The Vegetation of the Salinas Grandes

Abstract

The author studies the vegetation of the Salinas Grandes, the vast salt desert in the interior of Argentina. It covers approximately 12.000 km2, stretching between 28°40' and 30°48' latitude in the southern hemisphere. ln the introduction the author points out the scientific agronomic vad phytogeographic importance of the knowledge of the halophilous communities in Argentina, and describes in detail the environment and vegetation of the Salinas, indicating the floristic composition, the constant and frequent dominant species in the plant communities of that region, and establishes at the same time in which form the process of plant succession is realized. He also determines the inter-relationships existing between the vegetation and the quantitative and qualitative contents of the soluble salts of the soil. The author gives an analysis of the vegetative forms, a biological spectrum of the region which compares with the normal spectrum of Raunkiaer. He also indicates the corresponding ,spectrums of the different plant communities.