Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica
Vegetation
163
El Rodeo Protection Zone, near Santa Ana. Besides many of the species typical of dry forest mentioned above that are found here, we should also point out numerous others for their rarity, unusual distribution or endemism, e.g.: Acaciapolyphylla, Aspidosperma rigidum, Chamaecrista rotundifolia, Deppea inaequalis, Dracontium soconuscum, Euphorbia chiapensis, E. pulcherrima, Hauya elegans, Inga herrerae (endemic), Ipomoea santae-rosae, Lycianthes grandifrons, Myroxylon balsamum, Pogonopus exsertus, Polybotrya sorbifolia, Prionostemma asperum, Rondeletia aspera (endemic), Salvia costaricensis (endemic), Syngonium wendlandii (endemic), Zinowiewia integerrima, and Zamia fairchildiana. A study of the trees of this area showed that the families with most species are Fabaceae, Lauraceae, and Moraceae (in decreasing order), while the species with the most individuals (also in decreasing order) are Pseudolmedia oxyphyllaria, Clarisia racemosa, Heisteria concinna, Brosimum alicastrum, and Tapirira mexicana (Cascante M. & Estrada Ch., 2001). For more detailed information about this flora, see Fournier O. et al. (1985) and Cascante M. & Estrada Ch. (1999). The native vegetation of the Central ValHauya elegans ley above 1000 m is today scarcely evident, having been degraded by agriculture and urban sprawl since even before Werckle (1909) and Standley (1937b), who gave scant description of that flora. Nevertheless, the vegetation can be divided into a western sector, around the present capital city of San Jose, and an eastern sector (sometimes called the El Guarco Valley), around the city of Cartago. The western sector is characterized by a flora similar to that of the middle elevations to the north, combined with certain elements more or less specific to such human-influenced habitat. A few of these species are Acacia angustissima, Acnistus arborescens, Ageratum conyzoides, Annona cherimola, Anoda cristata, Calliandra calothyrsus, Casimiroa sapota, Cestrum pittieri, Cordia eriostigma, C. spinescens, Crotalaria vitellina, Croton draco, Cupania glabra, Diphysa americana, Ehretia latifolia, Erythrina berteroana, Euphorbia hojfmanniana, Ficus costaricana, F. jimenezii, Guatteria oliviformis, Hauya elegans, Inga densiflora, I. oerstediana, I. punctata, Jaegeria hirta, Mauria heterophylla, Melampodium perfoliatum, Montanoa hibiscifolia, Nicandra physalodes, Peltostigma pteleoides, Persea caerulea, Psidium guineense, Quercus cortesii, Q. oocarpa, Rhamnus capraeifolia, Ricinus communis, Robinsonella