scottish naturalist Archibald Menzies (1754-1842) participated as surgeon and botanist in an expedition around the world on board HMS Discovery, under leadership of Captain George Vancouver (1757-1798). In Chile, while dining with the Viceroy, Menzies was served Araucaria seeds as a dessert. He popped some seeds into his pocket and was able to make them sprout on board the ship. He returned to England with five healthy plants – the first of its kind in Britain. (Source: kew.org)

The specific name has the same meaning as the generic name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The compound leaves, in most species growing fan-like from the top of the plant, are often very large and decorative. Numerous pictures, depicting palm leaves, may be seen on the page Nature: Nature’s patterns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A stout plant, growing to 1.5 m tall, with deeply lobed, heavily spiny leaves, to 50 cm long, with yellow spines to 3.5 cm long. The flowerheads are violet-purple or blue, to 6 cm across.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek eri (‘early in the morning’) and geron (‘old man’), probably in allusion to a tuft of white hairs, appearing on the fruit soon after flowering. The English name stems from an old belief that dried plants of this genus would repel fleas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name was applied by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) in honour of Spanish priest, botanist, and mathematician José Celestino Bruno Mutis y Bosio (1732-1808), who emigrated to Santa Fe de Bogotá in 1761 and later became a significant figure in the Spanish American Enlightenment. From 1783, he was the head of 3 royal expeditions in the area, during which hundreds of plant species were discovered and described. The collected items were stored in a museum, containing about 24,000 dried plants and 5,000 drawings of plants, besides a collection of shells, resins, minerals, and animal skins.

 

The leaves are linear, stalkless, to 3 cm long and 3 mm wide, flowerheads with 8-10 pale yellow, very narrow ray florets, to 1.7 cm long and 3 mm wide. It may at once be identified by the long, projecting, scarlet stigmas that are often spiralled.

 

 

 

 

 

This plant is distributed in about the same area as the above species, growing in rocky areas and alpine shrubberies in the Andes, at altitudes between 1,400 and 3,000 m.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘resembling an awl’, alluding to the needle-like leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This species is distributed in the southern central Andes, in Chile and Argentina, growing on rocky slopes at elevations between 2,000 and 2,700m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The genus was named for 16th-Century Spanish apothecary and botanist Lázaro (or Lorenzo) Perez.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The many stems are erect or ascending, unbranched, white-woolly, to 40, sometimes 60 cm tall, leaves linear, white-woolly, to 5 cm long and 1 cm wide, clasping the stem and decurrent (continuing down the stem). Flowerheads are numerous in dense terminal clusters, florets yellowish or pale brown.

The specific name is derived from the Quechua word for this species, pronounced as wira-wira.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from the Latin senex (‘old man’), alluding to the white seed hairs of the genus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name was given in honour of Scottish peer Archibald Campbell (1658-1703), 1st Duke and 10th Earl of Argyll, eldest son of Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, and Mary Stuart, daughter of James Stuart, 4th Earl of Moray.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This plant is distributed in Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, and on islands in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. In Chile, it grows from sea level up to the tree line.

 

 

 

 

 

The origin of the Latin and popular family names is explained on the page Plants: Plants in folklore and poetry.

 

The generic name was given in honour of German physician, botanist, and pharmacologist Valerius Cordus (1515-1544) who wrote a much celebrated herbal and the first pharmacopoeia north of the Alps. He died at the young age of 29 while travelling in Italy, presumably of malaria.

 

The specific name is derived from Ancient Greek deka (‘ten’) and andros (‘man’), alluding to the flowers, which have 10 stamens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The largest plant of the family is Puya raimondii, whose stem may be up to 4 m tall, with a flowering spike to 10 m tall.

 

The generic name is derived from the Latin pugio (‘dagger’), alluding to the sharp-pointed leaves.

 

After many years of growth, an an erect inflorescence forms, to 1.8 m long, which is composed of numerous branching sub-inflorescences, covered in emerald-turquoise flowers to 5 cm across, with bright orange anthers. Over the years, the mother plant forms a large colony of offspring.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is an alternative, feminine form of caeruleus (‘blue’), which is a corruption of caeluleus, derived from caelum (‘sky’) and‎ uleus, a diminutive suffix.

