Flora of Ecuador's Sierra

James Gauss — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 01:41:48 +0000

Although Ecuador is a small country that occuppies less than 0.2% of the earth’s land surface it is home to nearly 10% or over 25,000 of the world’s plant species. Because of the mild temperate to tropical climate year-round, plant species here do not go through a dormancy period as in North America but grow and produce twelve months of the year. We have only been here a short time and our adventure has only taken us to a few areas of Ecuador’s sierra region, but the diversity of plant species has been fascinating as well as captivating. With so many unfamiliar plants that I have yet to identify (even local Ecuadorians are at a loss to name them for me), for now I present a colorful photo essay for your enjoyment. I will continue to work on the identification.

Flowering trees. There are flowering trees everywhere we have been in the sierra, both domesticated and in the wild. Some seem to keep flowering forever or continuously such as the purple flowered Jacaranda tree below.

Jacaranda tree (L) and Hibiscus (R) in Tumbaco square.

Jacaranda flowers.

Poinsettia “tree”.

Cepillo or bottlebrush flowering tree in Tumbaco.

Senna viarum a small flowering tree.

Senna viarum flowers close-up.

Flowers of another small tree, likely of the legume family.

The delicate Mimosa albida flowers.

Red Hibiscus flowering tree.

Cup of Gold (Solandra maxima) flowering tree in Cumbaya with huge flower buds and flowers.

Flowering Shrubs. Lantana species, which North Americans may know and plant as small colorful annuals, grow into hardy shrubs here, both in the wild and as cultivated plants and often as sturdy hedge plants.

The multi-colored Lantana camara grows everywhere and flowers year-round.

The pink Lantana rugulosa is also prolific.

Flowering Vines. Flowering vines are also everywhere, climbing walls, trees, lamp poles and everything else where they can get a grip. In some cases they are so thick that they smother other plant material, but are very colorful.

Thunbergia alata (Black-eyed Susan vine) grows everywhere.

Thunbergia alata flower close-up.

Orange Trumpet vine (Pyrostegia venusta).

Yaloman (Delostoma integrifolia), a prolific vine with large flowers.

For a colorful display of the diverse Bougainvillea vines, see my previous post on Bougainvillea.

Cacti. Many species of cacti grow throughout much of Ecuador. A few are represented below.

San Pedro Cactus (Echinopsis pachanoi).

Huge San Pedro Cactus blosssom. Usually flowers at night.

Cylindrical cactus.

Prickly Pear Cactus (Optunia sp.).

Prickly Pear Cactus flower buds.

Other Flowers. Just about every day brings new flower discoveries, faster than I can identify them.

Aloe succotrina.

The strange flowering Leonotis nepetifolia plant common in waste areas. A new flower stalk emerges from the center of the oldest flower.

The succulent grown cover, Aptensia cordifolia (Baby Sun Rose or Red Aptensia), with delicate square or round flowers.

Another interesting succulent plant, Kalanchoe daigremontiana (Alligator plant or the Devil’s Backbone).

Flowers of Kalanchoe daigremontiana.

Forty foot high flower stalk of the Century Plant (Agave americana).

The delicate Onoseris hissopifolia.

Nasturtium grows wild along trails although this one is in a pot.

Morning glory (Ipomoea sp.) grows everywhere.

Check back for more discoveries and an update on identification of those plants currently listed as unidentified.

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Flora of Ecuador's Sierra