Abstract

In this paper we characterise the flora and vegetation of Ascotan saltmarsh, located in the Andes of northern Chile. The saltmarsh flora, comprising 21 species, is completely different from the flora of surrounding slopes, differing not only in species composition but also in lifeform spectrum. The saltmarsh is dominated by hemicryptophytes, whereas nanophanerophytes predominate on the slopes. A cluster analysis distinguished two vegetation types within the saltmarsh, differing in species composition and in representation of chamaephytes, geophytes and hemicriptophytes. Substrate variation probably accounts for differences between the saltmarsh vegetation and its surrounding sites, as well as the existence of two vegetation types within the salar.