 

 

 

 

 

Shape and size of cacti vary enormously. The stem may be columnar, barrel-shaped, ball-shaped, or low and dome-shaped. In many genera, the stem is divided into segments, which may be broad and flat, narrow and flat, or cylindric.

In most cacti, the leaves are reduced to spines, and photosynthesis takes place in the green stem. The spines protect the plant from being eaten, provide some shade, and bend the dry desert wind, preventing it from reaching the stem, thus reducing evaporation.

Cactus species all have small bumps on the stem, called areoles, which are also highly modified leaves. The flowers emerge from these areoles, each areole only producing one flower in its lifetime. As the plant grows, new areoles are formed. Glochids are short spines, often hair-like, which grow in clusters from the areoles

The word cactus is a Latinized version of Ancient Greek kaktos, a name originally used for an unknown spiny plant by Greek scholar and botanist Theophrastos (c. 371-287 B.C.), called ‘the founder of botany’.

Numerous cactus species from other parts of the world are described on the page Plants: Cacti.

While describing the species in this family, I gained much information from the website llifle.com/Encyclopedia/CACTI/Family/Cactaceae.

 

This genus is restricted to northern Chile, primarily growing in the Atacama Desert, which receives almost no rain. The plants get most of the moisture from coastal fogs, which are frequent here, concentrating around 500 to 850 m altitude.

 

Strongholds of this species are Pan de Azucar and Llanos de Challe National Parks.

 

 

 

 

 

A very drought-tolerant plant, found from sea level up to an elevation of about 500 m. It occurs in large numbers at numerous locations from Pan de Azucar National Park northwards to Taltal, making impressive stands, “resembling a marching army.” (llifle.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vernacular names of this plant include gatito (‘little cat’) and perrito (‘little dog’). It is not clear what they refer to. The plant may be small, but it is very spiny and not in the least cuddly.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek erion (‘wool’) and syke (‘fig’), referring to the woolly fruit.

 

This plant is endemic to Chile, found from Copiapó southwards to the Rio Maule, growing in rocky areas from sea level up to an elevation of about 2,400 m.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek eu (‘good’) and lychnia (‘candelabrum’), naturally referring to the shape of these plants.

 

This species is often infested with a bright red, parasitic mistletoe, Tristerix aphylla, whose seeds are dispersed by the Chilean mockingbird (Mimus thenca). This bird eats the fruits, but will often deposit the seeds on the spines, where they sprout, the seedling growing up to 10 cm to reach the stem of the cactus.

The fruit is edible, almost naked, without wool or spines. The specific name refers to the fruit, which has a sour taste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iquique copao is quite common in Pan de Azucar National Park, where the pictures below were taken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek leukos (‘white’) and stele, which can be translated as ‘column’, although, strictly speaking, it means ‘a boundary post’. The name alludes to the bright white spines and the columnar stems.

 

Like Eulychnia acida (above), this species is a host of the parasitic mistletoe Tristerix aphylla.

Strictly speaking, the specific name means ‘from Chiloé’, an island in south-central Chile. However, in this connection, the name merely means ‘from Chile’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic and specific names were given in honour of Dutch botanist Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel (1811-1871), director of the herbarium at University of Utrecht.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The flowers of this genus are highly characteristic, irregular, having a small upper lip and a large, inflated, bag-shaped lower lip, which gave rise to the generic name, from the Latin calceolus, diminutive of calceus (‘shoe’). Presumably, the name gold purse was given to some yellow-flowered species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name commemorates Flemish physician and botanist Mathias de l’Obel (1538-1616), also known as Matthaeus Lobelius, who was royal physician to William the Silent, king of the Netherlands, and to James I, king of England.

 

This plant is endemic to Chile, growing from coastal areas up to an altitude of c. 2,000 m.

The specific name is Latin, literally meaning ‘elevated’, but in this connection meaning ‘tall’.

 

 

 

 

 

The family name is derived from Caprifolium, an older synonym for the genus Lonicera, from Proto-Indo-European kapros (‘goat’) and the Latin folium (‘leaf’).

 

The generic name is derived from the Latin valere (‘to be strong, healthy’), alluding to the medicinal properties of many valerian species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name refers to the Greek woodland god Silenus, a satyr with ears and tail like a horse. He was the tutor of Dionysos, the god of wine. Silenus is often depicted drunk, covered in sticky foam from the wine. His name is derived from Ancient Greek sialon (‘saliva’). The connection to the plant genus is that the female flowers of some species, including red campion (S. dioica), secrete a frothy foam, which aids in capturing pollen from visiting insects.

