Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica 113 
Decazyx macrophyllus and (especially) Stauranthus perforatus, are more common in 
the Cordillera de Tilaran. For more information about the ecology and conservation of 
this cordillera, see Nadkarni & Wheelwright (2000). 
Cordillera Central 
Made up of volcanic peaks that stretch more or less in a straight line from Cerro Plata- 
nar (2183 m), in the northwest, to Volcén Turrialba (3329 m), in the southeast, this 
mountain range is higher than the previous two. Within the range of elevation of its 
highest peaks (2000-3432 m), both rain forest and paramo life zones are found (Tosi, 
1969). Thus, except for the relatively high volcanoes of Irazu (3432 m) and Turrialba 
(somewhat isolated at the east end), this cordillera has a more or less uniform vegeta- 
tion pattern that varies in minor ways according to the particular slope or summit. 
On the Pacific side, the elevational limit of the area of marked seasonality (as indi- 
cated by species shared with the Pacific lowlands) is found right around 1000—1200 m, 
at the upper edge of the Central Valley. This is a somewhat lower and narrower transi- 
tional band than indicated for the northern cordilleras. It is at this elevation that a 
change in temperature becomes noticeable and, along with it, a decrease in the num- 
bers and abundance of species from lower elevations. Some examples of species from 
lower elevations found here are Albizia adinocephala, Ardisia revoluta, Brickellia pan- 
iculata, Bursera simaruba, Casimiroa sapota, Cecropia peltata, Centrosema pubes- 
cens, C. sagittatum, Cupania glabra, Desmodium distortum, Diphysa americana, 
Gouania polygama, Guettarda macrosperma, Hauya elegans, Lasianthaea fruticosa, 
Malpighia glabra, Mimosa albida, M. velloziana, Phaseolus lunatus, Pithecoctenium 
crucigerum, Pogonopus exsertus, Sapindus saponaria, Senna fruticosa, Stylosanthes 
guianensis, Tabebuia rosea, Trixis inula, Vigna vexillata, and Xylosma intermedia. 
From 1200 to 1500 m up to ca. 2900 m, the vegetation is relatively homogeneous 
and shares many elements with the Tilaran and Talamanca ranges. Some of the most 
common species that characterize this landscape are Alnus acuminata, Brunellia cos- 
taricensis, Cavendishia bracteata, Cedrela tonduzii, Centropogon gutierrezii, Citro- 
nella costaricensis, Cleyera theoides, Clusia rotundata, Cornus disciflora, Dendro- 
panax latilobus, Deppea grandiflora, Drimys granadensis, Freziera candicans, Fuchsia 
paniculata, Gaiadendron punctatum, Guettarda crispiflora, Gunnera insignis, Hieron- 
yma oblonga, Ilex lamprophylla, Magnolia poasana, Monnina evonymoides, Mono- 
chaetum vulcanicum, Myrcianthes rhopaloides, Myrsine coriacea, M. pittieri, Ocotea 
endresiana, Oreopanax nicaraguensis, O. xalapensis, Panopsis costaricensis, Prunus 
brachybotrya, P. cornifolia, Psittacanthus schiedeanus, Quercus bumelioides, Q. cor- 
tesil, Q. oocarpa, Rhamnus oreodendron, Rondeletia amoena, R. buddleioides, Rou- 
pala glaberrima, Saurauia montana, Senecio multivenius, Solandra brachycalyx, Sym- 
plocos bradei, Ticodendron incognitum, Ugni myricoides, Vaccinium poasanum, 
Verbesina oerstediana, Viburnum stellatotomentosum, Weinmannia pinnata, Zantho- 
xylum melanostictum, and Zinowiewia integerrima. In general, this cordillera has its 
