Research and Conservation in Southern Sonora, Mexico
Trees of Southern Sonora
The flora of the Río Mayo Region in southern Sonora is very rich, especially in trees (Martin et al. 1998). Tropical Deciduous Forest (TDF) vegetation is dominated by leguminous trees; the Oak Woodland and Pine-Oak Forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental have a high diversity of oaks and pines. In the New World there are also numerous species of arboreous cacti which are often codominant with the legumes. Cacti are treated in their own section, with the arboreous ones also listed below. The majority of the 287 tree species in Sonora occur in southern Sonora. Some of the more important and interesting species of southern Sonora are described here, including some in communities above and below tropical deciduous forest. Click here for a complete Sonoran list with authors.
As defined by Felger (2000), a tree is a woody plant that attains at least 15 feet in height, usually has a single trunk, and is at least theoretically climbable. The latter criterion allows the inclusion of treelike plants such as the giant cacti. Some of the species listed below are typically shrubs that only occasionally attain tree size.
Asterisks (*) indicate exotic species.
GYMNOSPERMS
CUPRESSACEAE - CYPRESS FAMILY
Juniperus deppeana
Juniperus durangensis
Juniperus mucronata
Taxodium distichum var. mexicanum
PINACEAE - PINE FAMILY
Abies durangensis
Pinus arizonica
Pinus cembroides
Pinus chihuahuana
Pinus discolor
Pinus engelmannii
Pinus hererrae
Pinus lumholtzii
Pinus maximinoi
Pinus oocarpa
Pinus strobiformis
Pinus yecorensis
ANGIOSPERMS
ACERACEAE - MAPLE FAMILY
Acer grandidentatum
AGAVACEAE - AGAVE FAMILY
Yucca grandiflora
ANACARDIACEAE - SUMAC FAMILY
*Spondias purpurea
APOCYNACEAE - DOGBANE FAMILY
Plumeria rubra
Stemmadenia tomentosa palmeri
*Thevetia peruviana
Vallesia glabra
AQUIFOLIACEAE - HOLLY FAMILY
Ilex rubra
Ilex tolucana
ARALIACEAE - GINSENG FAMILY
Aralia humilis
Dendropanax arboreum
Oreopanax peltatum
ARECACEAE - PALM FAMILY
Brahea aculeata
Brahea dulcis
Brahea nitida
Sabal uresana
ASTERACEAE - DAISY OR COMPOSITE FAMILY
Montanoa rosei subsp. rosei
Parthenium tomentosum var. stramonium
AVICENNIACEAE - BLACK MANGROVE FAMILY
Avicennia germinans
BERBERIDACEAE - BARBERRY FAMILY
Berberis longipes
Berberis aff. moranensis
Berberis pimana
BETULACEAE - ALDER FAMILY
Alnus oblongifolia
Ostrya virginiana
BIGNONIACEAE - BIGNONIA FAMILY
*Crescentia alata
Tabebuia chrysantha
Tabebuia impetiginosa
Tecoma stans var. angustata
BOMBACACEAE - SILK-COTTON FAMILY
Ceiba acuminata
Pseudobombax palmeri
BORAGINACEAE - BORAGE FAMILY
Cordia sonorae
BUDDLEJACEAE - BUTTEFLY-BUSH FAMILY
Buddleja parviflora
Buddleja sessiliflora
BURSERACEAE - FRANKINCENSE FAMILY
Bursera fagaroides var. elongata
Bursera grandifolia
Bursera lancifolia
Bursera laxiflora
Bursera penicillata
Bursera simarouba
Bursera stenophylla
CACTACEAE - CACTUS FAMILY
Carnegiea gigantea
Cylindropuntia thurberi
Opuntia wilcoxii
Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum
Pilosocereus alensis
Stenocereus montanus
Stenocereus thurberi
CAPPARACEAE - CAPER FAMILY
Capparis atamisquea
Capparis flexuosa
Crataeva palmeri
Forchhammeria watsonii
CAPRIFOLIACEAE - HONEYSUCKLE FAMILY
Sambucus nigra cerulea
CELASTRACEAE - STAFF TREE FAMILY
Maytenus phyllanthoides
Wimmeria mexicana
CLETHRACEAE
Clethra mexicana
COCHLOSPERMACEAE - COCHLOSPERMUM FAMILY
Cochlospermum vitifolium
COMBRETACEAE - COMBRETUM FAMILY
Laguncularia racemosa
CONVOLVULACEAE - MORNING GLORY FAMILY
Ipomoea arborescens
CORNACEAE - DOGWOOD FAMILY
Cornus disciflora
EBENACEAE - EBONY FAMILY
Diospyros sonorae
ERICACEAE - HEATH FAMILY
Arbutus arizonica
Arbutus xalapensis
ERYTHROXYLACEAE - COCA FAMILY
Erythroxylum mexicanum
EUPHORBIACEAE - SPURGE FAMILY
Adelia virgata
Croton fantzianus
Croton flavescens
Drypetes gentryi
Jatropha cordata
Jatropha malacophylla
Hura polyandra
Manihot aesculifolia
Manihot caudata
*Ricinus communis
Sebastiania bilocularis
Sebastiania cornuta
Sebastiania pavoniana
FABACEAE - LEGUME FAMILY
Acacia cochliacantha
