The Central Andean puna is a high-elevation montane grassland and shrubland ecoregion of the southern Andes, stretching from southern Peru through Bolivia into northern Chile and Argentina, generally between about 3,200 and 6,600 meters above sea level. Its landscape of open meadows, plateaus, high lakes, and snow-capped peaks is dominated by tussock or bunchgrass grasslands built from genera such as Calamagrostis, Agrostis, and Festuca, dotted with herbs, moss, and lichen, and accented by Polylepis (queñoa) woodland, Azorella cushion plants, and the giant bromeliad Puya raimondii. The climate is cold and semi-arid, with annual temperatures ranging from below freezing to about 15 degrees Celsius and yearly rainfall of roughly 250 to 500 millimeters. The region remains an important refuge for hardy Andean wildlife, including the vicuna, guanaco, chinchilla, and its flagship bird, Darwin's rhea, though habitat is increasingly pressured by grazing, burning, mining, and agriculture. For gardeners drawn to rugged high-altitude flora, the puna is the native home of the dramatic Puya raimondii, prized for producing one of the tallest flower spikes in the plant world.

At a glance

About the montane grasslands & shrublands biome

High-elevation grasslands, meadows, and shrublands above the treeline or in mountain basins, including alpine and páramo systems. Cool temperatures, intense sunlight, and specialized, often endemic flora characterize them.

Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion

Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.

Collections for this ecoregion

Curated multi-plant collections whose members all fit this ecoregion's zone range — no won't-grow members smuggled in. Overall fit class shown per collection is the weakest link across its members.

Related ecoregions