The Tarapacá Region (I) is located in the north of Chile between the Regions of Arica-Parinacota to the north and Antofagasta to the south, it has a surface area of 41,800 km². The region has isolated fog oasis or lomas formations and although these are relatively species-poor, compared with those along the southern coast of Antofagasta Region, they do support important assemblages of endemic plants species. One such fog oasis is Alto Patache which has a flora of about 54 species including one of the few populations of Alstroemeria lutea and the recently described Nolana patachensis. Separating the coastal mountain range and the western slopes of the Andes is the vast plain of Pampa del Tamarugal. This green oasis is the home to a single species - Prosopis tamarugo is a leguminous tree endemic to northern Chile where it once formed an extensive forest. This extremely arid habitat has little or no rain, therefore, the Prosopis trees have extensive root systems which tap into 20 m deep aquifers. Many of the 149 species endemic to the region grow along Andean-fed watercourses and at higher altitudes (2800-3900 m) where the rainfall is sufficient to support shrubland habitats.
Endemic Taxa in Tarapacá
- Adesmia argentea Meyen
- Adesmia atacamensis Phil.
- Adesmia eremophila Phil.
- Adesmia pusilla Phil.
- Aimara rollinsii (Al-Shehbaz & Martic.) Salariato & Al-Shehbaz
- Alstroemeria lutea M.Muñoz
- Anatherostipa venusta (Phil.) Peñailillo
- Aphyllocladus denticulatus (J.Rémy) Cabrera var. calvus (Phil.) Cabrera
- Astragalus werdermannii I.M.Johnst.
- Atriplex atacamensis Phil.
- Atriplex chizae Rosas
- Atriplex glaucescens Phil.
- Atriplex madariagae Phil.
- Atriplex taltalensis I.M. Johnst.
- Bahia ambrosioides Lag.
- Balbisia microphylla (Phil.) Reiche
- Bowlesia paposana I.M. Johnst.
- Bromus gunckelii Matthei
- Calandrinia pilosiuscula DC
- Calceolaria stellariifolia Phil.
- Cardionema andinum (Phil.) A.Nelson & J.F.Macbr.
- Chuquiraga ulicina (Hook. & Arn.) Hook. & Arn. ssp. ulicina (Hook. & Arn.) Hook. & Arn.
- Cistanthe cephalophora (I.M.Johnst.) Carolin ex Hershkovitz
- Cistanthe cymosa (Phil.) Hershkovitz
- Cistanthe thyrsoidea (Reiche) Peralta & D.I. Ford
- Conanthera campanulata Lindl.
- Coreopsis suaveolens Sherff
- Cristaria aspera Gay var. aspera
- Cristaria cyanea Phil.
- Cristaria integerrima Phil. var. integerrima
- Cristaria molinae Gay
- Cristaria multiflora Gay
- Cristaria tenuissima M. Muñoz
- Cristaria viridiluteola Gay var. pinnata (Phil.) M. Muñoz
- Cristaria viridiluteola Gay var. viridiluteola
- Cryptantha filiformis (Phil.) Reiche
- Cryptantha glomerata Lehm. ex Fisch. & C.A. Mey. ssp. glomerata
- Cryptantha subamplexicaulis (Phil.) Reiche
- Cuscuta purpurata Phil.
- Cynodon nitidus Caro & E.A.Sánchez
- Dalea pennellii (J.F.Macbr.) J.F.Macbr. var. chilensis Barneby
- Dinemagonum gayanum A.Juss.
- Dinemandra ericoides A. Juss.
- Domeykoa andina Saldivia & Faúndez
- Encelia canescens Lam. ssp. oblongifolia (DC.) S.F.Blake
- Eremocharis fruticosa Phil.
- Eriosyce iquiquensis (F.Ritter) Ferryman
- Eulychnia iquiquensis (K.Schum.) Britton & Rose
- Euphorbia tarapacana Phil.
- Fabiana ramulosa (Wedd.) Hunz. & Barboza
- Gentianella tarapacana (Gilg) T.N. Ho & S.W. Liu
- Glandularia atacamensis (Reiche) J.M.Watson & A.Hoffm.
- Glandularia gynobasis (Wedd.) N. O’Leary & P. Peralta
- Gutierrezia espinosae Acevedo
- Gymnophyton foliosum Phil.
- Gymnophyton robustum Clos
- Heliotropium eremogenum I.M. Johnst.
- Heliotropium linariifolium Phil.
- Heliotropium myosotifolium (A. DC.) Reiche
- Heliotropium pycnophyllum Phil.
- Helogyne macrogyne (Phil.) B.L.Rob.
- Hoffmannseggia aphylla (Phil.) G.P. Lewis & Sotuyo
- Hoffmannseggia doellii Phil. ssp. doellii
- Huidobria fruticosa Phil
- Junellia bryoides (Phil.) Moldenke
- Lepidium cumingianum Fisch. & C.A. Mey.
- Leucocoryne appendiculata Phil.
- Lupinus oreophilus Phil.
- Lycium deserti Phil.
