Flora and vegetation of the dunes of Playa Grande of Cartagena, an urban beach in central Chile

Abstract

The flora of the Playa Grande of Cartagena in the Valparaiso Region, commune of El Tabo (33°30´S, 71°36´W), is made up of 98 species of vascular plants, 61 % of which are exotics, most feral. The vegetation is made up of five units: a Carpobrotus chilensis and Chrysanthemum coronarium grassland dominated by ruderal species, mostly feral alien species, which marks the boundary between the populated area and the dune field with the sandy beach; a Ambrosia chamissonis and Poa cumingii scrub that is typical of the primary and secondary dunes and occupies the largest vegetated area in the study area; a Nolana crassulifolia scrub, a coastal rocky rocks; and two units typical of coastal wetlands: a marsh grassland with Schoenoplectus pungens and Cotula coronopifolia, and a Typha dominguensis grassland in a water body.