There is usually a zone of very sparse vegetation
above the water line that appears to be barren at a distance. Above
this zone there are scattered salt tolerant shrubs including Chamaerops
which tends to be established in crevices. These are not like manicured
garden specimens but are irregular mounds up to about one metre
high with an untidy skirt of many years accumulation of dead leaves.
Illustration 1 shows sparse shrubland, rich with
Chamaerops, extending some distance from the sea. Much of the rocky
coastline was like this before forest regeneration started. This
contrasts with the richer shrubland extending to the cliff edge
in plate 2 where there is rapid forest regeneration. These locations
were only five kilometres apart. The non-rocky coastal cliffs are
very barren and I have not seen Chamaerops on these. The Chamaerops
illustrated in plate 3 was facing the open sea, but rocky outcrops
like this are limited in the province and are mostly located in
the northern region. Plate 4 illustrates a field of coastal shrub
with abundant Chamaerops just 50 metres back from the edge of the
cliffs. The coastal shrub merges rapidly into a very rich and dense
shrubland as illustrated in plate 5.
The characteristic dominant plants in this community
are the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus) and the kermes oak (Ouercus
coccifera) - Chamaerops is almost swamped by this impenetrable shrub
and is best seen from an elevated position. This shrub carpet is
1-1.5 metres high and Chamaerops is just visible at the surface.
When standing at ground level it is visible only at close range
but from an elevated position it is possible to scan the surface
and pin-point the distribution. Plate 6 was located 25 metres from
No 5 and shows an area that was ravaged by fire two years earlier.
Note that Chamaerops had survived the fire and that regeneration
of the other plants is proceeding rapidly either from seed or shooting
from underground stems. Where forest regeneration is in progress
the shrubs now become an under-layer beneath the trees. The growth
tends to be more open as the plants stretch towards the light. The
clusters of Chamaerops tend also to be open and spindly with petioles
more elongated and the pinnae narrower and more pointed (plate 7).
Progressing inland to drier areas the shrubland
becomes thinner and more scattered as in plate 8 and grass starts
to become an important component of the flora. It is quite difficult
at a distance to pin-point the scattered domes of Chamaerops. Progressing
further inland and to the southern plains and hills in the south
of the province the grasses predominate. The result is scattered
grass tussocks with a scattering of small shrubs and domes of Chamaerops.
In the hills Chamaerops tends to be confined to hollows and gullies
(plate 9) whereas on the flatter land it tends to be uniformly scattered
The dark green domes of Chamaerops being quite prominent as in plate
10. It is fascinating to see these areas in the evening as at late
dusk the tussock grass tends to fade from sight and you see a greyish
landscape dotted with blackish domes. Fascinating, but rather eerie.
It is, however, in the rocky hills and mountains that straddle the
length and breadth of the province that Chamaerops reigns supreme.
As far as I can estimate it probably occurs throughout the whole
mountain complex. Assumptions are inevitable as many of the mountain
areas are not readily accessible.
Costa del Chamaerops
