2. Vegetation

Vegetation is understood to include the way that plants appear, develop and organize in a specific area. In general, the vegetation of Cocos Island corresponds to a Tropical Rain Forest, however, the following types of vegetation can be identified. Vegetation in littoral zones, which are located at altitudes under 50 meters and develop above rocky cliffs and in the lower parts of the valleys of the bays and inlets that surround the island. The most common tree species in that area are: Annona grabra, Erhytrina fusca, Ochroma pyramidalis and Cocos nucifera found on the high ridges, with an undergrowth of rubiáceas and solanáceas, a diversity of herbs (ciperáceas, gramínes, leguminos, malváceas) and ferns, both epiphytic and those that grow in soil.

In these littoral zones three distinct plant associations are found. The first corresponds to those that grow in sand, close to the shore, composed of Ipomea pescaprae, Hibiscus tillices, Cesalpinea bonduc and Cocos nucifera. The second is made up of associations that grow on the rocks and rocky projections surrounding the island, as well as on the main islets. The predominant species in this association are: Clusia rosea, Euterpe precatoria var. longevaginata, Cecropia pittiere (endemic) and Cornutia grandiflora. On the cliffs, the pioneer species is Ipomea acuminata. The dominant species in the islets is Clusia rosea with the endemic grass Chloris paniculata. The third association is marsh plants, which develop in soil but experience the influence of salt water from ocean spray. These are composed primarily of the Annona grabra, Conocapus erectus and Caccipourea species, and at the lower stratum by the Acrosticum aureum fern. In reality, this association can be considered an incipient mangrove.

The second type of vegetation, which covers the major portion of the island, corresponds to that of a tropical rain forest and is located in the mountainous area at altitudes higher than 100 meters above sea level. The trees in this forest are over 30 meters high and are dominated by Saccoglottis hodridgei (endemic), Ocotea insularis and Euterpe precatoria var. longevaginata, with an undergrowth of a composite plant, melastomáceas, rubeáceas. There is an abundance of mosses, hepaticas, ferns and epiphytic plants, including an endemic orchid and bromelidae (Epidendrum insularum and Guzmania crateriflora) in the lowest undergrowth. Finally, it is important to point out the presence of aquatic and hydrophilus plant associations on Cocos Island, which develop in the humid environments that border the numerous rivers and streams. In these associations the Ardisia compressa, ciperáceas (Calyptrocarya glomerulata, Fimbristylis dichotoma) and herbal grasses (Digitaria setigera and Paspalum virgatum) are frequent. In humid lowlands it is possible to find small forests of endemic arboreal ferns (Cyathea alphonsiana, C. notabilis and C. nesiotica).