The flora of Uruguay consists of 2,500

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

distributed among 150 native and foreign biological families. Approximately 80% of Uruguay is prairie, with grasses predominating. Uruguay is primarily a grass-growing land, with vegetation that is essentially a continuation of the Argentine

Pampas The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Brazi ...

. Forest areas are relatively small. Trees grow in bunches. Forested areas are much smaller than in the pampas, but contain a mix of hardwoods and softwoods, while

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as e ...

were imported from Australia. Ceibo Uruguay

"Ceibo", or '' Erythrina cristagalli'', is the national flower.

Herbs

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

contains many herbs, ferns, and flowers.

Riverine forests

Natural forests in Uruguay mainly grow near rivers in the countryside. The native forests are composed of more than 500 native species, including palms. The most abundant are "sauce criollo" ('' Salix humboldtiana''), "sarandí colorado" ('' Cephalanthus glabratus''), "sarandí blanco" ('' Phyllanthus sellowianus'') and "mataojos" ('' Pouteria salicifolia'').

Natural prairie

The natural prairie in Uruguay constitutes about (80% of the country) and contains some 2000 species including 400 grass species. The prairie includes Canelones, Colonia, San Jose, Flores,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, Lavalleja and Soriano. In the prairies "Tala" (''

Celtis tala ''Celtis tala'' (or ''Celtis ehrenbergiana''), known as tala, is a medium size deciduous tree, native to tropical and subtropical South America. With small to medium-sized spines, its one of the main components of the Gran Chaco prairies and cer ...

''), "Molle rastrero" (''

Schinus longifolius ''Schinus'' is a genus of flowering trees and tall shrubs in the sumac family, Anacardiaceae. Members of the genus are commonly known as pepper trees. The Peruvian pepper tree ('' Schinus molle'') is the source of the spice known as pink pep ...

''), "Espina amarilla" ('' Berberis laurina'') and "Coronilla" ('' Scutia buxifolia'') thrive, and ''

Cortaderia selloana ''Cortaderia selloana'' is a species of flowering plant in the Poaceae family. It is referred to by the common name pampas grass, and is native to southern South America, including the Pampas region after which it is named. Etymology ''Cortade ...

'' can be found.

Native bushes

In the valleys, bush lands dominated by shrubs instead of trees or grasses predominate. Common native bushes include ('' Scutia buxifolia''), "Arrayán" ('' Blepharocalyx salicifolius''), "Chal-Chal" ('' Allophyllus edulis''), and "Guayabo Colorado" ('' Eugenia cisplatensis'').

Gallery

File:PampasGrass.jpg, Pampas grass File:Pradera y bosque de ribera Uruguay.JPG, Prairie and forest in San José File:Río Queguay 02.JPG, River forest near Río Queguay File:Bosque Río Queguay 01.JPG, National park, espinillos, Río Queguay File:Bosque de algarrobos Uruguay.JPG, National Park, Prosopis spp. File:Bosque quebrada Uruguay.JPG, A creek forest, near Valle Edén

References

External links

national flower of Uruguay: Ceibo ErythrinaGrupo Guayubira en Defensa del Monte IndigenaElUruguayo.com Flora Geografía del Uruguay EnciclopediaLa Flora de Uruguay Easyviajar.com
{{Uruguay topics