Included here is the Juan Fernandez Islands, which mainly comprises Alejandro Selkirk (Masafuera), Robin Crusoe (Masatierra), Santa Clara and the Desventuradas Islands (San Ambrosio and San Felix).

Fernandezian Sea Cliff Vegetation

On Masatierra the soft coastal rocks tend to disintegrate under the force of large breaking waves making it difficult for plant communities to get established, but where vegetation has managed to develop the main species including Lobelia alata var. rupicola, Polygonum crinitus, Spergularia confertiflora and the endemic Rea pruinata (Asteraceae). Carpets of the maritime bryophyte Bryum fernandeziana are also a feature. Santa Clara has remnants of coastal scrub dominated by Rea pruinata. Here it is associated with several other endemic species including Dendroseris litoralis (Asteraceae), Chenopodium sanctae-clarae (Chenopodiaceae), Solanum robinsonianum (Solaniaceae) and Wahlenbergia berteroi (Campanulaceae). The accumulations of coastal talus and the hard basaltic rocks of Masafuera provide much better conditions for the establishment of seashore vegetation. Here the main colonists include Libertia formosa, Cyperus eragrostis, Spergularia confertiflora and several endemic species like Erigeron rupicola (Asteraceae) and Spergularia masafuerana (Caryophyllaceae). Several ferns including the endemic Pellaea chilensis (Pteridaceae) can also tolerate these maritime conditions.

References

Mueller-Dombois, D. & Fosberg, F. R. 1998. Vegetation of the Tropical Pacific Islands. Springer.

Skottsberg, C. 1920-1953. The natural history of Juan Fernandez and Easter Island. Volume II. Botany. Almqvist and Wiksells Bokteyckeri, Upsala.

Stuessy, T. F., Crawford, D. J. Marticorena, C. & Rodriguez, R. 1998. Island biogeography of angiosperms of the Juan Fernandez archipelago.  In: Evolution and Speciation of Island Plants. Eds. T. S. Stuessy and M. Ono. Cambridge University Press.

Stuessy, T. F., Marticorena, C., Rodriguez, R. R., Crawford, D. J. & Silva, M. O. 1998. Endemism in the vascular flora of the Juan Fernandez Islands. Aliso, 13: 297-307.

Stuessy, T. F., Sanders, R. W. & Silva, M. 1984. Phytogeography and evolution of the flora of the Juan Fernandez Islands. In: Biogeography of the Tropical Pacific (Proceedings of a Symposium). Eds. F. J. Radovsky, P. H. Raven and H. Sohmer. Bishop Museum Special Publication No. 72.

Stuessy, T. F., Swenson, U., Crawford, D. J., Anderson, G. & Silva, M. O. 1998. Plant conservation in the Juan Fernandez Archipelago, Chile. Aliso, 16: 89-101.