The popular name catchfly refers to the strongly glandular-hairy stem and leaves in many species, where small insects often get stuck.

 

The specific name is derived from Andes and the Latin colo (‘to inhabit’).

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name honours French botanist René Louiche Desfontaines (1750-1833), who spent two years in Tunisia and Algeria, returning with a large collection of plants. He wrote two volumes, named Flora Atlantica (1798-99), which included 300 genera new to science.

 

There is some controversy as to the distribution of this species. Most authorities claim that it is found from Costa Rica southwards to southern South America, whereas Kew Gardens of London only gives Peru as distribution area.

It has been used medicinally and as a hallucinogen, and a natural dye is obtained from it.

 

 

 

 

 

The family name is derived from the Latin convolvere (‘to wind’), referring to the winding stems of most of these plants.

In his delightful book All about Weeds, American botanist Edwin Spencer (1881-1964) writes, “The vines wind themselves around the growing cornstalks, soy beans, cotton plants, and even around weeds that should be able to cope with such weak little plants as the morning glories seem to be. But they are not weak. Like snakes, those slender vines crawl up over the plants they select for their trellises, and soon the big morning glory leaves are shading the leaves of the trellising plants, and very soon after that those glorious flowers will be smiling on all the world like a big woman obstructing the view of a small boy at the movies.”

Many members of the family are presented on the page Plants: Morning-glories and bindweeds.

 

 

Stems are trailing, rarely twining, sometimes shrubby below, up to 2.5 m long, leaves usually stalked, to 8 cm long and 6 cm wide, very variable in form, usually linear or narrowly oblong, with prominent linear basal ears, but occasionally ovate or rounded with rounded ears, tip usually pointed, margin entire or wavy. The stalked flowers are solitary or 2 together, growing from the leaf axils, sepals to 9 mm long and 7 mm wide, elliptic, ending in a short spine, corolla to 2.5 cm long, various shades of pink or pale violet with a white centre, occasionally completely white, with very shallow lobes, with a short spine at the tip.

 

 

 

 

 

These plants, comprising over 200 species, twine around other plants, often completely enveloping them in their yellow or reddish stems. A dodder seed starts its life like most other seeds by sending roots into the soil, from which grow stems, whose leaves are reduced to scales. When a stem gets into contact with a suitable plant, it wraps itself around it, inserting haustoria into the plant, through which the dodder obtains water and nutrients. Its root in the ground then dies.

Their strange appearance taken into consideration, it is hardly surprising that dodders have many folk names, including strangleweed, scaldweed, beggarweed, lady’s laces, wizard’s net, devil’s guts, devil’s hair, devil’s ringlet, goldthread, hailweed, hairweed, hellbine, pull-down, angel’s hair, and witch’s hair.

The generic name is derived from the Arabic name of dodders, kusuta, or kuskut, which, in the form Cuscuta, was applied to them by Rufinus, an Italian monk and botanist, who was the author of De virtutibus herbarum, completed c. 1287, which listed nearly a thousand medicinal materials, mostly plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Members of the family have no chlorophyll, getting many of their nutrients from fungi. They were formerly included in the family Burmanniaceae.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name was given in honour of German botanist Johann Anton Weinmann (1782-1858) who was Inspector of the gardens of Saint Petersburg, Russia.

 

This tree is endemic to forests of southern Chile and Argentina, but is cultivated elsewhere as an ornamental.

The bark is utilized to tan leather. The hard wood shows a pattern of darker and lighter colours, making it highly prized for decorative uses.

The specific name is derived from Ancient Greek thrix (‘hair’) and sperma (‘seed’), thus ‘hairy seeds’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1748, Swedish naturalist Pehr Kalm (1716-1779), a pupil of the famous Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), named this genus in honour of French physician, meteorologist, and botanist Jean-François Gauthier (1708-1756), also written Gaulthier, of Quebec, whose works included a botanical pharmacopoeia. He died young, during a typhoid epidemic.

