The Paraná flooded savanna stretches along the floodplains of the middle and lower Paraná River and its major tributary the Paraguay River, running through Argentina and Paraguay from Resistencia in Chaco south to the Paraná Delta and the Río de la Plata basin near Buenos Aires. Its low, flood-prone islands and riverbanks carry narrow strips of forest and shrub dominated by sauce criollo (Salix humboldtiana), Tessaria integrifolia, and the red-flowered ceibo (Erythrina crista-galli), interlaced with aquatic flora such as water hyacinths (Eichhornia), giant Victoria cruziana waterlilies, bulrush, and southern cattail (Typha). The permanent presence of large bodies of water creates high humidity that softens daily and seasonal temperature extremes, giving the region a humid subtropical character. The flagship species is the marsh deer, South America's largest deer and listed as vulnerable, alongside capybara, neotropical otter, and more than 300 fish species; the World Wildlife Fund nonetheless rates the ecoregion Critical/Endangered because most of its habitat has been converted to farmland and urban development. For gardeners, several of its natives are familiar ornamentals, including the cockspur coral tree (Erythrina crista-galli) and the showy Victoria cruziana giant waterlily.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 33.9°S, 58.8°W.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
11a-12b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
11b-12b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.5°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
Flooded Grasslands & Savannas
Realm
Neotropic
Approximate area
14,345 sq mi
Conservation tier
Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 1)
About the flooded grasslands & savannas biome
Grasslands and savannas subject to seasonal or year-round flooding, including large wetland complexes. Exceptionally productive, they concentrate waterbirds and aquatic life.
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.
Climate-resilient picks · 52
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
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 flooded grasslands & savannas ecoregions to explore: