Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Flora of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares
Although over half of its surface area is cloaked in ice, Parque Nacional Los Glaciares,
with three distinct habitats within its borders, also shelters a rich diversity of flora. In its
eastern section, the Patagonian steppe is given dashes of color by the flowers of
calafate
and
mata guanaco
shrubs. Heading west the steppe gives way to a transition forest of
ñire
trees and colorful species such as the
Zapatito de la Virgen
flower. In the park's far west
this transition zone meets the great Magellanic forest, a humid area that is home to the
region's greatest concentration of plant life. Receiving an annual rainfall of 30-80 inches
(80-200 cm), this forest is thick with
lenga
trees and, during the southern hemisphere's
spring season, dappled with flowers, including five species of orchid. Different species
of flora can be sighted along trails that flank glaciers and Mount Fitz Roy.
The Magellanic Forest
This forest of southern beech
grows upwards from the edges
of glaciers and lakes, ascending the
slopes of surrounding mountains
to an altitude of 3,280 ft (1,000 m).
Dominant
lenga
and smaller
coihue
trees are its signature species.
Lengas
grow in a variety of
shapes according to altitude
and sun exposure.
Zapatito de la Virgens
are bell-shaped flowers
that decorate trails
around Mount Fitz Roy
and Cerro Torre.
Calafates
dot the
steppe, with yellow
flowers and sweet
blue berries.
According to myth,
whoever eats a
calafate
berry will
return to Patagonia.
Chilcos
are delicate,
intensely colored
flowers that flourish
in the shady, damp
undergrowth of the
Magellanic forest.
Notro
shrubs thrive
in the humid
Magellanic forest,
blooming with red
flowers in spring.
They are easily
sighted on trails.
White dog orchids
are one of the five
species of orchid
that adorn the
forest floor during
springtime.