 

This plant grows in open wetlands and woods in southern Chile, western and southern Argentina, and the Falkland Islands. In the Andes, it occurs up to elevations around 1,000 m. It is able to withstand occasional temperatures as low as -10°C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This plant is native to central and southern Chile and neighbouring areas of Argentina.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The floral structure of these plants, the cyathium, is cup-like, consisting of fused bracts with nectary glands along the margin. These bracts are surrounding a ring of male flowers, each with one stamen, and a single female flower is in the centre. Together, these flowers resemble a single flower. The fruit is a capsule, with 3 valves.

King Juba II (c. 50 B.C. – 19 A.D.) of Numidia (in present-day Algeria and Tunisia) had an interest in plants and often described them, including a thorny, succulent plant from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, whose latex was a powerful laxative. He named this plant Euphorbea in honour of his Greek chief physician, Euphorbus. In 1753, Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) adopted this name, in the form Euphorbia, for the entire genus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The leaves are pinnate in most species, but may be trifoliate or palmate. The fruit, the legume, or pod, is usually much longer than broad, splitting open along two seams.

According to the latest revision, this family now includes 6 subfamilies:

Caesalpinioideae (including the former subfamily Mimosoideae) with 148 genera and about 4,400 species.

Cercidoideae with 12 genera and about 335 species.

Detarioideae with 84 genera and about 760 species.

Dialioideae with 17 genera and about 85 species.

Duparquetioideae with 1 genus and 1 species.

Faboideae (Papilionoideae) with 503 genera and about 14,000 species.

 

 

The generic name is derived from Arabic sana, a term covering plants with catharitic and laxative properties.

Initially, in 1753, these plants were included in the genus Cassia by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-78), but already the following year, in his fourth edition of The Gardeners Dictionary, Scottish botanist Philip Miller (c. 1691-1771) placed a number of Cassia species in the genus Senna. For many years, most botanists did not recognize this genus, and only recently has it been re-established.

 

The specific name commemorates Hugh Cuming (1791-1865), an English collector who was interested in natural history, in particular conchology and botany. He spent a number of years in Chile, where he became a successful businessman, using his money to build a yacht, named The Discoverer, which was specifically constructed for collecting specimens. On board this ship, he travelled extensively in Chile, Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, the Philippines, and present-day Indonesia and Malaysia.

His collections included 130,000 specimens of dried plants, 30,000 conches and the like, and large numbers of birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects. Much material was sent to the Natural History Museum in London, and after his death, the museum bought much of the remaining collection. (Source: S.P. Dance 1980. Hugh Cuming (1791-1865). Prince of collectors. Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History 9 (4): 477-501)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek a (‘without’) and desme (‘bundle’), alluding to the free stamens of the genus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very ornamental plant, often cultivated. The seeds are edible and nutritious, but as they are slightly toxic, they should only be eaten in smaller quantities.

The specific name means ‘native to the area around the Straits of Magellan’, which were named for Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), the first European to encounter these straits in 1520.

 

 

 

 

 

According to Collins English Dictionary, the generic name, and with that the common name, stems from the Latin lupinus (‘wolfish’), referring to an old belief that these plants would ravenously exhaust the soil.

 

This plant is native to California, where it is common in coastal shrubberies and sand dunes. However, it has been widely introduced elsewhere as an ornamental plant, but has escaped in many places, including western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and southern South America.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This species is endemic to central and southern Chile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a large species, to 1 m tall, found at medium altitudes in the Andes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name commemorates Italian botanist Giovanni Battista Balbis (1765-1831).

 

The presently defunct genus Wendtia was erected by Prussian physician and botanist Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen (1804-1840), who participated in an expedition to South America 1830-1832 on board the ship Prinzess Louise. The captain on this ship was German explorer and inventor Johann Wilhelm Wendt (1802-1847), who travelled around the world four times, three times on board Prinzess Louise. The trip mentioned above is related in Meyen’s book Reise um die Erde ausgeführt auf dem Königlich Preussischen Seehandlungs-Schiffe Prinzess Louise, commandirt von Captain W. Wendt, in den Jahren 1830, 1831 und 1832.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The flowers of most species are various shades of blue, others are purple, violet, mauve, yellow, white, or, rarely, red. The four or five petals are usually fused, being trumpet-, funnel-, or bell-shaped.

The generic name was derived from King Gentius, who ruled in Ancient Illyria 181-168 B.C., and who allegedly discovered the medicinal value of the great yellow gentian (G. lutea).

