VEGETATION ZONES OF CHIAPAS
Below is a map showing approximate boundaries of Chiapas's major
vegetation zones. Vegetation over large areas has been so impacted by human activities
that often what you really see besides plantations,agricultural fields and ranches is
wasteland, weedy eroding slopes and part-time, cattle-grazed expanses.
Tall Broadleaf Evergreen Forest (Selva Alta Perennifolia)
Hot and humid lowlands with marked wet and dry seasons, covering about a third of the
state, especially in the north and east..
- Mahogany, Swietenia macrophylla
- Terminalia obovata
- Terminalia amazonia
- Guatteria anomala
- Aspidosperma megalocarpon
- Chaetoptelea mexicana
Tall Semideciduous Forest (Selva Alta Subcaducifolia)
Originally on the hot, humid lowlands of the the Pacific slope.and
some river sides and slopes in the Central Depression, but now mostly an agricultural
wasteland. Typical plants of the area are:
- Spanish Cedar or Cedro, Cedrela
mexicana
- Guanacaste or Elephant-ear Tree,
Enterolobium cyclocarpum
- Breadnut Tree, Brosimum
alicastrum
- Platymiscium dimorphandrum
- Licania arborea
- Cybistax donnell-smithii
- Hymenaea courbaril
Deciduous Scrub (Selva Baja
Caducifolia)
Mostly in the Central Depression's hot, somewhat dry lowlands. Typical trees are:
- Ceiba, Ceiba acuminata
- Ash Tree, Fraxinus purpusi
- Gumbo-Limbo, Bursera simaruba
- Buttercup Tree, Cochlospermum
vitifolium
- Lysiloma desmostachys
- Haematoxylon brasiletto
- Alvaradoa amorphoides
Evergreen Scrub (Selva Baja
Perennifolia)
Generally between 1200 and 2300 meters (3900-7500 ft) with abundant rainy-season
rainfall and occasional rains even during the dry season. Conspicuous plants include:
- White-alder, Clethra suaveolens
- Oreopanax sanderienus
- Matudaea trinervia
- Inga micheliana
- Saurauia villosa
- Chiranthodendron pentadactylon
Savanna (Sabana)
Savannas are grasslands with scattered trees and drought-resistang undergrowth. In
Chiapas they occur at low elevations in a variety of hot, typically arid situations,.
Sometimes in sandy soil but sometimes in soil saturated with water, with little aeration.
Noteworthy woody species include:
- Calabash-Tree, Crescentia cujeta
- Nance, Byrsonima crassifolia
- Feather Acacia, Acacia pennatula
- Curatella americana
Palms (Palmares)
Spotty occurrence in hot, somewhat arid lowlands. Main palms include:
- Mexican Palmetto, Sabal mexicana
- Corozo Palm, Scheelea lundellii
- Corozo Palm, Scheelea preussii
- Acrocomia mexicana
- Cryosophila nana
- Brahea prominens
Mangroves (Manglares)
Along the Pacific Coast, forming very dense, low, woody thickets in shallow water (not
over about 2 meters deep (6 ft) next to the ocean, in strips rarely more than 4 kms deep.
Important as fish hatcheries and wildlife cover. The main species are:
- Red Mangrove, Rhizophora mangle
- White Mangrove, Laguncularia
racemosa
- Buttonwood, Conocarpus erecta
Marshes (Agrupaciones
Hidrofitas)
In Chiapas's hot, rainy northern lowlands along the Usumacinta and Grijalva Rivers.
There can be truly aquatic plants such as waterlillies and waterhyacinths, plus thickets
of cattails, reeds, semisubmerged grasses, and even elements of spiny scrub forest.
Deciduous Forest (Bosque
Caducifolia)
Between about 800 to 2200 meters in elevation (2600-7200 feet) on the highland's
northern slopes facing Tabasco, in the Sierra Madres and a bit in the area of Lagos de
Montebello, in areas with abundant wet-season rainfall and occasional dry-season rainfall.
Conspicuous trees include:
- Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua
- Oak, Quercus acatenangensis
- Oak, Quercus candicans
- Dogwood, Cornus disciflora
- Hornbeam, Carpinus caroliniana
- White-Alder, Clethra
suaveolens
Evergreen Oak Forest (Bosque
Esclerofilo Perennifolia)
In various locations at elevations between 700 to 2300 meters (2300-7500 ft) with
moderate rainfall. The main oaks include:
- Quercus peduncularis
- Quercus polymorpha
- Quercus corrugata
- Quercus oocarpa
- Quercus conspersa
Pine Forest (Bosque
Aciculifolio)
Covering large areas of Chiapas's chilly highlands up to 4000 meters in elevation
(13,100 feet) this forest is predominantly formed of evergreen pines, particularly the
following species:
- In higher, moister sites:
- White Pine, Pinus strobus
- Pinus oocarpa
- Pinus ayacahuite
- In lower, drier sites:
- Pinus pseudostrobus
- Pinus tenuifolia
- Pinus montezumae
- Pinus teocote
Pine-Oak Forest (Bosque
Aciculiesclerofilo)
At elevations between 800 to 2200 meters (2600 - 7200 ft) with marked wet and dry
seasons. The following trees are most conspicuous:
- Pines
- White Pine, Pinus strobus
- Pinus hartwegii
- Pinus montezumae
- Pinus oocarpa
- Pinus ayacahuite
- Oaks
- Quercus corrugata
- Quercus oleoides
- Quercus peduncularis
- Quercus polymorpha
- Quercus acatenangensis
- Quercus brachystachys
- Quercus conspersa
- Quercus skinneri
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