- Malesherbia corallina M. Muñoz & R. Pinto
- Malesherbia humilis Poepp. var. parviflora (Phil.) Ricardi
- Malesherbia tenuifolia D. Don
- Mathewsia auriculata Phil.
- Metharme lanata Phil. ex Engl.
- Mirabilis acuta (Reiche) Heimerl
- Mirabilis trollii Heimerl
- Montiopsis demissa (Phil.) D.I. Ford
- Montiopsis trifida (Hook. & Arn.) D.I. Ford
- Myrosmodes nervosa (Kraenzl.) Novoa, C. Vargas & Cisternas
- Nassella pungens E.Desv.
- Neuontobotrys berningeri O.E.Schulz
- Neuontobotrys linearifolia (Kuntze) Al-Shehbaz
- Nicotiana solanifolia Walp.
- Nolana aplocaryoides (Gaudich.) I.M. Johnst.
- Nolana carnosa (Lindl.) Miers ex Dunal
- Nolana foliosa (Phil.) I.M.Johnst.
- Nolana intonsa I.M.Johnst.
- Nolana jaffuelii I.M.Johnst.
- Nolana leptophylla (Miers) I.M.Johnst.
- Nolana patachensis J. Hepp & M. O. Dillon
- Nolana peruviana (Gaudich.) I.M.Johnst.
- Nolana pterocarpa Phil. ex Wettst.
- Nolana rostrata (Lindl.) Miers ex Dunal
- Nolana sedifolia Poepp.
- Nolana tarapacana (Phil.) I.M.Johnst.
- Nototriche auricoma (Phil.) A.W. Hill
- Nototriche diminutiva (Phil.) I.M.Johnst.
- Nototriche estipulata A.W.Hill ex B.L.Burtt
- Nototriche nana A.W.Hill
- Nototriche stipularis (Phil.) A.Martic.
- Ophryosporus anomalus R.M.King & H.Rob.
- Ophryosporus pinifolius (Phil.) R.M.King & H.Rob.
- Oriastrum tarapacensis A.M.R.Davies
- Orobanche tarapacana Phil.
- Oxalis bulbocastanum Phil.
- Philippiamra amaranthoides (Phil.) Kuntze
- Plantago hispidula Ruiz & Pav.
- Plantago litorea Phil.
- Portulaca philippii I.M.Johnst.
- Prosopis burkartii Muñoz
- Prosopis flexuosa DC. var. fruticosa (Meyen) F.A. Roig
- Prosopis tamarugo Phil.
- Proustia cuneifolia subsp. tipia (Phil.) Luebert
- Pseudognaphalium munoziae N. Bayón, C. Monti & S.E. Freire,
- Reyesia chilensis Gay
- Reyesia juniperoides (Werderm.) D'Arcy
- Schizanthus laetus Phil.
- Senecio behnii Ricardi & Martic.
- Senecio coscayanus Ricardi & Martic.
- Senecio ctenophyllus Phil.
- Senecio madariagae Phil.
- Senecio olivaceobracteatus Ricardi & Martic.
- Senecio pfisteri Ricardi & Martic.
- Senecio reicheanus Cabrera
- Senecio zapahuirensis Martic. & Quezada
- Sibara anethifolia (Phil.) Al-Shehbaz
- Solanum brachyantherum Phil.
- Solanum pinnatum Cav.
- Spergularia arbuscula (Gay) I.M.Johnst.
- Spergularia stenocarpa (Phil.) I.M.Johnst.
- Stellaria chilensis Pedersen
- Stevia philippiana Hieron.
- Tarasa pediculata Krapov.
- Tetragonia angustifolia Barnéoud
- Tetragonia ovata Phil.
- Tigridia philippiana I.M. Johnst.
- Tiquilia atacamensis (Phil.) A.T.Richardson
- Trichocline caulescens Phil.
- Trichocline deserticola Zardini
- Tweedia birostrata (Hook. & Arn.) Hook. & Arn.
- Viguiera atacamensis Phil.
- Villanova robusta Phil.
- Viola polypoda Turcz.
- Weberbauerella chilensis Faúndez & Saldivia
- Werneria glaberrima Phil.
- Zephyra elegans D. Don
Endemic taxa only occurring in Tarapacá
- Ophryosporus pinifolius (Phil.) R.M.King & H.Rob.
- Nolana patachensis J. Hepp & M. O. Dillon
- Pseudognaphalium munoziae N. Bayón, C. Monti & S.E. Freire,
- Domeykoa andina Saldivia & Faúndez
- Astragalus werdermannii I.M.Johnst.
- Eriosyce iquiquensis (F.Ritter) Ferryman
- Nolana intonsa I.M.Johnst.
- Nolana foliosa (Phil.) I.M.Johnst.
- Orobanche tarapacana Phil.
- Prosopis burkartii Muñoz
- Senecio coscayanus Ricardi & Martic.
- Mirabilis trollii Heimerl
- Malesherbia tenuifolia D. Don
- Malesherbia corallina M. Muñoz & R. Pinto
- Alstroemeria lutea M.Muñoz