Read down for an insight into the vegetation of Argentina.

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Few countries offer as wide a range of natural environments as Argentina; its varied vegetation supports equally diverse wildlife. The main types of vegetation are described below. Details of some of the animals to be seen are given where appropriate in the text; to avoid repetition they are not described here. There are 10 main vegetation types:

Llanura Pampeana
Extensive cattle grazing and arable farming have altered the original vegetation of the Pampas, notably through the introduction of tree species such as the eucalyptus for shelter. The least altered areas of the Pampas are the coastal lowlands, the Paraná delta and the southern sierras. The sandy soils of the coastal lowlands, including marshes and estuaries, are home to pampas-grass or cortadera. In the marshy parts of the Paraná delta there are tall grasses with espinillo and ñandubay (Prosopis) woods in the higher areas. Willows and alisos grow along the river banks while the ceibo, the national flower of Argentina, grows in the nearby woodlands.

Espinal
These are open woodlands and savannahs which extend in an arc around the pampas covering southern Corrientes, northern Entre Ríos, central Santa Fe, large parts of Córdoba and San Luis and the centre-west of La Pampa. In these areas xerophitic and thorny woods of prosopis and acacia predominate. The major prosopis species are the ñandubay; the white algarrobo; the black algarrobo and the caldén. The ñandubay is found in Entre Ríos and parts of Corrientes, along with the white quebracho, tala, espinillo and, on sandy soils, yatay palms. The white algarrobo and black algarrobo are found in areas of Santa Fe, Córdoba and San Luis which have been heavily affected by farming. The caldén appears across large areas of La Pampa, southern San Luis and southern Buenos Aires, along with bushes such as the alpataco and the creosote bush (Larrea).

Monte
Monte is a bushy steppe with a few patches of trees, in areas with rainfall from 80 mm to 250 mm. Covering large areas of San Juan, Mendoza, La Pampa and Río Negro, it can be found as far north as Salta and as far south as Chubut. Vegetation includes different species of the creosote bush, which have small resinous leaves and yellow flowers, as well as thorny bushes from the cacti family and bushes such as brea, retamo and jume. In the northern areas of monte the white algarrobo and sweet algarrobo can be found, while the native willow grows along the riverbanks as far south as the Río Chubut.

Puna and Prepuna
Low rainfall, intense radiation and poor soils inhibit vegetation in the puna, the major species being adapted by having deep root systems and small leaves; many plants have thorny leaves to deter herbivores. These include species of cacti, which store water in their tissue, and the yareta, a cushion-shaped plant, which has been over-exploited for firewood, as well as the tolilla, the chijua and the tola. The queñoa, which grows to over 5 m high in the sheltered gorges and valleys of the prepuna, is the highest growing tree in Argentina. These valleys also support bushes from the Leguminosae family such as the churqui, and species of cacti, such as the cardoon and the airampu, with its colourful blossom.

High Andean Grasslands
Extending from Jujuy to Neuquén, and then in discontinuous fashion south to Tierra del Fuego, these areas range in altitude from 4200 m in Jujuy to 500 m in Tierra del Fuego. Grasses adapted to the cold include iros, poa and stipa as well as some endemic species.

Subtropical cloudforest:
Often known as yungas, this extends into Argentina from Bolivia and covers parts of the sub-Andean sierras. It is found in eastern Jujuy, central Salta and Tucuman and eastern Catamarca. Its eastern sides receive the humidity of the winds which cross the Chaco from the Atlantic. Winters are dry but temperature, rainfall and humidity vary with changes in latitude and altitude. These forests are important regulators of the water cycle, preventing erosion and floods. It is best seen in three national parks: Baritú, Calilegua and El Rey.

Vegetation changes with altitude. Along the edge of the Chaco at the foot of the hills and rising to 500 m, where there is annual rainfall up to 1,000 m, is a transition zone with mainly deciduous trees such as the palo blanco, the lapacho rosado and lapacho amarillo (pink and yellow tabebuia); the palo borracho (Chorisia bottle tree), the tipa blanca and the huge timbo colorado or black eared tree. Higher and reaching from 500 to 800 m in altitude, where there is greater humidity, are montane or laurel forests. Predominant tree species here are the laurel, the jacaranda and the tipa; epiphytes (orchids, bromeliads, ferns, lichens, mosses) and climbers are abundant. Above 800 m and rising to 1300-1700 m annual rainfall reaches some 3,000 mm, concentrated between November and March. Here myrtle forest predominates, with a great diversity of species, including great trees such as the horco molle, a wide range of epiphytes, and, in some areas such as Baritu, tree ferns. Higher still the evergreen trees are replaced by deciduous species including the mountain pine (Podocarpus), the only conifer native to the northwest, the walnut and the alder. Above these are clumps of queñoa and, higher still, mountain meadow grasslands.

