page_title: Araya and Paria xeric scrub
section_title: Flora
hierarchical_section_title: Araya and Paria xeric scrub / Ecology / Flora
caption_attribution_description: Español: Chacopatica, Estado Sucre, Venezuela
context_page_description: The Araya and Paria xeric scrub is an ecoregion in Venezuela that stretches along the Caribbean coast to the west of Trinidad, and that includes Margarita Island and some smaller islands. The ecoregion includes dune herbs, dry thorn scrubs and deciduous forests.
  The mountains on Margarita Island hold montane forests similar to those in the mainland coastal range.
  The beaches are used for breeding by sea turtles.
  Some endemic bird species are threatened with extinction by illegal capture for the pet trade.
  Deforestation and over-grazing by goats are also problems.
context_section_description: Paria has a patchwork of bamboo forests and scrub.
  The coast is lined with coconut palms, mangroves, fishing villages and resorts.
  The interior holds scrub, deciduous thorn woods, pastures and agricultural fields.
  The coastal range of the ecoregion has areas of salt-tolerant coastal herbs, areas of coastal dune herbs, and areas of coastal dry thorn scrubs. 
  Open communities of short salt-tolerant herbs are found in depressions that are often flooded by the sea, including species such as Atriplex pentandra, Batis maritima, Heterostachys ritteriana, Sarcocornia fruticosa and Sesuvium portulacastrum. 
  Low open to dense communities of herb cover sandy dunes with species such as Cakile lanceolata, Cyperus planifolius, Euphorbia buxifolia, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Portulaca pilosa, Scaevola plumieri and  Sporobolus virginicus.
  The coastal dry thorn scrubs grow on rocky/sandy land from 50–100 metres (160–330 ft) above the beaches, and contain open to very closed communities of 0.5–5 metres (1 ft 8 in–16 ft 5 in) plants such as columnar cacti and spiny shrubs armed with thorns, spines, and prickles. 
  Typical plants are Prosopis and Parkinsonia species, Bourreria cumanensis,  Opuntia caribaea and Stenocereus griseus.
  On the mainland and Paria Peninsula the low deciduous forests have middle density and well-developed understoreys.
  Common species around the mainland Turimiquire massif include Bauhinia aculeata, Bourreria cumanensis, Bursera simaruba, Pereskia guamacho and Tabebuia billbergii. 
  Common species on the Paria Peninsula are  Cynophalla hastata, Diospyros inconstans, Jacquinia revoluta and Maytenus sieberiana.
  Plants of the Cerro Copey range on Margarita Island closely resemble those of the Cordillera de la Costa montane forest.
  Forests from 10–25 metres (33–82 ft) high are found between 200 metres (660 ft) and 500–600 metres (1,600–2,000 ft) above sea level.
  Common species include  Aspidosperma vargasii, Bursera simaruba, Clusia rosea, Coccoloba coronata, Croton xanthochloros, Machaerium robiniifolium, Maytenus karstenii, Neea anisophylla, Tabebuia billbergii, and Ximenia americana.
  Forests from 10–20 metres (33–66 ft) grow from 500 metres (1,600 ft) to 750–800 metres (2,460–2,620 ft) with low-to-mid density, a thick understory and many palms and epiphytes.
  Common species include Bactris setulosa, Dendropanax arboreus, Euterpe precatoria, Guapira ofersiana, Inga macrantha, Margaritaria nobilis, Myrcianthes compressa, Nectandra coriacea and Tabebuia chrysantha. 
  Above 750 metres (2,460 ft) there is montane evergreen shrub from 1–3 metres (3 ft 3 in–9 ft 10 in) high with low shrubby-herbaceous vegetation such as Blakea monticola, Clusia flavia, Clidemia hirta,  Glomeropitcairnia erectiflora, Macleania nitida and Myrsine guianensis.
  Endemic flora in the Cerro Copey range include Argythamnia erubescens, Blakea monticola, Clerodendrum margaritense, Croton margaritensis, Inga macrantha and Mikania johnstonii.
caption: Chacopatica on the north coast of the eastern Araya Peninsula
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS REBEL T3", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image DateTime": "2014:04:18 12:48:11", "Image Artist": "", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image Copyright": "", "Image ExifOffset": "348", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "9040", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "12800", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/800", "EXIF FNumber": "16", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "800", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF RecommendedExposureIndex": "800", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2014:04:18 12:48:11", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2014:04:18 12:48:11", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "77/8", "EXIF ApertureValue": "8", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "42", "EXIF SubSecTime": "31", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "31", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "31", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "4272", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2848", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "8720", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "854400/181", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "569600/119", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF CameraOwnerName": "", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "112162041114", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[18, 55, 0/0, 0/0]", "EXIF LensModel": "EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 III", "EXIF LensSerialNumber": "0000038bbe"}