A number of gentian species are presented on the pages Plants: Himalayan flora, and Plants: Flora of the Alps and the Pyrenees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Members of this genus were previously placed in the genus Gentiana, but differ in the flowers, which often have tufts of narrow lobes or hairs in the throat, and no lobules between the corolla-lobes.

 

This species grows in wet meadows at medium altitudes in the Andes, distributed in central and southern Chile and southern Argentina, and also in the Falkland Islands.

The specific name means ‘native to the area around the Straits of Magellan’, which were named for Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), the first European to encounter these straits in 1520.

 

 

 

 

 

The family name honours Swiss physician, naturalist, bibliographer, and philologist Conrad Gessner (1516-1565), who compiled monumental works on bibliography (Bibliotheca universalis, 1545-49) and zoology (Historia animalium, 1551-58). He was busy compiling a major botanical work when he died from the plague, only 49 years old.

 

The generic name is derived from the Latin aster (‘star’), and Ancient Greek anthos (‘flower’). The Spanish name of the plant is estrellita, a diminutive of estrella (‘star’). Both names were given in allusion to the spreading petals.

 

 

 

 

 

The Spanish name of the plant is botellita, a diminutive of botella (‘bottle’), alluding to the flower shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stalks of many species are edible, giving rise to the popular name giant rhubarbs.

The family name honours Norwegian bishop and botanist Johan Ernst Gunnerus (1718-1773), who accumulated a large collection of plants from central and northern Norway, and other places.

 

The plant is used in a similar way to the European rhubarb. The stalks are eaten fresh, or cooked into jam or a drink. The leaves are used in the preparation of the traditional Chilean dish curanto, where seafood, sausages, chicken, pork, and vegetables are wrapped in Gunnera leaves and steamed in layers in a pit, filled with hot stones.

In New Zealand, the Chilean rhubarb has been declared an unwanted pest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These plants are not at all grasses, but many species have grass-like leaves. The common name applies to the blue-flowered species, but flowers of the genus come in many other colours, including yellow, white, and purple.

The genus was named in 1753 by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), based on the Greek sisyrinchion, used by Greek scholar and botanist Theophrastos (c. 371-287 B.C.) and Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder (23-79 A.D.) for the Barbary nut iris (Moraea sisyrinchium). The term refers to the way the corm tunics of this species resemble a shaggy goat’s-hair coat, called sisyra. (Source: J. Manning & P. Goldblatt 2008. The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification. Timber Press)

 

The specific name is derived from the Latin harena (‘sand’), earlier hasena, possibly from Etruscan. The name refers to the fact that this species often grows in sandy areas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘with grass-like leaves’.

 

 

 

 

 

The genus was named by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) in honour of Austrian botanist and army physician J.G.H. Kramer (1684–1744).

 

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘Cistus-like’. What it refers to is not clear. Some part of the plant may resemble members of the genus Cistus (rockroses).

 

 

 

 

 

 

About 120 species of butterwort are presently known, with the largest number found in Central and South America, whereas 12 species are native to Europe, 9 to North America, and a few to northern Asia.

The generic name is diminutive of the Latin pinguis (‘fat’ – compare the word ‘penguin’), which, like the common name butterwort, refers to the slimy and fatty leaves. In former days, this slime was applied to cracks on cow udders. In 1747, an apprentice of Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) wrote that ”in Switzerland, Pinguicula is used externally on fissuris mammarum, even if the udder becomes hardened, so that it will milk blood.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It grows to 40 cm tall, leaves opposite, long-stalked, lobed or pinnate, lateral segments to 2.5 cm long and broad, terminal segment to 4.5 cm long and 3.5 cm wide. Flowers terminal, solitary, stalk to 16 cm long, petals 5, brick-red or orange, to 1.7 cm long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This plant grows in shady forests in the interior valleys of central and southern Chile and southern Argentina.

Medicinally, it has been used as an anti-inflammatory.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘with leaves like Acer‘ (maple).

 

 

 

 

 

As the popular name implies, many species have beautiful, often brightly coloured flowers. The fruit is a berry, rarely a drupe or capsule. The seeds are surrounded by a sticky substance, being spread by birds or, rarely, by small mammals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek misos (‘hatred’) and dendron (‘tree’), thus ‘hates trees’, referring to the parasitic habits of this genus. The common name refers to the feathery look of some species, especially M. linearifolium (below).