The Chaco
The eastern or Wet Chaco is covered by marshlands and ponds with savannah and caranday palm groves, as well as the characteristic red quebracho, a hard-wood tree over-exploited in the past for tannin. The Dry Chaco, further west, is the land of the white quebracho as well as cacti such as the quimil (opuntia) and the palo borracho (Chorisia). Similar climatic conditions and vegetation to those in the Dry Chaco are also found in northern San Luis, Córdoba and Santa Fe and eastern Tucumán, Catamarca, Salta, Jujuy, La Rioja and San Juan.

This is found mainly in Misiones, extending southwards along the banks of the Ríos Paraná and Uruguay. The wet climate, with annual rainfall of up to 2,000 mm, and high temperatures produce rapid decomposition of organic material. The red soils of this area contain a thin fertile soil layer which is easily eroded.

This area offers the widest variety of flora in Argentina. There of over 2,000 known species of vascular plants, about 10% of which are trees. Forest vegetation rises to different strata: the giant trees such as the palo rosa, the Misiones cedar, incienso and the guatambú rise to over 30 m high. The forest canopy includes species such as strangler figs and the pindo palm, while the intermediate strata includes the fast growing ambay (Cecropia), tree-ferns, the yerba mate and bamboos. Llianas, vines and epiphytes such as orchids and bromeliads as well as ferns and even cacti compete in the struggle for sunlight.

In the hills of northwestern Misiones there are remnants of forests of Paraná pine (Araucaria angustifolia).

Sub-Antarctic Forest

This grows along the eastern edges of the southern Andes, from Neuquén in the north to Tierra del Fuego and Isla de los Estados in the south. These are cool temperate forests including evergreen and deciduous trees. Species of nothofagus predominate, the most common being lenga (low decidous beech), ñire (high deciduous beech), coihue and guindo. The Pehuen or Monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana), is found in northwestern and northcentral Neuquén. The fungus llao llao and the hemiparasitic Misodendron are also frequent. Flowering bushes include the notro (firebush), the calafate (Burberis boxifolis) and the chaura (prickly heath). Areas of the Lake District with annual rainfall of over 1500 mm are covered by Valdivian forest and a wider range of species.

The coihue (southern beech) is the predominant species of nothofagus, reaching as far south as Lago Buenos Aires. Below colihue canes form a dense undergrowth; flowers include the amancay (alstromeria), mutisias, and near streams, the fuschia. Arrayán trees also grow near water, while the Andean Cypress and the Maiten grow in the transition zone with the Patagonian steppe. In areas where annual rainfall reaches over 3000 mm, there is a wider range of trees as well as epyphites, ferns, and lichens such as Old Man's Beard. The alerce (larch) is the giant of these forests, rising to over 60 m and, in some cases over 3000 years old.

Magallanic forest, found from Lago Buenos Aires south to Tierra del Fuego, is dominated by the guindo (evergreen beech) as well as the lenga, the ñire and the canelo (winter bark). There are also large areas of peatbog with sphagnum mosses, and even the carnivorous Drosera uniflora.

Patagonian Steppe
Plant life in this area has adapted to severe climatic conditions: strong westerly winds, the heavy winter snowfall which occurs in some years, high evaporation in summer, low annual rainfall and sandy soils with a thin fertile layer on top. The northwest of this area is covered by bushy scrublands: species include the quilembai, molle, the algarrobo patagónico, the colpiche, as well as coiron grasses. Further south are shrubs such as the mata negra and species of calafate. Nearer the mountain ranges the climate is less severe and the soil more fertile: here there is a herbaceous steppe which includes coiron blanco and shrubs such as the neneo. Overgrazing by sheep has produced serious desertification in many parts of the Patagonian steppe.