Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica 167 
bufonius, Justicia arborescens, Litsea glaucescens, Loeselia glandulosa, Macrohas- 
seltia macroterantha, Macrocnemum roseum, Mandevilla veraguasensis, Martinella 
obovata, Meliosma idiopoda, Miconia lauriformis, Molinadendron guatemalense, 
Monotropa uniflora, Montanoa guatemalensis, Nectandra cufudontisti, Ocotea prae- 
termissa, Passiflora adenopoda, Philodendron anisotomum, Phyllanthus anisolobus, 
Pisonia silvatica, Pitcairnia heterophylla, P. maidifolia, Plantago australis, Pleuro- 
petalum sprucei, Polygala paniculata, Polystichum hartwegii, Rhipidocladum pittieri, 
Rhipsalis micrantha, Sambucus canadensis, Sapranthus viridiflorus, Schaefferia fru- 
tescens, Selaginella pallescens, Senna guatemalensis, Sida urens, Sideroxylon portori- 
cense, Solanum torvum, Stemmadenia litoralis, Styrax glabrescens, Tectaria mexicana, 
T. pilosa, Thalictrum lankesteri, Tillandsia complanata, T. juncea, Valeriana candol- 
leana, V. urticifolia, Viburnum costaricanum, and V. stellatotomentosum. Some species 
have been found in Costa Rica only from this area, e.g., Abutilon striatum, Bouvardia 
longiflora, Cunila leucantha, Dalbergia calycina, Lepanthes guardiana, L. hamulifera, 
Litsea glaucescens, Molinadendron guatemalense, Schaefferia frutescens, Senna wil- 
liamsii, and Serjania phaseoloides. 
For these and other species not widespread in Costa Rica, such as Hauya elegans 
and Pogonopus exsertus, this region is critical habitat. Some of the upper-elevation spe- 
cies of this association are scattered across this region, roughly in a southwesterly di- 
rection, by way of the Chonta, Nara, and Costefia ridges. These ridges, however, being 
of lower elevation and closer to the coast, have a flora derived more from the south and 
from lower elevations. Recent botanical exploration in the area of Fila Chonta and 
Cerro Nara has revealed interesting elements in common with areas much to the north 
and to the south, as well as species endemic to the area; continued exploration will un- 
doubtedly reap many more such discoveries. A few of the montane species of interest 
are Alfaroa costaricensis, A. mexicana, Hedyosmum bonplandianum, Macrohasseltia 
macroterantha, Phyllonoma ruscifolia, Quercus spp., Ticodendron incognitum, and 
Weinmannia laurina. In general, this area appears to be rich in endemic species or spe- 
cies disjunct from distant countries (see the chapter on Novelties). 
It is also worth mentioning that a recent study of this region (INBio & MNCR, 
2001) found a number of species (e.g., Anthodiscus chocoensis, Inga golfodulcensis, 
and Parkia pendula) at ca. 8300-1000 m elevation in common with the Osa Peninsula, 
outside and above their previously known range. Certainly, forests below 500 m eleva- 
tion in this area are made up primarily of species in common with the Pacific coastal 
region to the southeast. 
Among the subsidiary ranges, the coastal range (Fila Costefia) is the most isolated 
from the main Talamanca cordillera, separated from it by the broad General and Coto 
Brus Valleys (see more below about these), with which it also shares much of its flora. 
This range is split into northern and southern sections by the Rio Grande de Térraba, 
which flows to the sea near Palmar Norte. In the northern part, its peaks (from Fila Tina- 
mastes to Fila Retinto) range in elevation from 600 to 1100 m, and near these summits 
