The Ferns of Southern Chile
1948; American Fern Society; Volume: 38; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/1545351
ISSN1938-422X
Autores Tópico(s)Botany and Geology in Latin America and Caribbean
ResumoSome years ago I published in this JOURNAL an account of the ferns of central Chile, that is, of the region in which are situated the principal cities, Santiago, the capital, and the port of Valparaiso.' As some of my readers may remember, that is a steppe region of low rainfall, originally covered with a stunted and sparse xerophytic forest and now largely given over to the cultivation of wheat, barley, maize, and legumes, or in the drier parts, especially the hills, to pasture or the raising of wood for fuel. Rains are scanty, occurring only in winter (May to October), but are then often violent. Agriculture is carried on mostly by means of irrigation. The water comes from the great snow-fields of the Andes, which here reach a maximum altitude of 7,000 meters in Mt. Aconcagua, the highest peak in America, and various lesser summits. Ferns are rare, not only in number of species (only about 30), but also in number of individuals. No species is at all conspicuous in the landscape; one finds only some xerophytic forms under trees or between rocks, and a few mesophytic species in moist ravines, through which small streams run and in which forests of considerable height, requiring much more water than the vegetation of open lands, are able to maintain themselves. As one goes northward, environmental conditions become more and more un-
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