Flora and Vegetation of the Huascarán National Park, Ancash, Peru: With
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 1988 Flora and vegetation of the Huascarán National Park, Ancash, Peru: with preliminary taxonomic studies for a manual of the flora David Nelson Smith Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Botany Commons Recommended Citation Smith, David Nelson, "Flora and vegetation of the Huascarán National Park, Ancash, Peru: with preliminary taxonomic studies for a manual of the flora " (1988). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 8891. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/8891 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS The most advanced technology has been used to photo graph and reproduce this manuscript from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are re produced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. These are also available as one exposure on a standard 35mm slide or as a 17" x 23" black and white photographic print for an additional charge. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. University Microfilms International A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, tvll 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order Number 8000193 Flora and vegetation of the Huascarân National Park, Ancash, Peru, with preliminary taxonomic studies for a manual of the flora Smith, David Nelson, Ph.D. Iowa State University, 1988 300N.ZeebRd. Ann Aibor, MI 48106 Flora and vegetation of the Huascardn National Park, Ancash, Peru, with preliminary taxonomic studies for a manual of the flora by David Nelson Smith A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department: Botany Major Botany (Taxonomy) Approved; Signature was redacted for privacy. In Charge of Major Work Signature was redacted for privacy. For the Major Department Signature was redacted for privacy. le Graduate College Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 1988 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PART I. THE HUASCARAN NATIONAL PARK: ENVIRONMENT, VEGETATION, AND FLORA 1 INTRODUCTION 2 GEOLOGY 6 CLIMATE 17 VEGETATION OF THE HUASCARAN NATIONAL PARK 29 THE FLORA: COMMENTARY AND LIST OF TAXA 45 BIOGEOGRAPHIC RELATIONSHIPS OF THE HUASCARAN FLORA 67 BIOGEOGRAPHIC LISTS 72 PART II. PRELIMINARY STUDIES OF THE FLORA OF THE HUASCARAN NATIONAL PARK: MONOCOT FAMILIES (EXCLUDING POACEAE) 112 TO THE READER 113 MATERIALS AND METHODS 116 GENERAL KEYS TO THE FAMILIES 122 FAMILY TREATMENTS: 126 Agavaceae 126 Alliaceae 129 Alstroemeriaceae 131 Amaryllidaceae 138 Antherlcaceae 141 Bromeliaceae 143 Commelinaceae 164 Cyperaceae 167 Dloscoreaceae 193 Hydrocharitaceae 196 Iridaceae 198 Juncaceae 209 Juncaginaceae 221 Lemnaceae 223 Orchidaceae 225 iii Potamogetonaceae 253 Zannichelliaceae 2SS LITERATURE CITED 257 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 279 1 PART I. THE HUASCARAN NATIONAL PARK: ENVIRONMENT, VEGETATION, AND FLORA 2 INTRODUCTION The Huascarân National Park and International Biosphere Reserve is located in the Department of Ancash, Peru, immediately north of the Department of Lima. The Park occupies the major part of the Cordillera Blanca, which is the world's highest tropical mountain range, and has the highest mountain peaks in South America north of Argentina and Chile. The Park (see Map 1) is oriented northwest-southeast, has a length of 158 km, and the width varies from 11 to 39 km. The reserve has an area of 340,000 ha, and includes elevations from 3240 to 6770 meters above sea level, at the peak of Nevado Huascardn Sur. The boundaries of the Park are usually located at 3500 m, or above. The Cordillera Blanca forms part of the continental divide between western, coastal Peru and the Amazon Basin to the east. Water from the western valleys flows to the Rio Santa, and then to the Pacific Ocean, while the water from the eastern valleys flows to the Atlantic Ocean via the Amazon and Maraflon Rivers and their tributaries. The mountain building events that created the Cordillera Blanca occurred rapidly, with great uplift, and the range has been strongly eroded since uplift began (details of the geologic history and references are in the chapter on geology). These combined factors have resulted in a very steep and dissected topography with many