The
dry
chaco
refers
to
the
parched
plain
of
unruly
thorn-scrub
that
covers
most
of
central
and
western
Chaco
and
Formosa
provinces,
northeastern
Salta,
and
much
of
Santiago
del
Estero
-
where
you'll
find
the
best-preserved
example
of
this
ecosystem
within
the
Parque
Nacional
Copo.
This
habitat
was
once
more
varied,
but
massive
deforestation
and
the
subsequent
introduction
of
cattle
has
standardized
the
vegetation.
There
can
be
few
places
in
the
world
where
the
cacti
are
not
necessarily
the
spiniest
of
plants,
as
is
the
case
here.
Everything,
it
seems,
is
aggressively
defensive:
the
vinal
shrub,
for
instance,
is
dreaded
by
riders
and
horses
alike
for
its
brutal,
reinforced
spikes,
up
to
twenty
centimetres
long.
To
the
early
explorers
and
settlers,
much
of
the
dry
chaco
was
known
simply
as
the
Impenetrable
for
its
lack
of
water
and
all
species
have
adapted
strategies
to
save
water,
about
half
of
them
losing
their
leaves
during
the
winter
drought.
In
places,
a
dense
understorey
of
chaguar
and
caraguatá
grow:
robust,
yucca-like
plants
which
are
processed
by
the
Wichí
to
make
the
fibre
for
their
yica
bags.
The
monte
scrub
grows
from
ground
level
to a
height
of
some
four
metres,
and
from
this
ragged
tangle,
trees
liberate
themselves
once
in a
while.
The
tallest
trees
in
the
dry
chaco
are
the
quebrachos
,
notably
the
quebracho
colorado
santiagueño
(up
to
24m
tall
and
1.5m
diameter),
exploited
for
tannin
and
by
the
timber
industry;
and
the
quebracho
blanco
,
used
extensively
for
firewood
and
whose
bark
-
cracked
into
thick
"scales",
not
dissimilar
to
cork-oak
bark
-
has
antimalarial
properties.
Its
leaves
resemble
that
of
an
olive
tree,
and
its
distinctive
husk
of a
seed
pod
contains
oval
parchment-yellow
flakes
of
seed.
Several
other
species
can
also
reach
imposing
sizes,
such
as
the
two
types
of
carob
tree
,
the
algarrobo
blanco
and
algarrobo
negro
,
both
of
which
play
an
integral
role
in
the
life
of
the
Wichí
and
other
indigenous
groups
for
the
shade,
firewood,
edible
beans
and
animal
forage
they
provide.
Regrettably,
the
species
have
been
severely
overexploited
to
provide
a
much-prized
reddish
wood
for
the
furniture
industry.
The
beautiful
guayacán
,
with
olive-green
bark
that
flakes
rather
like
a
plane
tree
and
leaves
somewhat
like
a
mimosa,
is
valued
for
its
extremely
hard
wood,
also
used
for
furniture.
Perhaps
the
hardest
wood
of
all
is
that
of
the
endangered,
slow-growing
palo
santo
(meaning
"holy
stick").
This
tree,
characteristically
with
a
profusion
of
knobbly
twigs
and
a
host
to
many
small,
grey,
octopus-like
bromeliads,
flowers
in
spring
with
tiny
blooms
the
colour
of
lemon
yoghurt.
Its
fragrant,
green-tinged
wood
can
be
burnt
as
an
insect
repellent;
though
carvings
are
sold
by
the
Wichí
and
Qom,
export
of
the
wood
has
been
prohibited.
Finally,
the
palo
borracho
(or
yuchán
) is
the
most
distinctive
tree
of
all,
with
a
bulbous,
porous
trunk
to
store
water;
the
tree
protects
itself,
especially
when
young,
with
rhino-horned
spikes,
and
it
flowers
with
large
yellow
blooms
from
January
to
July,
the
seedpods
producing
a
fluffy
cotton-like
fibre.
Creepers
such
as
the
famous
medicinal
uña
de
gato
(or
garabato
)
are
quite
common.
Cacti
are
some
of
the
very
few
plants
here
that
grow
straight:
predominantly
the
candelabra
cardón
(a
different
species
to
that
which
grows
in
the
Andes),
which
grows
to
the
size
of a
tree;
and
its
similar-looking
cousin,
the
ucle
(which
has
seven
lobes
per
stem,
compared
with
the
cardón
's
nine).
These
cacti
are
sometimes
planted
so
as
to
grow
into
tightly
knit
hedges.
