Land of the ©Keith Ferguson llamas – north-west Argentina Lorna and Keith Ferguson ver some years we have Chile (fig. 1) over the most The Andes of Northern Otravelled to see this northern of eight major Argentina offer travellers rewarding flora, from near road-passes over the Andes. an amazing and dramatic the Bolivian border in the Gaining height leaving the range of scenery and plant Province of Jujuy, south-west town of Jujuy, the landscape through Salta Province and becomes more barren and life, from the high puna further south into Catamarca, rocky; here are glimpses of with its impressive tall almost to the border of Rioja red nestling amongst the cacti to the rich forests of Province. rocks, which turn out to be the deep valleys and to Flying from Buenos Aires Glandularia peruviana (fig. 2), the expansive vineyards. and staying in Salta (1187m) the parent of the range of Amongst the diversity can to acclimatise to the altitude, half-hardy “verbenas” grown we’ve then headed 190km in our gardens. Northwards, be found plants we know north (on the main road) the valley opens up and huge and grow in our gardens, into Jujuy and the township cacti begin to dominate the as well as many strange of Purmamarca (2192m), landscape: usually Echinopsis and exotic species perhaps another excellent centre for atacamensis (fig. 3), up to known only from botanical exploration as it’s near the gardens and books. junction of the main road north to Bolivia and west to ©Keith Ferguson Fig. 1 Magnificent views, and challenging roads 45 ©Keith Ferguson ©Keith Ferguson Fig. 2 Glandularia peruviana ©Keith Ferguson Fig. 4 Large cacti host smaller Fig. 3 Huge cacti, usually Echinopsis atacamensis, dominate the landscape Tillandsia 4m tall, often branched 2470m (fig. 9). Continuing and frequently hosts to tiny towards Bolivia, the road species of Tillandsia (fig. 4), rises to more than 3000m one of the many kinds of and the vegetation becomes ©Keith Ferguson Bromeliaceae. very sparse on the dry, rocky Continuing north towards hillsides. Bolivia, the eroded rock On our second visit we took formations are dramatic a lesser road, narrow but well (fig. 8) and the vegetation paved at first, from Salta to Fig. 5 Oreocereus trollii amongst the tall cacti consists Purmamarca eastward, then of many smaller cacti: climbing high in a loop north- Oreocereus trollii (fig. 5) with west, through a well-forested long, evil-looking spines valley (fig. 10) where the and red flowers rising from large trees included many ©Keith Ferguson a long, grey indumentum; legumes such as Prosopis nigra Opuntia sulphurea (fig. 6) and Acacia visco, often and many different scrubby festooned with epiphytes shrubs and small trees usually (fig. 11), both ferns and Fig. 6 Opuntia sulphurea with fierce spines, often bromeliads. A curious shrub members of the legume family; we saw here and a number of Prosopis alpataco (fig. 7), one times later is Vassobia breviflora of the many species of the (fig. 12) in the potato family, a genus; the striking yellow- relative of Iochroma australe. In ©Keith Ferguson floweredCercidium praecox open areas by the roadside grew looking very like a yellow Herbertia lahue and Commelina Cercis; and Senna (Cassia) erecta as did a spectacular aphylla. About 16km beyond Ipomoea with pale mauve Tilcara the road crosses flowers and a dark purple-blue Fig. 7 Prosopis alpataco the Tropic of Capricorn at centre and divided leaves. 46 ©Keith Ferguson ©Keith Ferguson Fig. 9 Our route crossed the Tropic of Capricorn ©Keith Ferguson Fig. 8 Dramatic rock formations Fig. 10 Forested valleys Where the trees give a shrub which we grow in the way to more open, grassy, south of Britain and which and later rocky terrain, grew is naturalised in parts of the Pavonia revoluta, a showy Mediterranean where it’s ©Keith Ferguson member of the Mallow common in gardens. Pushing family, and the remarkable through the stony soil, Puya dyckioides (fig. 13), one white-floweredHabranthus of a huge genus in South andalgalensis was our first America ranging from the introduction to the showy Fig. 11 Epiphytes draped the trees very large species associated bulbs of northern Argentina. with the sea cliffs of Chile Higher up in seeps by to small 30cm-high plants the road are big clumps of in more rocky, arid, inland Erythranthe (syn. Mimulus) habitats. A pretty little red- depressa, a striking dark flowered subtropical legume, spot on the lower lip of the ©VKeith Ferguson Camptosema rubicundum, flowers. Also in damp places, scrambled through the the tiny Gentiana prostrata, scrubby vegetation. Leaving Anagallis alternifolia and the wooded valley the road Ranunculus flagelliformis form Fig. 12 Vassobia breviflora becomes rippio and shortly 3cm thick carpets. At the top joins the main road to of a pass, at almost 4150m, Purmamarca. the scenery is dramatic: hills From Purmamarca