river valleys on both the east and west sides of the Cordillera. The rough topography, extensive areas of snow and glaciers, torrential streams, and vegetation give the Park great scenic beauty. Since the last century, visitors have commented on its beauty, and in this century there have been several proposals for the creation of a Natural Park. These came to fruit in 1975, when the Huascarân National Park was established by presidential decree (ORDEZA, no date). At a later date, it was declared an International Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO, one of the three in Peru. The western side of the Cordillera Blanca is accessible from the many towns and villages in the Rio Santa valley. Huaraz is the principal city of the valley, and the departmental capitol as well. Caraz, Yungay, Carhuaz, Recuay, and Catac are also cities of regional importance. The Rio Santa valley is readily accessible via a paved road from the coast. There is direct bus service from Lima to Huaraz and Caraz, serving all the major towns in the valley. The eastern side of the Cordillera is less readily accessible; there is a gravel road crossing the Cordillera between Catac and Chavin, which continues northward around the Park via Pomabamba, with connection to the Rio Santa valley. More or less regular bus service is available on that route. MAJOR PEAKS ALTITUDE* 1 Champara Este 5750 m 2 Mllluacociia 5480m 3 Pucahirea Noite 6050 m 40 s 4 Santa Cniz Sur 6260 m 5 Caraz 6025m 6 HuandoyNorte 6395m 7 Chacraraju 6075 m 8 Huascaran Sur 6770 m 9 Contraheirbas Central 6040 m 10 Hualcan Norte 6125 m 11 CopaSur 6190 m 12 Palcaralu Este 6275 m w 8*50 S 13 CMnchey 6220m 14 Huantzan 6395m 15 Uruashraju Norte 5720 m 16 Morron]u 5710 m 17 Rarla Norte 5580m 18 Caullaraju 5690m *Altitude rounded to nearest S m. Sources: Bartie (1981) and DIaz Bustos (1984) ry YUNGAY @"10 S CARHUAZ 9'20"S + Ishinea *"30 S HUARAZ CARHUAZ 9®20'S + Ishinea HUANTAR 4 9*30 s 9*40 s RECUAY CATAC 9"50 S HUASCARAN NATIONAL PARK LA UNION ANCASH, PERU Park Boundary 10*00 S Continental Divide Major Road Departmental Capital o Town ^ Major Mountain Peaks A CONOCOCHA Approximate Scale: CHIQUIAN LIMA 0k—25 km Adapted from ORDEZA (no date) and Diaz Bustos (1984) Map 1. Huascarân National Park 4 The Park has considerable economic importance. It is the largest Peruvian National Park within easy access of Lima; the pleasant climate of the Rio Santa valley and the spectacular scenery attract a large number of tourists, domestic and foreign, to Huaraz and the adjoining Park, making tourism a major regional industry. The principal activities of the visitors to the Park are sightseeing, nature watching, hiking, and mountain climbing. Expeditions come from all parts of the globe to enjoy the world class climbing afforded by the many glaciers and peaks in the Park, of which 26 have an elevation of over 6000 m. Scientifically, the Reserve offers many possibilities for study in a variety of fields, for example, meteorology, geology, glaciology, botany, limnology, zoology, ecology, and park, range, and wildlife management. The Cordillera Blanca is interesting for a number of factors, including its high elevation, wide range of habitats and microsites, climatic extremes, biogeographical position and connections, and its size. Its possibilities as an outdoor laboratory are immense, and it is representative of much of the tropical Andes in terms of environmental conditions and biotic elements. There are several reasons for embarking on a floristic study of the Huascaràn National Park: — The Andes are the largest continuous mountain range in the tropics, and the only one which is oriented north-south. The continuity of the chain is offers excellent opportunities for plant migration, yet the highest elevation habitats are not physically contiguous. There is a delicate balance between the potential for dispersal and factors of isolation; it is an excellent natural laboratory for evolution. And, the isolating factors may be large scale, such as the Huancabamba depression (Berry, 1982), or small scale, such as the difficulties of gene flow between small populations separated by local topography. — The bulk of studies on high Andean plants have been done in the Andes north of the Equator; the Cordillera Blanca is in the Southern Hemisphere.