SnapshotJourneys Travel Pictures

 

Chile Flora ~ Lake District Chile

Native Trees, flowers, shrubs

Chile Flora comes into its own during November's long, sunny Spring days in Chile's Lake District. Native and non-native plants (trees, flowers, shrubs) come into bloom in and around PN Vicente Perez Rosales national park, Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. Fields and parks were ablaze with springtime blooms! Purple lilacs, yellow ulix and tiny daisy-type flowers, and many more, made a colourful show against the deep green trees -- Oregon pines, coihue (beech), arrayan (a type of myrtle), ulmo, and the wonderful monkey puzzle tree that's native to southern Chile. In summer (late December, January, February) or Fall (March, April, May) different flowers will be in bloom.


Trumpet Flowers (floripondio) tree east of Puerto Varas Chile

Chile flora Trumpet Flowers on the tree brugmansia southern chile

About halfway between Puerto Varas and the national park, a laneway leads to a hillside farm where llamas and sheep wander between the house and the barn.

This trumpet tree in full bloom brightened the lawn.

My guide for this day called it floripondio (Brugmansia sanguinea).

It is a cultivated tree, not wild native. At night, I was informed, the flowers give off a wonderful scent. (See the next photo for the fruit.)

Floripondio Fruits ~ Chile Flora Non Native Tree

Floripondio Fruits chile flora

Already some of the trumpet tree flowers had borne fruit that was now hanging pendulously from the stems.

This species contains alkaloids that have what is variously called narcotic, psychoactive or hallucinogenic effects, though botanists or chemists would likely make finer distinctions.


Shamans in northern South American countries used this plant in their practices.

Non- Native Chile Flora Camellia Tree Near Puerto Varas

Camellia Tree Chile Flora

Dense foliage and branches on this (cultivated not native) camellia tree cry out for a good pruning.

I believe it is Camellia japonica, a relative of the tea plant.

The foliage was so thick that, at first, the flowers are barely noticeable.

Camellia Blossoms : Chile Flora Puerto Varas Area

Chile Flora Camellia Blossoms

The closer view in this photo gives a better look at the Camellia leaves -- glossy and thick -- and their shape, as well as the tightly-petalled flowers.

The mature Camellia flowers were about 3-4 inches across; the buds looked like rosebuds.

Gunnera in early spring In Chile Lake District National Park

Gunnera in early spring Chile Flora

This rhubarb-like plant found growing along the roadside in soil that seemed mostly sand and gravel had striking red flower spikes that were the largest blooms of all the native plants I had seen.

This plant was identified as Ruta graveolens; Gunnera.

I understood it to be edible.

In November, it was about 2 feet across; by late summer, it could well be much larger, and taller.

NOTE: In Costa Rica, there are enormous gunnera plants near the top of the volcanoes, too, as was this one.

Llanten in blossom ~ Folk Remedy ~ National Park Lake District Chile

Llanten in blossom Chile flora

Scattered along the roadside leading up Volcano Osorno in Vicente Perez Rosales National Park, were these delicate flowered llanten (pronounced jan-ten).

Llanten flowers are used as a medicinal herbal tea that is drunk to remedy upset stomachs and diarrhea, or gargled to cure sore throats and mouth infections.

The cooked llanten leaves and liquid are used as a disinfectant for minor cuts and scrapes.

Scotch Broom in Bloom ~ Chile in Springtime

Scotch Broom in Bloom Chile flora

From a distance, the yellow blossoms splashed across fields and woodlands brightened the landscape, but it took a closer look at the blossom in order to identify precisely which plant was to be credited: Scotch Broom or Ulix.

Generally, these dense yellow hedges in fields and along roads proved to be ulix -- also a non-native and very invasive species of shrub.

Shown here is Scotch Broom (Note the legume-like blossom) blooming near the Saltos de Petrohue.

While a few varieties of Scotch Broom are indeed harmless ornamentals, most are considered noxious weeds that crowd out desirable plants and trees.

A Blooming Spear ~ Can You Identify this Chile Flora?

Chile flora A Blooming Spear :: Can You Identify It?

 

What is this flower?

I wasn't able to find anyone to identify this plant. The stems were about 18 inches high.

 

The flowers came out in a tapered spear about an inch or so long.

The petals began to open from the base of the spear upwards to the tip.

 

This habit might indicate that in full bloom, it will appear quite different than it does in this photo.

It had no discernable scent.

 

If you know, please leave a Comment below.

 



Chile Picture Menu ~ Click on a Picture and Go!

Cup of coffee,, cookie and flowers on a table in a restaurant in Chile.Passport image of Canadian passport cover - partial image only.A vineyard in spring, Casablanca Valley in Chile. National Park in the Lake District in Chile, with volcano and river.Dawn in Puerto Natales, Chile - mountains and boat reflected in water.City Square in Puerto Montt, Chile Volcano and lake in Puerto Varas Chile, young men drumming in park.Shops on Street in Santiago Chile.Entrance to park in Santiago chile - Cerro St Lucia Port of Valparaiso Chile - ships on Bay.Beach on  the Pacific Ocean at Vina Del Mar  Chile.stack of travel books and travel guides.Small suitcase in orange red color for travel. Glaciers on volcano




Got a question or a tip?

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  • the unidentified flower
    alfi hughes - December 27, 2010, 9:20 pm
    this flower also grows as a weed in British columbia
  • unidentified flower
    bruno - December 25, 2011, 10:51 am
    unidentified flower belongs to the 'Plantago' genus
    (family Plantaginaceae)
    looks exactly like P.lanceolata , or P.media
    the most common weed/'grass' in france
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