Hastings: Flora of central Chile 617 



The low hill and mountain region may easily be subdivided, 

 although the divisions can not be sharply h'mited. There is con- 

 siderable difference between northern and southern exposures at 

 the same elevation, and the upper limit of many species is liiglier 

 in the interior mountains than in the outer ranges. 



The flora of the hills that rise abruptly from the central plain, 

 as Cerro Blanco, San Cristobel, Renca and San Bernardo, is inter- 

 mediate between that of the mountains and that of the plains. 

 The Acacia is still one of the characteristic plants, but with it are 

 many other shrubs, Talgucnca costata, Lithraca caustica, ColUtia 

 ferox^ Miiehlcnhcckia chilcnsis, CoUigiiaya odoiifera. Ephedra 

 andiiia^ and the tall, columnar Cerens Quisco. The clumps of 

 Ephedra seem to be as numerous on these lovv hills as on the 

 higher slopes, where it extends close to the snow-line. On the 

 hills it may be from four to six feet high, though it is so com- 

 monly cropped by cattle that it rarely attains such a height, while 

 near the snow-line it is a matted shrub six or eight inches high. 

 The herbaceous plants are typically Chilean, though a few natu- 

 ralized species, such as Fumaria media^ Erodinm cictitarium, Con- 

 vohndus arvensis Mamtbiwn vidgare^ Centaurea inclitensis and 



Cynara Cardiuicidiis are common. 



xhopct 



alum siellahun, with its delicately fringed white flowers, Letico- 

 co7y7ie ixioides^ PasitJica caertdea^ blue and }^ellow Sisyrinchinm^ 

 species of Oxalis, and other, chiefly bulbous, plants are common. 

 A little later several species of Calceolaria, especially C, midicaidis^ 

 C. purpurea^ and C. adsccndens, species of Loasa, CajopJiora, Bow- 

 tesia, Tropaeoliim^ Moscharia and Triptilion are the characteristic 

 plants. By the last of November most of the spring flowers have 

 matured fruits and are in a resting condition that lasts until the 

 winter rains begin. Throughout the summer flowers are rare. 

 The most attractive are composites, species of Mutisia, Centaiirca 

 chilensis and Triptilion sp. There are also a large number of less 

 showy species, including species o{ Baccharis, Senecio, Conyza, and 



Erigeron. 



The mountains proper have a greater number of shrubs. 

 Near the streams are a few small trees, Maytemis Boaria, Ble- 

 pharocalyx, Myrttis, Cryptocarya Petmus, Quillaja saponaria, and 

 Kageneckia oblonga, all evergreen. On the drier slopes are thorny 



