›

Deserts & Xeric Shrublands

›

Paraguaná xeric scrub

Biome

Deserts & Xeric Shrublands

·

Biogeographic realm

Neotropic

A branching columnar cactus silhouetted against a red dusk sky, Paraguana Peninsula, Venezuela.

Region photo - Aramburu Carlos / Wikimedia Commons - CC BY-SA 4.0; attribution required.

Paraguaná xeric scrub

The Paraguaná xeric scrub stretches across northwestern Venezuela, centered on the Falcón and Lara states and the windswept Paraguaná Peninsula north and east of Lake Maracaibo, reaching offshore to the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. Its vegetation is built for drought: halophytes and dune plants on the saline coast give way inland to stunted thorn scrub, low trees, and cactus, with genera such as Prosopis (mesquite), the columnar cactus Stenocereus griseus, and prickly pear Opuntia, while deciduous and cloud forests survive only on higher ground like Cerro Santa Ana. The climate is hot and arid, classed as BSh steppe, with rainfall on the peninsula typically under 300 millimeters a year and persistent northeast trade winds driving the dryness. Biologically it is distinctive but stressed: it shelters the endemic, threatened red siskin and the vulnerable yellow-shouldered amazon, and the WWF rates it Critical/Endangered, with protected areas such as Médanos de Coro National Park guarding remaining habitat against grazing, logging, and agricultural conversion. For gardeners in hot, dry climates, the region's native mesquite and Opuntia and Stenocereus cacti are familiar xeriscape and ornamental succulents.

RESOLVE 606

Neotropic

6,166 sq mi

Deserts & Xeric Shrublands

Landscape type

Deserts & Xeric Shrublands

Plant region

Neotropic

Region footprint

6,166 sq mi

Habitat pressure

Nature Could Recover (Dinerstein NNH 3)

Source & care

Plants that can handle this region

Plotwright does not have climate-fit plant matches for this region yet. As the catalog grows into this climate band, suggestions will appear here.

Similar planting regions

Browse other regions in the same biome. Their plant lists can suggest species and combinations worth comparing.

Columnar cactus and xeric scrub on the Macanao Peninsula, Venezuela.

RESOLVE 597 - Neotropic

Araya and Paria xeric scrub

The Araya and Paria xeric scrub stretches along Venezuela's northeastern Caribbean coast, covering the Araya and Paria peninsulas, the area around Cumaná, and the offshore islands of Margarita, Coche, and Cubagua. Its vegetation is a mosaic of salt-tolerant dune herbs, dry thorn scrub studded with columnar and prickly-pear cacti such as Stenocereus and Opuntia, and low deciduous woodland with trees including Bursera, Prosopis, and Parkinsonia, grading into semi-deciduous and evergreen forest on the higher hills. The climate is hot and markedly arid, with average temperatures around 24 to 27 degrees Celsius and rainfall that is very sparse on the Araya Peninsula but much higher on the wetter Paria slopes. The ecoregion harbors notable wildlife, most famously the threatened yellow-shouldered amazon parrot, alongside breeding sea turtles and a number of endemic plants, yet it is considered critically threatened by overgrazing, deforestation, sand extraction, and coastal urbanization. For gardeners in hot, dry climates, several drought-hardy genera native here, including the cacti Stenocereus and Opuntia and the flowering tree Parkinsonia, are widely grown as ornamentals.

Deserts & Xeric Shrublands

RESOLVE 598 - Neotropic

Atacama desert

The Atacama Desert ecoregion runs as a continuous strip for nearly 1,000 kilometers along the narrow coast of the northern third of Chile, extending toward southern Peru, within the Neotropic realm. Its interior is one of the driest places on Earth and almost without vegetation, while life concentrates on coastal slopes and ravines where Pacific fog and winter drizzle sustain isolated oases known as lomas. Characteristic plants include columnar and cushion cacti such as Eulychnia, Copiapoa, Browningia, and Leucostele, alongside bromeliads on sandy ground and the endemic tamarugo tree, with around 550 species of ferns, gymnosperms, and flowering plants recorded. Endemism here can exceed 60 percent, and the desert is the largest fog desert on the planet, supporting a sparse but highly adapted fauna whose flagship is Darwin's leaf-eared mouse. For gardeners, several of its hardy succulents, notably Copiapoa cacti, are prized ornamentals well suited to arid, low-water plantings.

