620 Hastings : Flora of central Chile 



An interesting group of plants was found in a little basin above 

 Laguna Negra where the ground was saturated with water from 

 the glacier a short distance above. Luaula chilensis, Ranunailns 

 chilcnsis and Calandrinia affinis were growing in a thick carpet of 

 moss. The delicate blossoms of the Calendrmia seemed like flakes 

 of snow scattered from the neighboring drifts. Near the lake 

 below grew Tropacolu7n polypJiylhtm^ ScJihanthiis pinnatus and 

 species of Ihxaptcra. In the lake itself stood Jnnciis pictiis and 

 farther out a sparse growth of Myriophylhini clatinoides ternahim. 



As has been mentioned, the southern slopes of the mountains 

 have a flora somewhat different from the northern, as the south 

 slopes are cooler and moister. As a result the vegetation on 

 southern exposures is denser and more varied than that on the 

 northern. At lower elevations the plants best fitted for desert 

 conditions, such as Cereus and Piiya^ are found only on the north- 



F 



em slopes, while Escallonia^ Calceolaria^ Verbena^ Lippia and 

 others are found, chiefly on the southern. 



Nearly everywhere Cereus serves as host for Lorantlms aphyl- 

 Ins, the clusters of red flowers always springing from the axils of 

 the thorns. These blossoms are usually considered to be the 

 blossoms of the cactus by the country people. Loranthus tetran- 

 dus^ abundant on the poplars of the long alamedas of the plain, is 

 a serious pest on fruit trees and is found on nearly all the shrubs 

 of the lower mountains. Other species of Lorantlms are occa- 

 sionally found and are confined to certain plants; thus Loranthus 

 cuneifolius was found only on Porlicria hygrometiica. 



Except for the small number of water and swamp plants, 

 Typha, Myriopliyllum, Hydrocotyle, Montia, Potamogeton, Senecio 

 fisfulosus^ Co tula, FJeocharis, Juncus and Drimys Wintcri, nearly all 

 the plants show xerophytic adaptations ; and the waxy coating of 

 the leaves of Drimys may be considered as a xerophytic modifica- 

 tion. Many of the plants complete their growth during one or 

 two months of early spring, while the ground is moist, and then 

 spend the summer in a resting condition, storing in a bulb or other 

 underground stem the food that enables them to make a vigorous 

 start the following spring. Diposis Bulbocastanum, Cardami^te 

 alsophila^ Oxalis articidata, Tropaeolum tricolor, T. brachyceras, 

 Pasithea coerulea, and many others belong to this group. 



