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The Mattoral is a
plant community or
ecosystem characteristic of the
regions with Mediterranean type climates. Also known with the local
names of chaparral (California); maquis (Mediterranean), Mattoral (Chile), Mallee Scrub (Australia), Fynbos
(South Africa:) |
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It is a community of drought
tolerant plants (xerophytes)
dominated by shrubs that grow in
arid or
pre-desertic regions that are
hot and dry in summer (often receiving
almost no precipitation for
half the year) and cool and moist
in winter. Mattoral Shrubland
show similar kinds of life forms in the five earth region dominated by
the mattoral type ecosystems (but different
genera and/or
families!)
A general subdivision of the mattoral types comprise:
• Mattoral sarcocaule (Sarcocaul shrubland): Characterised by
thick-stemmed trees and shrubs
• Mattoral crasicaule (Crasicaul shrubland) characterised by the
presence of succulent species, with a predominance of cacti
• Mattoral sarco-crasicaule (Sarcocrasicaul Scrublands):
shrublands characterised by mixed communities of the above. dominates by
cacti, many of which have candelabra forms and tall stalks.
• Matorral desertico microfilo (Microphyllous Scrublands):
shrublands which are dominated by non-spiny, deciduous leaved plants
which only occasionally have persistent leaves. Herbaceous and
semi-shrub species are most common.
  Usually
the particular Mattoral from a specific area take the name of the area
of origin.
For example the Mattoral Espinoso Tamaulipense
(on the
photos ) is a type of vegetation existing in Tamaulipas and extending to
the northern Nuevo León, Coahuila, and southern Texas. |
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