a show coloured bands of rock long, twisting but well-made where the sparse grass has ©Keith Ferguson road climbs west towards been burnt off to try and the border with Chile. The encourage new growth for views are spectacular. Here grazing llamas and vicuna. are found in its native habitat Huge prostrate clumps of Nicotiana glauca (fig. 14), Bolax gummifera (fig. 15) Fig. 13 Puya dyckioides 47 remain, the exudate forming into bright sunshine on high globules on the surface of plains covered with candelabra the plant. It is closely related cacti. On a subsequent visit to Azorella trifurcata, from during a severe drought year ©Keith Ferguson Patagonia, which is grown in the vegetation was rather UK rock gardens. stressed, but we enjoyed bright Herds of friendly llamas sunshine and a newly made grazed at 3350m on the road! We learned later that it Fig. 14 Nicotiana glauca in its salt bushes on the huge was clear in the mornings but native habitat Salinas Grandes. The main cloud descended in the early road to Chile continues afternoon. on over another pass. We There is rich botanising took the lesser road west here in the surrounding alongside the salt plain to region and, descending to the ©Keith Ferguson San Antonia de los Cobres valley we had struggled up, (3775m), a long-established we found much of interest. mining town whose fortunes Cestrum parqui (fig. 17) with have revived with lithium its orange sprays of flowers Fig. 15 Bolax gummifera and molybdemum. On was common. One of the few the rocky outcrops along passion flowers in the region, this rippio road are found Passiflora tucumanensis, a number of genera with scrambled over shrubs better known counterparts and fences, as did Clematis ©Keith Ferguson south in Patagonia, but here montevidensis with small adapted to the arid and salty heads of narrow-petalled, conditions with reduced, cream-coloured flowers often fleshy foliage; they which produce big seedheads. include Mutisia sinuata, Commelina erecta was growing Fig. 16 Adesmia echinus Adesmia echinus (fig. 16) on verges and an amazing, with its very characteristic huge clump of dodder, flowers used to identify Cuscuta, completely engulfed this huge genus in South an invisible shrubby host; the America, Junellia seriphioides, inevitable Argemone mexicana ©Keith Ferguson Calceolaria hypericina, (fig. 18) occurs as a roadside Werneria pygmea, weed in places. In the high Fabiana viscosa, Chuquiraga mountains grows a member atacamensis, Arenaria rivularis of the Loasaceae with and big clumps of Austrocactus. strange flowers,Caiophora Fig. 17 Cestrum parqui Cachi (2280m) is an chuquitensis; at first we ancient town in the dry thought it to be a Loasa, some mountains with fine Spanish species of which are grown as architecture late in its history. annuals in the UK. Loasaceae On our first visit, making have stinging hairs which can ©Keith Ferguson our way up the deep valley be extremely painful, even on an unmade road in thick worse than our native nettles. mist and rain, we almost Lower down were despaired of reaching Cachi abundant specimens of by nightfall; then suddenly Iochroma australe (fig. 19) in Fig. 18 Argemone mexicana we burst out of the clouds its blue form; the white and 48 blue forms are often grown Going south towards in the South West of the UK, Cafayate we stopped at the and there is a notable large village of Molinas owing to specimen making a small a puncture, an occupational tree some 3m high in our hazard on rippio roads ©Keith Ferguson neighbouring Gloucestershire (fig. 20). Near the church village of Mitcheldean. In open was a magnificent clump of spaces, Stenandrium dulce, a the Argentine Amaryllidaceae, delightful little Acanthaceae Placea arzae (fig. 21), Fig. 19 Iochroma australe only a few cms tall with somewhat resembling the mauve flowers, carpeted the Amaryllis we grow in our ground and with it grew pink- houses. Molinas is famous for floweredOxalis lasiopetala. its particularly fine Spanish The roadside banks support church amongst the many ©Keith Ferguson Heimia salicifolia, a yellow- in villages throughout the flowered member of the Northern Andes. The roof Lythrum family which flowers is lined with cactus wood, in a sheltered position in which is obtained from the Fig. 20 Rippio roads make for our gardens in October. giant cacti (usually species adventures The orange-floweredTecoma of Trichocereus) beneath the stans climbs through the fleshy outer part of the stem. roadside vegetation, while in The wood is used widely for more open areas is Begonia decorative and functional boliviensis, one of the parents purposes, as well as for tourist ©Keith Ferguson of our patio ‘Million Kisses souvenirs (fig. 22). series’ begonias. Another Continuing to Cafayate Glandularia with white, (1685m) there is more very fragrant flowers, splendid scenery and a Fig. 21 Placea arzae G.