The Endemic Plants of Chile

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The Mediterranean climate in Chile is characterised by having mild, wet winters and very dry, long hot summers. The name comes from a similar type of climate occurring in Europe’s Mediterranean Basin; Australia, California and South Africa also have comparable climates and vegetation types. In Chile, the Mediterranean climate and vegetation is confined to narrow band on the western side of the Andes extending for about 1000 km between the Valparaíso and Biobío regions. The sclerophyllous native woody vegetation has mostly evergreen, hard and leathery leaves making them well-adapted to drought. Other strategies for drought resistance include having fleshy leaves such as in Cistanthe and Oxalis species and cacti with stems acting as effective water storage organs. Since the rainy season is in winter and of short duration, these species may have at least seven months without any rainfall. This habitat type is notable for its high levels of plant species endemism and because of this and the associated threats of urbanisation and land clearance for agriculture, it has been identified as one of the global ‘biodiversity hotspots’.

Endemic Taxa in Mediterranean

Endemic taxa only occurring in Mediterranean