Capparidastrum coimbranum (Cornejo & Iltis) Cornejo & Iltis (CAPPARACEAE) in the Northern Yungas of Argentina: Sierras de Alto Macueta and del Alto Rio Seco (General San Martin Department, Salta Province)

VILLALBA, MARIA SOLEDAD; ENTROCASSI, GABRIELA SUSANA; RAMOS, GLORIA; MARTÍNEZ CARRETERO, EDUARDO

Mediterranean Botany

Ediciones Complutense

Lugar: Madrid; Año: 2023

The present work contributes to the knowledge of Capparidastrum coimbranum (Capparaceae) in the Northern Yungas of Argentina, a little known tree species recorded in this study in the Sierras of Alto Macueta and del Alto Rio Seco, in the extreme north of Salta Province (Argentina). The objectives of this study were: to describe the collected material of Capparidastrum coimbranum and to characterise in floristic, ecological and bioclimatic terms the forest community that this species presides in the Premontane Forest of the study area. The floristic composition and specific richness of this forest was determined, as well as the abundance and coverage of Capparidastrum coimbranum in the community. Also, the altitudinal and latitudinal limits of distribution of this species in the Northern Yungas of Argentina were also established, and its bioclimatic optimum was determined according to the thermotype and ombrotype in which it is distributed. The results obtained show that Capparidastrum coimbranum forms an almost pure forest in the Sierras de Alto Macueta (between 734 and 799 m asl), occupying the vegetation belts corresponding to the Upper Subhumid Thermotropical Premontane Forest and Upper Subhumid Mesotropical Premontane Forest. Isolated individuals were also recorded at lower and higher altitudes (638 m asl and 995 m asl). The southernmost finding of this species in the study area (at 22° 20' 37''S in the Sierras del Alto Rio Seco) has biogeographical implications, as it extends its geographical distribution beyond Bolivia, where it is endemic. The presence of Capparidastrum coimbranum in the Northern Yungas of Argentina is a relevant contribution to the diversity of the arboreal flora of this region, considered to be the most diverse, and particularly to the diversity of the Premontane Forest, the most threatened vegetation belt at present, and on which conservation strategies must be implemented urgently.