Flora
Thanks to our diverse geography and climate, Chile offers a wide variety of flora species. In the Northern coast, the vegetation is nearly non-existant, except for a large variety of cacti. In the small North and the central area more vegetation can be found because the environment grows more humid, with a variety of shrubbery and trees with hard-leaf trees. Some of the most common species are "Litre" (Lithraea caustica), Lun, Guayacan (Porlieria chilensis), Peumo, and many others.
Further South and getting to Chile's Austral area, you will find trees such as the Oak, Coigüe (evergreen), Hazelnut, Canelo (Winter's Bark), Araucaria, and Larch. A large part of the diversity of the Chilean Flora is characterized by being only in the limits of our territory. This is why trees, shrubbery and other flora, that we will continue to refer to, correspond to the most representative and characteristic species of national flora.
Many of these species are in serious danger of extinction. The extraordinary quality of some of them- like the Larch and the Araucaria- next to its slow growth have made that indiscriminate felling causes the disappearance of forests that are thousands of years old. And the process of destruction (or what others may call progress) shows no sign of slowing.
Araucaria
An extremely slow growing tree, reaching a height of 50 meters. It has a straight trunk, cilindrical and very thick (3 or more meters in diameter). The branches start at various meters…
Boldo
This tree has dark and dense foilage: its leaves are aromatic, perennial, coriaceous, whole from 3 to 7 cm long by 1 to 5 cm wide; of varied form, with edges folded inward. They'…
Bollen
It is a shrub or little tree of 2 to 10 meters tall. It has simple leaves 3 to 8 cm long, oblong with serrated edge, coriaceous of light green color on the underside. The flowers are…
Carob-tree
A corpulent tree, with flexible and spiny branches, 8 to 14 meters tall. It has caducous leaves, divided into 13 to 20 linear folios, with full length of 10 to 20 cm , yellowish green.…
Chagual
A perennial plant with leaves in tight rosettes. The leaves are long, thin, bent, and have hard spines on the edges. Each leave can grow to a meter in lenght and 2 to 2.5 cm. width.…
Coigüe
Beautiful evergreen tree that grows relatively quick and can reach a height of 40 m. It has a straight, cylindrical trunk and free of branches in the inferior part. The bark has grey…
Colihuay
t's a ramose bush, 1 to 2 m. tall, with long and thin leaves with full edges of 2 to 5 cm. long. Flowers from September to November and the fruit is a smooth capsule, 1 to 2 cm…
Colihue
It is a shrub-like plant, perennial, with simple canes and without branches. The canes are solid and grow between 2 and 8 meters long. The leaves are long and thin, between 2 and 8…
Copihue or Chilean Bellflower
The copihue is Chile's national flower. It is a vine that can reach a length of up to 4 meters. Has simple leaves, oval-oblong, borad and smooth edges, dark green on the top side…
Guayacán
It is a bush that can reach up to 4 m. in height. It has twisted branches with opposing pairs of evergreen leaves, up to 18 pairs. Each leaf can be between 1.5 and 3.5 cm long and can…
Guindilla
It is a bush that can reach a height of 0.6 to 1.20 m. Its leaves are pointed upward, simple and 1.5 to 2 cm long. Flowers between September and October, and the fruit is a spherical…
Guindo Santo
The blessed guindo is a tree that reaches 4 to 5 meters (13-17 ft) in height and 10-15 cm (4-6 inches) in diameter. Its trunk has a clean bark of lustrous red color, with forked branches…
Hawthorn
It is an evergreen bush 1 to 2 m. tall with thin, long, and fragile branches. The leaves, 5 cm long, are light green on the underside. The flowers are formed by a calyx of 5 fleshy…
Hazel
This tree grows up to a height of 20 meters. It has a pyramidal growth with a straight trunck and thin branches. Its bark is ash-grey with dark spots. The new buds are covered by small…
Larch or Cahuén
It's conifer that grows extremely slowly (its trunck grows 1 cm. of thickness every 15 or 20 years) and can live for 3 to 4 thousand years. Reaches a height of 50 meters and a diameter…
Magellan Barberry or Calafate
A thorny shrub, 1 to 2 meters tall. It has leaves grouped together in rosettes, of varying sizes. The spines are yellowish and grow up to 3 cm. long. It's flowers are solitary with…
Mountain Cypress
Tree of pyrimidal form, evergreen, of 15 to 20 meters tall with grey and wrinkled bark. It has leveled branches, covered by two types of scaly leaves.
Northern Acorn
Corpulent tree, evergreen, 5 to 10 m tall. Simple leaves, opposing petioles, 11 cm. long and 7 cm. width, oblong, with whole edge, coriaceous, brilliant. Flowers, 3 to 5 cm long, have…
Olivillo
This species grows in very specific areas in Coquimbo province. The tree is very abundant within Chilean forests due to its temperate climate, which helps the trees grow.…
Ulmo
An evergreen tree that can grow to reach 40m (131 ft) in height, with a trunk that is 2 meters (6.5 ft) in diameter. The bark is of taupe color with fissure-like markings that run lengthwise…
Wild fuchsia
It is an evergreen bush 1 to 2 m. tall with thin, long, and fragile branches. The leaves, 5 cm long, are light green on the underside. The flowers are formed by a calyx of 5 fleshy…
Winter's Bark
It has a straight and cylindrical trunk which reaches a height of 30 m and a diameter of 1 m. Has thin branches with a reddish color in at the end of the twigs. The leaves are perennial,…
Dwarf Cypress
This species is very rare and is a very short bush whose trunks grow hidden in the mud, jutting out only 10 to 30 cm. Its leaves, like scales, completely cover the branches. Flowers…
Oak
It's a tree of a pyramidal aspect that measures between 5 and 15 meters (16-49ft) in height. It has an abundant and evergreen foliage that branches out from its base. Its trunk…