Acacia farnesiana
Acacia occidentalis
Acacia pennatula
Acacia
russelliana (= coulteri)
Acacia willardiana
Albizia sinaloensis
Bauhinia pringlei
Brongniartia alamosana
Caesalpinia caladenia
Caesalpinia palmeri
Caesalpinia platyloba
Caesalpinia sclerocarpa
Calliandra houstoniana
Chloroleucon mangense var. leucospermum
Conzattia multiflora
Diphysa occidentalis
Diphysa suberosa
Erythrina flabelliformis
Eysenhardtia orthocarpa
Haematoxylum brasiletto
Havardia mexicana
Havardia sonorae
Leucaena lanceolata
Leucaena leucocephala
Lonchocarpus hermannii
Lysiloma divaricatum
Lysiloma watsonii
Mimosa palmeri
Olneya tesota
Parkinsonia aculeata
Parkinsonia florida
Parkinsonia praecox
Piscidia mollis
Pithecellobium dulce
Pithecellobium unguis-cati
Platymiscium trifoliatum
Prosopis articulata
Prosopis glandulosa
Prosopis velutina
Senna atomaria
FAGACEAE - BEECH FAMILY
Quercus albocincta
Quercus arizonica
Quercus chihuahuensis
Quercus coccolobifolia
Quercus durifolia
Quercus Xepileuca
Quercus hypoleucoides
Quercus mcvaughii
Quercus oblongifolia
Quercus perpallida
Quercus rugosa
Quercus scytophylla
Quercus subspathulata
Quercus tarahumara
Quercus toumeyi
Quercus tuberculata
Quercus viminea
FOUQUIERIACEAE - OCOTILLO FAMILY
Fouquieria diguetii
Fouquieria macdougalii
KOEBERLINIACEAE - JUNCO FAMILY
Koeberlinia spinosa
JUGLANDACEAE - WALNUT FAMILY
Juglans major
LAURACEAE - LAUREL FAMILY
Cinnamomum hartmannii
Litsea glaucescens var. subsolitaria
Persea podadenia
MAGNOLIACEAE - MAGNOLIA FAMILY
Magnolia pacifica subsp. tarahumara
MALPIGHIACEAE
Bunchosia sonorensis
Malpighia emarginata
MELIACEAE - MAHOGANY FAMILY
Cedrella odorata
Melia azedarach
Trichilia americana
Trichilia hirta
MORACEAE - MULBERRY FAMILY
Chlorophora tinctoria
Ficus carica
Ficus cotinifolia
Ficus insipida subsp. insipida
Ficus maxima
Ficus pertusa
Ficus petiolaris
Ficus trigonata
Maclura tinctoria
Morus microphylla
Trophis racemosa
MYRSINACEAE - MYRSINE FAMILY
Ardisia revoluta
Myrsine coriacea
MYRTACEAE - MYRTLE FAMILY
*Eucalyptus camaldulensis
Psidium guajava
Psidium sartorianum
NOLINACEAE - BEARGRASS FAMILY
Nolina bigelovii
Nolina matapensis
NYCTAGINACEAE - FOUR-O'CLOCK FAMILY
Pisonia capitata
OLACACEAE
Schoepfia parviflora
Schoepfia schreberi
OLEACEAE - OLIVE FAMILY
Forestiera pubescens
Forestiera cf. rhamnifolia
Fraxinus papillosa
Osmanthus americanus
Fraxinus velutina
OPILIACEAE
Agonandra racemosa
POLYGONACEAE - BUCKWHEAT FAMILY
Coccoloba goldmanii Standley
PLATANACEAE - PLANE-TREE FAMILY
Platanus racemosa var. wrightii
RHAMNACEAE - BUCKTHORN FAMILY
Colubrina triflora
Condalia globosa
Karwinskia humboldtiana
Rhamnus scopulorum
Ziziphus amole
RHIZOPHORACEAE - MANGROVE FAMILY
Rhizophora mangle
ROSACEAE - ROSE FAMILY
Prunus gentryi
Prunus persica
Prunus serotina
subsp. virens var. virens
Prunus zingii
RUBIACEAE - MADDER FAMILY
Cephalanthus salicifolius
Chiococca petrina
Hamelia mexiae
Hintonia latiflora
Psychotria mexiae
Randia echinocarpa
Randia laevigata
Randia obcordata
RUTACEAE - CITRUS FAMILY
Amyris balsamifera
Casimiroa edulis
Esenbeckia hartmanii
Zanthoxylum fagara
SALICACEAE - WILLOW FAMILY
Populus mexicana
Populus monticola
Salix bonplandiana
Salix exilifolia
Salix gooddingii
Salix lasiolepis
Xylosoma flexuosum
SAPINDACEAE - SOAPBERRY FAMILY
Sapindus saponaria
Thouia acuminata
Thouia villosa
SAPOTACEAE - SAPOTE FAMILY
Sideroxylon occidentale
Sideroxylon persimile
Sideroxylon tepicense
SIMAROUBACEAE - QUASSIA-WOOD FAMILY
Alvaradoa amorphoides
SOLANACEAE - NIGHTSHADE FAMILY
Cestrum tomentosum
Nicotiana glauca
Solanum erianthum
STERCULIACEAE - STERCULIA FAMILY
Guazuma ulmifolia
TAMARICACEAE - TAMARISK FAMILY
*Tamarix aphylla
*Tamarix ramosissima
THEOPHRASTACEAE - THEOPHRASTA FAMILY
Jacquinia macrocarpa subsp. pungens
TILIACEAE - LINDEN FAMILY
Heliocarpus attenuatus
Heliocarpus palmeri
Tilia americana var. mexicana
ULMACEAE - ELM FAMILY
Aphananthe monoica
Celtis iguanea
Celtis reticulata
Celtis pallida
URTICACEAE - NETTLE FAMILY
Urera caracasana
VERBENACEAE - VERVAIN FAMILY
Lippia gentryi
Vitex mollis
Vitex pyramidata
ZYGOPHYLLACEAE - CALTROP FAMILY
Guaiacum coulteri