Vascular flora of dry scrub in Southern Ecuador

Abstract

This study lists dry scrub species that grow in western lowlands and interandean valleys in south Ecuador. Using material from field trips spanning over two years, we were able to identify 314 species belonging to 71 families and 221 genera. The most diverse families are Asteraceae (33 sp.), Fabaceae s.l. (27 sp.) and Poaceae (19 sp.). The most diverse genera are Croton (8 sp.) Euphorbia (6 sp.), Oxalis (5 sp.) and Senna (5 sp.). 7.01% of the flora (22 sp.) is endemic to the study area, and 6.4% (20 sp.) is adventive. The dominant life form is hemycryptophyte with 85 species (27.1%). Epiphytes, with 6 species, are the life form with fewer species (1.9%). The work contributes to the knowledge about plant diversity that is highly noticeable in southern Ecuador.