FLORA IN CORDOBA

As a consequence of its geographical place, Cordoba is an area of contact for various flowers (Chaco, Andean, Patagonian Magallanic), which means that they coexist with species of different origins.

CHACO FOREST
This area is divided in two areas which are separated by the Sierras of the North, which present characteristic vegetation and environments.

a. - Eastern Chaco Forest: it is found between the Sierras of the North, Villa del Totoral and the Cacti of the West on the basin of the Dulce River.

Tree and shrubby stratum: its made up by the following species that form a canopy rather scarce of 8 to 10 m high: red acacia, white acacia, black locust tree, white locust tree, mistol tala tree, espinillo, tusca, moradillos, chañar, garabato tintitaco, brea, atamisqui, trumpet tree, piquillín, sombra de toro, abriboca, yellow sage, poleo, small black peach tree, lagaña de perro, white garabato, female garabato, carqueja, quiebra arado and some others.

Cactuses: ucle, cardón, quimilo and ulúa.

Climbers: trompeta de venus, pañuelito, sacha guasca, cabellos de indio o loconte, and pasionaria.

Others: liga or mistletoe, air carnation, chaguares and grasses.

b. - Western Chaco Forest: it is drier than the former, with rains ranging between 380 and 480 mm. It projects itself west of the sierra systems and constitutes the most arid portion of the Province.

Tree stratum: the vegetation is shorter, rarely growing more than 7 m. Here the traveler can find the white locust tree (another species with larger leafs than that described previously), white fern leaf acacia (with hanging branches), retamo, jabonillo, cross sage, alpataco, jarilla, barba de tigre chico, big pichana, lata, brea and the aromito.

The other stratums are less profuse than in the eastern zone, although the species are the same. Here, the herbaceous stratum and the grasses do not form a tight mantle.

THE SIERRAS
The difference in altitude is important here: the lower hillocks are less than 500 m high and the highest peaks reach almost 3000 m; therefore vegetation "floors" or "belts" are created, characterised by certain groups of species.

Floor 1 - Sierra Forest: between 500 and 1350 m altitude, it is characterised for being generally open, dense in favourable places and scarce in the most severe environments. Tree and shrubby species: the Chaco Sierra Forest has the peppertree or " drinking peppertree " (Lithraea ternifolia), the "coco" (Fagara coco) and the horco - acacia (Schinopsis haenkeana) as the main tree species. They are found together with the country apple tree, espinillos, peach tree of the sierras, white peppertree, piquillín of the sierras, and some species from the plains that climb along the slopes which occupy the lower fringe of this stratum on drier and warmer slopes: locust trees, orco - acacia or sierra acacia from Cordoba, earomito, chañar, tala, mistol, sobra de toro, ucle, chilca, barba de tigre, yellow sage, lagaña de perro, chaguares, trumpet tree, lantana and abutilón.

Others: sacha guasca, tasi, pasionaria, berbena, zinia and grasses.

* Palm tree clusters: there is a landscape entirely different to that in the rest of the Province that can be detected in the northern sector of the Pampas de Pocho, on small valleys, hillocks and lower slopes of the surroundings, as well as north of Tulumba, North San Pedro, San Francisco del Chañar and Pozo del Tigre. It is conformed by the palm trees of the Trithinax campestris species, which occupy large sierra areas between 700 and 1100 m altitude. They can be seen in small concentrations or standing alone in Capilla del Monte, Charbonier, Copacabana, Cerro Colorado and Sebastian el Cano.