__NOTOC__ Yareta or llareta (''Azorella compacta'', known historically as ''Azorella yareta'', from ''yarita'' in the

Quechua language Quechua (, ; ), usually called ("people's language") in Quechuan languages, is an Indigenous languages of the Americas, indigenous language family spoken by the Quechua peoples, primarily living in the Peruvian Andes. Derived from a common anc ...

) is a velvety, chartreuse

cushion plant A cushion plant is a compact, low-growing, mat-forming plant that is found in alpine, subalpine, arctic, or subarctic environments around the world. The term "cushion" is usually applied to woody plants that grow as spreading mats, are limited in ...

in the family

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants ...

which is native to South America. It grows in the Puna grasslands of the Andes in Peru,

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, northern Chile and western Argentina at altitudes between . YaretaSurface

Description

Yareta is an evergreen perennial with a low, mat-like shape and hemispherical growth form that grows to around 6 m (~20 ft) in diameter. The self-fertile, pink or lavender flowers are hermaphroditic and are pollinated by insects. The plant prefers sandy, well-drained soils. It can grow in nutritionally poor soils that are acidic, neutral or basic (alkaline) at altitudes of up to . Yareta is well-adapted to high

insolation Solar irradiance is the power per unit area (surface power density) received from the Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the measuring instrument. Solar irradiance is measured in watts per square metre (W/m ...

rates typical of the Andes highlands and cannot grow in shade. The plant's leaves grow into an extremely compact, dense mat that reduces heat and water loss. This mat grows near the ground where air temperature is one or two degrees Celsius higher than the mean air temperature. This temperature difference is a result of the longwave radiation re-radiated by the soil surface, which is usually dark gray to black in the Puna. Yareta is estimated to grow approximately per year. Many yaretas are estimated to be over 3,000 years old. These oldest ones have been reported to grow as slowly as 1/18th inch (1.4 millimeters) per year. Its very slow growth makes the traditional practice of harvesting it for fuel highly unsustainable.

Gallery

File:Yareta 2.jpg, Plant in crevice in Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, Potosí, Bolivia File:Azorella compacta (8427860829).jpg, Close-up showing seeds File:Azorella compacta (yareta) en la Isla H, Ushuaia, Argentina.JPG, Texture of surface File:Yareta DSCN6066mod.jpg, Flowers

References

External links

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''Azorella compacta'' pictures from Chile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q551995 Azorella Flora of the Andes Flora of Argentina Flora of Bolivia Flora of northern Chile Flora of Peru