Abstract

MEIER, Winfried. Aspectos de la flora y vegetación del monumento natural cerro Platillón (Juan Germán Roscio), Estado Guárico, Venezuela. Acta Bot. Venez. [online]. 2005, vol.28, n.1, pp.39-62. ISSN 0084-5906.

Cerro Platillon is the highest elevation of the inner chain of the Central Coastal Cordillera (aprox. 1930 m asl). The Monumento Natural Cerro Platillon covers an altitudinal range between 600 and 1930 m asl. It includes a variety of different vegetation types such as secondary savannas, forests (including cloud forests), shrublands, dwarf shrublands on exposed ridges and open vegetation on rocky outcrops. There could be made from the aprox. 330 collections 174 new reports for the Guarico State. Bocconia integrifolia Humb. & Bonpl. (Papaveraceae), a common species of the Andes, is reported here for the first time for the Coastal Cordillera of Venezuela. New reports for the inner branch of the Central Coastal Cordillera have principally been collected at higher altitudes of the Monument: on the rocky outcrops: Bidens cf. triplinervia Kunth, Cheilanthes marginata Kunth, Daucus montanus Humb. & Bonpl. ex Spreng., Echeveria bicolor (Kunth) Walther, Elaphoglossum cf. meridense (Klotzsch) Moore, Huperzia hartwegiana (Spring) Trevis., Mitracarpus frigidus var. andinus Steyerm., Monochaetum bonplandii (Kunth) Naudin; in the cloud forest zone: Vaccinium corymbodendron Dunal, Bejaria aestuans Mutis ex L., Lepechinia bullata (Kunth) Epling, Loxoscaphe theciferum (Mett.) T. Moore, Mauria heterophylla Kunth, Minthostachys mollis (Kunth) Griseb., Morella pubescens (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Wilbur, Oreopanax aff. reticulatus Decne. & Planch. Cerro Platillon is of considerable floristic and phytogeographical interest because of its relative proximity to the Andes, its elevation, the rocky outcrops and for its geological composition. Cerro Platillon was declared Monumento Natural Juan German Roscio in 1987 because of its importance as a watershed for several water reservoirs, of which the most important is the Camatagua Reservoir, that provides Caracas with water. The main threats to the Monument and the surrounding areas are fires and land invasions, that may seriously affect the water reservoirs.

Keywords : Vegetation; floristics; fitogeography; cloud forests; Monumento Natural Cerro Platillón (Juan Germán Roscio); Coastal Cordillera; Venezuela.