 

Previously, it was used medicinally, rubbed on sore muscles.

 

 

 

 

 

This plant is native to the southern half of Chile and adjacent areas of Argentina, growing up to elevations of about 2,000 m.

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name was given in honour of Genevan botanist, mathematician, and philosopher Jean Louis Calandrini (1703-1758), who studied the aurora borealis, comets, and the effects of lightning.

 

This species is found from western Bolivia southwards along the Andes to southern Chile and Argentina, growing in bare, sandy locations, often volcanic, at elevations between 1,500 and 2,600 m.

The specific name refers to the province of Colchagua, south of Santiago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is derived from the Mapuche name for a related species, Amomyrtus luma.

 

The native range of the species is humid forests of central and southern Chile and south-western Argentina.

Luma wood is utilized locally, as it is very dense and durable.

 

 

 

 

 

Previously, these trees were included in the beech family (Fagaceae), but genetic research has revealed that they are sufficiently distinct to form a separate family.

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek nothos (‘false’) and fagus, the classical Latin name of the beech, ultimately from Ancient Greek phagein (‘to eat’), alluding to the edible nuts of the beech.

 

In Spanish, this species is called nirre, in English Antarctic beech. It is distributed in southern Chile and Argentina, southwards to Tierra del Fuego, found up to altitudes of about 1,500 m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It becomes a large tree, to 45 m tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 2 m. The evergreen leaves are small, to 4 cm long and 1.6 cm wide, leathery, margin toothed, tip pointed. The fruit is a triangular nut, to 7 mm long.

The specific name was given in honour of French botanist Joseph Dombey (1742-1794), who made large collections of plants from Peru and Chile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trunk, to 2 m in diameter, is often branched from below, bark greyish-brown or dark brown, leaves dark green, glaucous beneath, elliptic, ovate, or oblong, to 8 cm long and 4 cm wide, margin serrated. They turn red or yellow in autumn.

 

 

 

 

 

The family name is derived from Onagra, the original name of evening-primroses (today called Oenothera, see below). The term Onagra was first used in botany in 1587, meaning ‘(food) of onager’, an Asiatic species of wild ass (Equus hemionus). This is most odd, as evening-primroses are American plants, which were hardly introduced to Asia as early as 1587.

 

The first Fuchsia species was described from the island of Hispaniola by French monk and botanist Charles Plumier (1646-1704) during his third expedition to the Greater Antilles 1696-1697. He named this new genus after German botanist Leonhard Fuchs (1501-1566), who wrote a book about herbal medicine, published in Latin in 1542.

Today, these plants are commonly cultivated all over the world as ornamentals.

 

Formerly, this species was utilized medicinally.

The specific name means ‘native to the area around the Straits of Magellan’, which were named for Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), the first European to encounter these straits in 1520.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orchids are divided into terrestrial species, growing in soil, and epiphytic species, growing on trees (sometimes on rocks or fallen tree trunks). The latter develop aerial roots that absorb nutrients and moisture from the air, and many have pseudobulbs, swollen, fibrous, bulb-like stems that store water and nutrients. The species described here are all terrestrial.

The flower structure of this family is unique. There are 3 sepals, often coloured and shaped like 2 of the 3 petals. (For simplicity, all are called petals here.) The third petal forms a lower lip, usually differing very much from the other petals in size and shape, and sometimes in colour, often with a spur. Stamens and ovary are fused, forming the so-called column. Anthers and stigma are separated by a beak-like structure, the rostellum. The anthers produce so-called pollinia, small ‘bags’ which contain pollen. These pollinia are spread by insects, attached to the stigma by a sticky secrete. Other species are self-pollinating. The fruit is a capsule, containing countless tiny seeds, spread by the wind.

Most of these plants live in symbiosis with the mycelium of underground fungi, which is attached to the rhizome or root of the plants. When an orchid seed is about to germinate, it is completely dependent on this mycelium, as it has virtually no energy reserve, obtaining the necessary carbon from the fungus. Some orchids are dependent on the mycelium their entire life, but their relationship is symbiotic, as the orchid delivers crucial water and salts to the fungus. However, some species do not contain chlorophyll, being parasites on the fungi.

