Succulent scrub perennial plants of San Martín Island
Sula Vanderplank & Sergio Mata
Translation: Gonzalo Rodriguez
Isla San Martín is a large cindercone, mostly composed of sharp volcanic lava rock, often with a dense covering of fallose lichens. There is little soil for most of the island, and the plants of the succulent coastal sage scrub grow amongst the rocks. There are small areas that constitute dunes and saltmarsh, in the southeastern corner of the island, adjacent to the small natural harbors where fisherman land. As part of the ongoing floristic study of the broader area, the island checklist is under revision (Vanderplank, Junak & Delgadillo In Prep for Madroño). More than 100 species in total have been documented on the island; many are annuals with wind-blown seed, or coastally adapted species likely to have arrived via water.
Photocredits: Jorge Ochoa, Gonzalo Rodriguez, Sula Vanderplank