Flora of Chihuahuan Desertscrub on Limestone in Northeastern Sonora, Mexico
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Abstract
Transects were done in desertscrub on limestone to characterize the flora of the westernmost Chihuahuan Desert. Most of the sites (15) were in the Municipios of Agua Prieta and Naco in northeastern Sonora, with single sites near Ascensión, northwestern Chihuahua and east of Douglas in southeastern Arizona. A total of 236 taxa were recorded on transects. Dicot perennial herbs (66 species) were the most numerous life forms, followed by annual herbs (36 species), subshrubs (36 species), and woody shrubs (33 species). The most diverse limestone floras were on Rancho La Morita in the Municipio of Naco (87 to 119 taxa/transect), Rancho La Calera (88 taxa), and Cerro El Caloso and Cerrito Los Janitos (84 taxa each) in the Municipio of Agua Prieta. Chihuahuan desertscrub at its western limits is a mixture of typical Chihuahuan species that reach Texas and Coahuila with western and tropical species in associations that are regionally distinct from other parts of the Chihuahuan Desert.