The family name is derived from Ancient Greek orkhis (‘testicle’), alluding to the underground tubers of members of the genus Orchis, which resemble testicles.

 

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek khloros (‘green’), presumably alluding to the flower colour of one of the species.

 

The specific name is derived from the Greek khrysanthes, meaning ‘golden flower’.

 

 

 

 

 

It is distributed in central and southern Chile and south-western Argentina.

The specific name means ‘native to the area around the Straits of Magellan’, which were named for Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), the first European to encounter these straits in 1520.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a very unusual woodsorrel, being a shrub to 2.4 m tall, with numerous leaves along erect branches, which may be up to 5 cm thick. The flowers are bright yellow, to 2.5 cm across.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erythranthe was originally described as a separate genus, then moved to the genus Mimulus, but recently restored as a valid genus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leaves are numerous, ovate or elliptic, to 9 cm long and 5 cm wide, base rounded or heart-shaped, margin serrated. The scarlet, nodding flowers, to 2.5 cm long and 1.2 cm wide, are clustered at the end of a stalk, to 30 cm long.

The specific name refers to the genus Ruellia, of the family Acanthaceae, which was named in honour of French herbalist and physician Jean Ruel (1474-1537), also known as Jean Ruelle, or in Latin Ioannes Ruellius. He is best known for his publication of De Natura Stirpium (1536), a treatise on botany. The second part of the name means ‘like’, presumably alluding to the likeness of this plant to some species of Ruellia.

The obsolete specific name was given in honour of German botanist, zoologist, and explorer Eduard Friedrich Poeppig (1798-1868), who first carried out studies in Cuba and Pennsylvania. From 1826, he spent several years exploring Chile, Peru, and Brazil. The results were publish in two volumes, titled Reise in Chile, Peru und auf dem Amazonenstrome, während der Jahre 1827-1832.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The term bamboo usually applies to tall grass species with hollow stems.

 

Unlike the majority of bamboo species, it is a climbing shrub, and its stems are solid, not hollow like in most other bamboos. Free-standing specimens are usually below 5 m tall, but when climbing, they may reach a length of 20 m. Up to 40 flowering branches sprout from each node. The leaves are lanceolate or elliptic, to 12 cm long. The species spreads vegetatively, often forming dense stands.

In Spanish, it is known as quila, and in English it is sometimes called Chilean weeping bamboo, although that name applies to several members of the genus.

Young shoots are edible, and flour can be prepared from the seeds. In winter, the plant is a valuable fodder for cattle.

 

 

 

 

 

The family name is based on the genus Protea, applied in 1767 by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), referring to the Greek god Proteus, a deity who was able to change between many forms, in this case alluding to the great diversity of flowers and leaves of the family.

 

It is a small tree, sometimes growing to 20 m tall, with a trunk diameter up to 70 cm. The leaves are evergreen, occasionally deciduous in cold areas, linear, lanceolate, or elliptic, to 12 cm long and 4 cm broad. The flowers are arranged in dense axillary clusters, each flower to 4.5 cm long, red or orange-red, rarely white or yellow, tubular, with 4 reflexed lobes near the tip, stamens and style protruding. The flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds and insects.

Naturally, this gorgeous plant is widely cultivated as an ornamental. The wood is soft, but durable, used for making spoons, bowls, and other crafts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A number of species are described on the page Plants: Anemones and pasque flowers.

 

It may grow to 70 cm tall, leaves including the long stalk to 20 cm long, much divided into narrow segments, in North American forms covered in silky, white hairs, but not so in South American forms, whose leaves are almost hairless (another indication that they may be separate species!). Flowers mostly solitary, on very long stalks, mostly white, but other colours occur.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is a diminutive of rana (’frog’), thus ’little frog’, referring to the fact that many buttercup species grow in wet areas, where frogs live. The English name refers to the butter-yellow flowers of many species, and the tiny ‘cup’, formed by the petals. The alternative name crowfoot was given in allusion to the tripartite leaves of some species, which somewhat resemble a bird’s foot, whereas spearwort alludes to species with long, undivided leaves.

When left unharmed, many buttercup species may cover huge areas. Grazing animals avoid them, as they contain the toxic anemonol. However, when dried as hay, the toxicity disappears.

