Flora of Uruguay Facts for Kids

The Ceibo flower, Uruguay's national flower

The flora of Uruguay is all about the amazing plants that grow there! Uruguay is home to about 2,500 different plant species. These plants belong to 150 different plant families.

Most of Uruguay, about 80%, is covered in wide, open grasslands. These areas are called prairies. They are mostly filled with different types of grasses. Uruguay's plant life is very similar to the nearby Argentine Pampas region. There are not many large forests in Uruguay. Instead, trees often grow in smaller groups or along rivers.

Some trees, like eucalyptus, were brought to Uruguay from Australia. The beautiful "Ceibo" flower, also known as Erythrina cristagalli, is the national flower of Uruguay.

What Plants Grow in Uruguay?
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What Plants Grow in Uruguay?

Uruguay has many interesting plants. You can find different types of herbs, ferns, and colorful flowers.

Herbs, Ferns, and Flowers

Here are some of the plants you might find:

Peperomia
Ferns (Blechnum)
Ferns (Pteris)
Ferns (Adiantum)
Ferns (Dicksonia)
Ferns (Anemia)
Ferns (Dryopteris)
Ferns (Asplenium)
Ferns (Pteridium)
Orchids

Riverine Forests

Natural forests in Uruguay mostly grow close to rivers. These are called riverine forests. They are found in the countryside.

These native forests have over 500 different plant species. This includes many types of palms. Some common trees in these forests are "sauce criollo" (Salix humboldtiana), "sarandí colorado" (Cephalanthus glabratus), "sarandí blanco" (Phyllanthus sellowianus) and "mataojos" (Pouteria salicifolia).

Natural Prairies

The natural prairies cover about 14 million acres of Uruguay. This is about 80% of the whole country! These prairies are home to around 2,000 plant species. About 400 of these are different kinds of grasses.

These prairies stretch across several areas. This includes the Canelones, Colonia, San Jose, Flores, Florida, Lavalleja and Soriano regions.

In the prairies, you can find trees like "Tala" (Celtis tala), "Molle rastrero" (Schinus longifolius), "Espina amarilla" (Berberis laurina) and "Coronilla" (Scutia buxifolia). You might also see Cortaderia selloana, which is also known as Pampas grass.

Native Bushes

In some valleys, you will find areas dominated by bushes. These bush lands have more shrubs than tall trees or grasses. Common native bushes include "Coronilla" (Scutia buxifolia), "Arrayán" (Blepharocalyx salicifolius), "Chal-Chal" (Allophyllus edulis), and "Guayabo Colorado" (Eugenia cisplatensis).