Chile Flora Pictures ~ Spring Flowers in Lake District
Trees, flowers, shrubs, native to Chile, imports
Chile Flora comes into its own during November's long, sunny days in the Lake District in Chile. Have a look at the pictures I took of trees, flowers and shrubs in and near PN Vicente Perez Rosales national park, in the Lake District, near Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt, and where most of the photos on this page were taken.
The fields and parks are 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. Here are a few plants I came across. In summer (late December, January, February) or autumn (March, April May), the 'flower show' will be different. Go south and look around Patagonia and Torres del Paine. More pictures, info: Santiago, Santiago parks, Valparaiso, Vina del Mar, traditional Chilean foods: And find Chile travel information.
Trumpet Flowers on the tree east of Puerto Varas ChileAbout 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 TreeAlready some of the trumpet tree flowers had borne fruit that was now hanging pendulously from the stems. |
Camellia Tree Near Puerto VarasDense foliage and branches on this (cultivated not native) camellia tree cry out for a good pruning. |
Camellia BlossomsThe closer view in this photo gives a better look at the leaves -- glossy and thick -- and their shape, as well as the tightly-petalled flowers. |
Gunnera in early spring In National ParkThis 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; 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. |
Llanten in blossom ~ National Park Lake District ChileScattered 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 leaves and liquid are used as a disinfectant for minor cuts and scrapes. |
Scotch Broom in Bloom~ Chile in SpringtimeFrom 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 -- 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 It?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, then the petals began to open from the base of the spear upwards. 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. . |
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