According to an old belief, cows grazing on buttercups would produce the sweetest and most flavourful milk, rich in cream. Of course this is pure superstition, as cows avoid these plants due to their toxicity. Rather, the richness of the milk would stem from the succulent grass in the meadows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The inflorescence is globular or ovoid, to 2 cm across, without petals. The fruit is also a dense ball of many seeds, in some species forming a bur, which will be dispersed by attaching itself to a passing animal fur.

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek akaina (‘spike’), referring to the spikes on the fruits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At maturity, a silky tuft of brownish hairs grows from the styles, which has given rise to a popular German name of these plants, Petersbart (‘Peter’s beard’), probably referring to St. Peter.

 

The specific name means ‘native to the area around the Straits of Magellan’, which were named for Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), the first European to encounter these straits in 1520.

 

 

 

 

 

These plants are widely distributed in temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with a few tropical species in eastern Africa and southern and south-eastern Asia. Elsewhere, numerous species and cultivars are grown as ornamentals.

The generic name is the classical Latin name of these plants.

 

The species has become naturalized in several areas, including Chile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name commemorates British botanist Alexander Cruickshank, who first observed this genus in the 19th Century.

 

The specific name is derived from the Latin pumilio (‘dwarf’), referring to the small size of the plant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previously, the family was much larger, containing about 275 genera with more than 5,000 species. Following genetic research, the major part have been moved to other families, especially Plantaginaceae and Orobanchaceae.

 

The generic name honours English clergyman and botanist Adam Buddle (1662-1715), who compiled a new English flora, which was completed in 1708, but never published.

 

The leaves are lanceolate or elliptic, to 15 cm long and 6 cm wide, smooth above, downy-hairy beneath. Inflorescences are terminal, ball-shaped heads, to 2.8 cm across, each with up to 50 flowers, deep yellow or orange, very fragrant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The generic name is of unknown origin, possibly derived from the Latin sol (’sun’) referring to the fact that plants of this genus prefer to grow in sunny places. The popular name is a corruption of an ancient Germanic name of these plants, Nachtschatten, of unknown meaning. As Schatten also means ‘shadow’ in German, the name nightshade was introduced, which is apparently a misunderstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘without tubers’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These plants are often called garden nasturtium. They contain an oil similar to that of watercress (Nasturtium officinale).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is distributed in Chile and south-western Argentina.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The name pansy is explained on the page Plants: Plants in folklore and poetry.

 

This species is native to central Chile and western Argentina, growing in volcanic soils of the high Andes.

The specific name is derived from Ancient Greek kotyledon (‘cup-shaped cavity’), from kotyle (‘cup’), alluding to the cup-shaped leaf rosettes.

 

 

 

 

 

Leaves are stalked, ovate, lanceolate, or rounded, to 5.5 cm long and 2.5 cm broad, margin downy, with rounded teeth. Flowers on stalks to 12 cm long, petals yellow with brownish streaks near the hairy throat, spur to 3 mm long.

 

 

 

 

 

They are ancient dicots, which evolved millions of years ago on the supercontinent Gondwana. Many members of the family have aromatic bark and leaves, and essential oils are extracted from several.

The family name commemorates Captain John Winter (see Drimys winteri below).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The leaves are lanceolate, glossy green above, whitish below, to 20 cm long. The spectacular flowers, which have 10-15 lanceolate petals, radiating from a yellow centre, are arranged in dense terminal clusters. The fruit is a bluish berry.

The specific and common names stem back from the time, when Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540-1596) sailed around the world on board the Golden Hind 1577-80. Only one of the other ships, which accompanied him, managed to round Cape Horn with him, the Elizabeth, with John Winter (1555-1638) as captain. However, the two ships got separated in a storm, and Winter turned back. Presumably, there was sickness on board, for he sent a boat ashore to search for medicinal herbs.

He returned to England in 1579 with a supply of Drimys bark, and for centuries before vitamin C was discovered, ‘Winter’s Bark’ was much praised as a preventive and remedy for scurvy. It also sustained Captain James Cook (1728-1779) and his crew in the South Pacific. The naturalist on board, Johann Reinhold Forster (1729-1798), was the first to officially describe and name D. winteri. (Source: A.M. Coats & J.L. Creech 1964. Garden Shrubs and Their Histories, new ed. 1992)