The Cuban cactus scrub is a xeric shrubland ecoregion strung along the leeward, southeastern coast of Cuba, concentrated in the provinces of Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba and covering roughly 3,300 square kilometers. Its vegetation is dominated by columnar cacti and other succulents alongside palms, organized into coastal scrubland zones rooted in shallow rendzina soils derived from coralline limestone; characteristic woody genera include Bursera, Croton, Acacia, and Cordia. The climate is semidesert, receiving less than 800 mm of rainfall a year with a prolonged dry period and average temperatures near 26 degrees Celsius. The ecoregion is an important center of plant diversity and endemism, sheltering endemic reptiles such as the Cuban rock iguana along with the flagship Cuban flower bat, a key pollinator of its native flora. For gardeners working hot, dry coastal sites, the region is home to drought-hardy ornamental cactus genera native here, including Opuntia, Harrisia, Pilosocereus, Melocactus, and Leptocereus.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 20.1°N, 74.9°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.2°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Deserts & Xeric Shrublands
Realm
Neotropic
Approximate area
1,261 sq mi
Conservation tier
Nature Imperiled (Dinerstein NNH 4)
About the deserts & xeric shrublands biome
Arid and semi-arid lands where low, erratic rainfall and high evaporation limit vegetation to drought-adapted shrubs, succulents, and sparse grasses. Day-to-night temperature swings are large, and life is finely tuned to water scarcity.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
No catalog plants intersect this ecoregion's zone range. As the catalog grows to cover this region's climate band, suggestions will surface here.
Collections for this ecoregion
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other deserts & xeric shrublands ecoregions to explore: