The Mediterranean climate in Chile is characterised by having mild, wet winters and very dry, long hot summers. The name comes from a similar type of climate occurring in Europe’s Mediterranean Basin; Australia, California and South Africa also have comparable climates and vegetation types. In Chile, the Mediterranean climate and vegetation is confined to narrow band on the western side of the Andes extending for about 1000 km between the Valparaíso and Biobío regions. The sclerophyllous native woody vegetation has mostly evergreen, hard and leathery leaves making them well-adapted to drought. Other strategies for drought resistance include having fleshy leaves such as in Cistanthe and Oxalis species and cacti with stems acting as effective water storage organs. Since the rainy season is in winter and of short duration, these species may have at least seven months without any rainfall. This habitat type is notable for its high levels of plant species endemism and because of this and the associated threats of urbanisation and land clearance for agriculture, it has been identified as one of the global ‘biodiversity hotspots’.
Endemic Taxa in Mediterranean
- Abrotanella submarginata A.Gray
- Acaena trifida Ruiz & Pav. var. trifida
- Acmispon subpinnatus (Lag.) D.D.Sokoloff
- Adesmia argentea Meyen
- Adesmia balsamica Bertero ex Colla
- Adesmia bedwellii Skottsb.
- Adesmia bijuga Phil.
- Adesmia viscosa Gillies ex Hook. & Arn.
- Alstroemeria garaventae Ehr. Bayer
- Alstroemeria pulchra Sims ssp. pulchra
- Alstroemeria pulchra Sims var. maxima Phil.
- Alstroemeria revoluta Ruiz & Pav.
- Anemone moorei Espinosa
- Antidaphne punctulata (Clos) Kuijt
- Archidasyphyllum excelsum (D.Don) Cabrera
- Austrocactus spiniflorus (Phil.) F.Ritter
- Azara celastrina D.Don
- Azara petiolaris (D. Don) I.M.Johnst.
- Bahia ambrosioides Lag.
- Berberis actinacantha Mart. ex Schult. & Schult.f.
- Berberis chilensis Gillies ex Hook. & Arn. var. chilensis
- Berberis congestiflora Gay
- Berberis horrida Gay
- Berberis negeriana Tischler
- Berberis rotundifolia Poepp. & Endl.
- Berberis valdiviana Phil.
- Bipinnula fimbriata (Poepp.) I.M.Johnst.
- Bipinnula plumosa Lindl.
- Calandrinia nitida (Ruiz & Pav.) DC.
- Calceolaria alba Ruiz & Pav.
- Calceolaria ascendens Lindl. ssp. exigua (Witasek) Nic.García
- Calceolaria asperula Phil.
- Calceolaria caleuana M.Muñoz & Moreira
- Calceolaria campanae Phil.
- Calceolaria flavida Lavandero & Santilli
- Chaetanthera flabellifolia Cabrera
- Chaetanthera incana Poepp. ex Less.
- Chaetanthera multicaulis DC.
- Chloraea bletioides Lindl.
- Chloraea cristata Lindl.
- Chloraea heteroglossa Rchb. f.
- Cistanthe chamissoi (Barnéoud) Carolin ex Hershk.,
- Cistanthe vicina (Phil.) Carolin ex Hershk.
- Colliguaja odorifera Molina
- Combera minima (Phil.) Sandwith
- Conanthera campanulata Lindl.
- Cordia decandra Hook. & Arn.
- Corynabutilon ochsenii (Phil.) Kearney
- Corynabutilon vitifolium (Cav.) Kearney
- Crinodendron patagua Molina
- Cryptocarya alba (Molina) Looser
- Drimys andina (Reiche) R. Rodr. & Quezada
- Eriosyce armata (F.Ritter) P.C.Guerrero & Helmut Walter
- Eriosyce aspillagae subsp. maechlerorum Helmut Walter
- Eriosyce aurata (Pfeiff.) Backeb. var. aurata
- Eriosyce chilensis (Hildm. ex K. Schum.) Katt.
- Eriosyce coimasensis (F.Ritter) P.C.Guerrero & Helmut Walter
- Eriosyce curvispina (Bertero ex Colla) Katt.
