caatinga
Quick Summary
Caatinga refers to the stunted, often thorny vegetation found in the dry interior of northeastern Brazil. This unique biome is characterized by trees that shed their leaves during long dry periods to conserve water. Common species include leguminous trees like catingueiras and juremas, along with members of the Euphorbiaceae and Bombacaceae families. The undergrowth is dense with thickets, bromeliads, and numerous cacti, such as the xiquexique. In areas with more rainfall, caatinga vegetation can grow up to 30 feet high, forming dense thickets. The name "caatinga" itself originates from the Tupi language, meaning "white forest," likely due to the appearance of the leafless trees.12
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Amazon RiverPlant life…savanna), campo (grassy savanna), and caatinga (heath forest). The latter is characteristic of parts of the Mato Grosso Plateau, where taller forest is restricted to the stream courses and swales (marshy depressions) that dissect the upland surface. On the sandy soils of the lower Negro and the Branco drainage areas,…
Read More…savanna), campo (grassy savanna), and caatinga (heath forest). The latter is characteristic of parts of the Mato Grosso Plateau, where taller forest is restricted to the stream courses and swales (marshy depressions) that dissect the upland surface. On the sandy soils of the lower Negro and the Branco drainage areas,…
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BrazilHighlands, coastal regions, and the Pantanal…thorny, gnarled woods known as caatinga, the name derived from an Indigenous term meaning “white forest”; most caatinga are stunted, widely spaced, and intermingled with cacti. Woodlands known as agreste are found in slightly more humid areas. Most areas of agreste are located near the São Francisco River and on…
Read More…thorny, gnarled woods known as caatinga, the name derived from an Indigenous term meaning “white forest”; most caatinga are stunted, widely spaced, and intermingled with cacti. Woodlands known as agreste are found in slightly more humid areas. Most areas of agreste are located near the São Francisco River and on…
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Paraíba…deciduous, thorny scrub woodland called caatinga. In the caatinga there are only small areas of forest on the tops of the higher mountains. Although Paraíba does periodically suffer severe droughts, this area generally is dry not so much because of a lack of measurable rain as because of the unevenness…
Read More…deciduous, thorny scrub woodland called caatinga. In the caatinga there are only small areas of forest on the tops of the higher mountains. Although Paraíba does periodically suffer severe droughts, this area generally is dry not so much because of a lack of measurable rain as because of the unevenness…
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São Francisco RiverPlant life…the middle river basin is caatinga vegetation (from the Tupí-Guaraní word meaning “white forest”), an area of stunted, often thorny forest. Among the dominant tree species are the leguminous catingueiras and juremas, members of the euphorbia (spurge) family, and the barriguda tree (a palmlike tree of the Bombacaceae family); bromeliads…
Read More…the middle river basin is caatinga vegetation (from the Tupí-Guaraní word meaning “white forest”), an area of stunted, often thorny forest. Among the dominant tree species are the leguminous catingueiras and juremas, members of the euphorbia (spurge) family, and the barriguda tree (a palmlike tree of the Bombacaceae family); bromeliads…
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