Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica 177 
Probably the same orographic effects of the adjacent mountains contribute, at least 
in part, to the development of several relatively high-elevation (ca. 1200—1500 m) sa- 
vannas found just above this valley in the Cordillera de Talamanca, e.g., the Ujarras- 
Salitre (Sabana Oka) savannas. This association extends on toward Cabagra, with perhaps 
the phytogeographically most interesting species being Puya floccosa (Bromeliaceae). 
This species is restricted to a very small area, quite isolated from the nearest South Amer- 
ican population even though, both horizontally (2500 km) and vertically (ca. 3000 m), 
it is the most wide-ranging species in its genus (Smith & Downs, 1974). Other savanna 
elements of these relatively high elevations are Bulbostylis paradoxa, Celtis iguanaea, 
Centaurium brachycalyx, Clitoria guianensis, Crotalaria sagittalis, Declieuxia fruti- 
cosa, Drosera capillaris, Eriosema crinitum, E. diffusum, Hirtella americana, Hyptis 
brachiata, Indigofera lespedezioides, Leptocoryphium lanatum, Polygala timoutoides, 
Rhynchospora barbata, Sporobolus cubensis, Trixis inula, and Turnera ulmifolia. 
Coto Brus Valley. This valley is made up primarily of the basin of the Rio Coto Brus 
(and a few tributaries such as the Singri and Platanillal rivers) and the Rio Cotén. To 
the north, it is delimited by the Cordillera de Talamanca and to the south by the south- 
ern Fila Costefia, and its overall elevational range is approximately 400-1200 m. 
Floristically (and physiographically; Gomez P., 1986), this valley is a single vegeta- 
tional unit, but at the same time a continuation of the General Valley. At its lower lev- 
els (ca. 400—1000 m), it is characterized by species of dry and hot climates, and the 
landscape is dominated by Attalea rostrata. Other species characteristic of this area are 
Acacia centralis, A. collinsii, Anacardium excelsum, Astronium graveolens, Calyco- 
phyllum candidissimum, Cecropia peltata, Convolvulus nodiflorus, Cordia panamen- 
sis, Desmodium nicaraguense, Dicraspidia donnell-smithii, Dracaena americana, 
Ficus obtusifolia, Hura crepitans, Ipomoea dumosa, Lonchocarpus minimiflorus, 
Lysiloma divaricatum, Machaerium kegelii, Maclura tinctoria, Macrocnemum roseum, 
Pitcairnia megasepala, Pseudobombax septenatum, Schizolobium parahyba, Sider- 
oxylon capiri, and Vitis tiliifolia. At the valley’s upper elevational extreme (1000—1200 
m), one finds many of the same species that stretch across the central Pacific region at 
these middle elevations (see, e.g., the discussion of the Cerros de Escazu and adjacent 
ranges). Nevertheless, toward the border with Panama a few species, such as Dacryo- 
des sp. nov., Inga sp. nov., and Wimmeria sternii, are unique to this area, or especially 
frequent here. Some of these, such as Dacryodes sp. nov., appear to have a very strictly 
defined upper elevational limit of ca. 1200 m. 
Coto Colorado Valley. This valley has been almost completely transformed as a re- 
sult of the banana and palm-oil industries, making any description of its original vege- 
tation more difficult. In general, its topography is low; toward Panama, a few patches 
of remnant forest are dominated by Anacardium excelsum, Carapa guianensis, and 
Castilla tunu, but also harbor species such as Bombacopsis sessilis, Ceiba pentandra, 