- Eriosyce eriosyzoides (F.Ritter) Ferryman
- Eriosyce marksiana (F. Ritter) Katt.
- Eriosyce senilis (Backeb.) Katt. ssp. senilis
- Eriosyce subgibbosa (Haw.) Katt.
- Eulychnia acida Phil.
- Eulychnia breviflora Phil.
- Eulychnia castanea Phil.
- Gardoquia gilliesii Graham
- Gayella valparadisaea (Molina) Pierre
- Haplopappus integerrimus (Hook. & Arn.) H.M.Hall
- Helenium glaucum (Cav.) Stuntz
- Jubaea chilensis (Molina) Baill.
- Kageneckia angustifolia D. Don
- Kageneckia oblonga Ruiz & Pav.
- Lardizabala biternata Ruiz & Pav.
- Lepechinia chilensis (Molina) R.Morales
- Lepechinia salviae (Lindl.) Epling
- Lepechinia subhastata (Benth.) Epling
- Lepidoceras chilense (Molina) Kuijt
- Leucostele chiloensis (Colla) Schlumpb.
- Leucostele litoralis (Johow) P. C. Guerrero & Helmut Walter
- Leucostele nigripilis (Phil.) P.C. Guerrero & Helmut Walter
- Leucostele skottsbergii (Backeb. ex Skottsb.) P.C. Guerrero & Helmut Walter
- Libertia sessiliflora (Poepp.) Skottsb.
- Loasa mollensis Muñoz-Schick & Trenqualye
- Maihueniopsis archiconoidea F. Ritter
- Maihueniopsis atacamensis (Phil.) F.Ritter
- Maihueniopsis camachoi (Espinosa) F.Ritter
- Maihueniopsis conoidea (Backeb.) F.Ritter
- Malesherbia fasciculata D. Don var. fasciculata
- Malesherbia linearifolia (Cav.) Pers.
- Miersia putaendensis A. Cádiz-Véliz
- Miersia raucoana J.E.Sepúlveda & Nic.García
- Miersia stellata C.Cuevas & Nic.García
- Neobartsia chilensis (Benth.) Uribe-Convers & Tank
- Nolana crassulifolia Poepp.
- Nolana paradoxa Lindl.
- Nolana sedifolia Poepp.
- Nolana werdermannii I.M.Johnst.
- Notanthera heterophylla (Ruiz & Pav.) G. Don
- Oxalis mirbelii Dehnh.
- Oxalis novemfoliolata Heibl & Martic.
- Oxalis ranchillos J.M. Watson & A.R. Flores
- Plantago hispidula Ruiz & Pav.
- Solanum alphonsei Dunal
- Solanum brachyantherum Phil.
- Solanum etuberosum Lindl.
- Solanum indivisum Witasek ex J.R.Benn
- Solanum trinominum J.R.Benn.
- Solenomelus pedunculatus (Gillies ex Hook.) Hochr.
- Stachys bridgesii Benth.
- Stachys grandidentata Lindl.
- Stachys macraei Benth.
- Stachys pannosa Phil.
- Stachys philippiana Vatke
- Stachys sericea Cav.
- Stachys truncata Kunze ex Benth.
- Teucrium bicolor Sm.
- Tristerix aphyllus (Miers ex DC.) Barlow & Wiens
- Ulantha apinnula (Gosewijn) Szlach.
Endemic taxa only occurring in Mediterranean
- Adesmia bedwellii Skottsb.
- Austrocactus spiniflorus (Phil.) F.Ritter
- Chaetanthera flabellifolia Cabrera
- Chaetanthera incana Poepp. ex Less.
- Eriosyce armata (F.Ritter) P.C.Guerrero & Helmut Walter
- Eriosyce coimasensis (F.Ritter) P.C.Guerrero & Helmut Walter
- Eriosyce eriosyzoides (F.Ritter) Ferryman
- Eriosyce marksiana (F. Ritter) Katt.
- Eriosyce senilis (Backeb.) Katt. ssp. senilis