Deserts & Xeric Shrublands

RESOLVE 599 - Neotropic

Caribbean shrublands

The Caribbean Shrublands ecoregion is a Neotropic strip of xeric scrub scattered across the low, dry islands of the Caribbean, including the Cayman Islands, all of Barbados, the coastal Windward Islands (parts of Grenada, St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, and Trinidad), and much of the Leeward Islands, from Guadeloupe's Grande-Terre and Marie-Galante to Antigua, Anguilla, St. Martin, St. Barthélemy, and the eastern Virgin Islands. Its vegetation is seral in character, grading from herbaceous coastal strand through scrublands and savannas to littoral woodland, and it sits within a broader island setting of tropical dry forests and mangroves. The climate is warm and tropical, with the Cayman Islands experiencing a humid regime, a distinct wet season from May to November, and persistent trade winds. The ecoregion holds notable island endemism: the Cayman Islands alone support 26 herpetofauna species, about three-quarters of them endemic, while the critically endangered Grenada dove, Grenada's national bird, persists in mature dry scrub lowlands and hillsides. Habitat loss and introduced species are the leading threats to these naturally limited coastal scrub habitats.

Deserts & Xeric Shrublands

RESOLVE 600 - Neotropic

Cuban cactus scrub

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.

Deserts & Xeric Shrublands

RESOLVE 601 - Neotropic

Galápagos Islands xeric scrub

The Galápagos Islands xeric scrub covers Ecuador's Galápagos archipelago, roughly 128 volcanic islands scattered across the Pacific some 960 km west of the South American mainland. Across the lowland arid zone the vegetation is drought-tolerant scrub and dry forest, characterized by palo santo (Bursera graveolens), the endemic guayabillo (Psidium galapageium), coastal saltbush (Cryptocarpus pyriformis) and Maytenus, and several endemic cactus genera including the tree-like prickly pears (Opuntia), Jasminocereus, and Brachycereus. The climate is semi-arid and oceanic with two seasons: a warm wet season from about December to May and a cooler, drier garúa season, while rainfall climbs sharply with elevation so that higher slopes carry moister Scalesia woodlands. The islands hold around 500 native vascular plant species, roughly 180 of them endemic, and the ecoregion is the celebrated home of the giant Galápagos tortoise and an emblem of evolutionary endemism. Its native flora is now critically threatened by introduced and invasive species, including goats and numerous non-native plants, though nearly the entire ecoregion lies within Galápagos National Park.

Deserts & Xeric Shrublands

3,094 sq mi

NNH tier 1

Columnar cacti and prickly pear in thorn scrub on red sand in La Guajira, Colombia.

RESOLVE 602 - Neotropic

Guajira-Barranquilla xeric scrub

The Guajira-Barranquilla xeric scrub is an arid shrubland ecoregion strung along the Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela, occupying the Guajira Peninsula and the Ranchería river valley and reaching out to the ABC Islands of the Leeward Antilles. Its dry lowlands are dominated by thorny trees and succulents, with characteristic genera including Acacia, Prosopis (mesquite), and a wealth of cacti such as Opuntia. The climate is hot and dry, with low and highly variable annual rainfall and warm temperatures year-round, a pocket of true xerophytic vegetation within the otherwise wet Neotropics. The region is notable as habitat for a large community of Caribbean flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) alongside a diversity of birds and bats, and much of the Serranía de Macuira is protected within Macuira National Park. For gardeners drawn to drought-tolerant plantings, the Los Flamencos Sanctuary here is recognized as a center of plant diversity for Salvia, the bromeliad Hechtia, and native cacti.

Deserts & Xeric Shrublands

Where this ecoregion reaches

The countries, US states, and Canadian provinces this ecoregion touches, from a spatial join of its RESOLVE polygon against Natural Earth boundaries.

Countries

Venezuela

Educator packet

Region packet

Paraguaná xeric scrub educator packet

The Paraguaná xeric scrub stretches across northwestern Venezuela, centered on the Falcón and Lara states and the windswept Paraguaná Peninsula north and east of Lake Maracaibo, reaching offshore to the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. Its vegetation is built for drought: halophytes and dune plants on the saline coast give way inland to stunted thorn scrub, low trees, and cactus, with genera such as Prosopis (mesquite), the columnar cactus Stenocereus griseus, and prickly pear Opuntia, while deciduous and cloud forests survive only on higher ground like Cerro Santa Ana. The climate is hot and arid, classed as BSh steppe, with rainfall on the peninsula typically under 300 millimeters a year and persistent northeast trade winds driving the dryness. Biologically it is distinctive but stressed: it shelters the endemic, threatened red siskin and the vulnerable yellow-shouldered amazon, and the WWF rates it Critical/Endangered, with protected areas such as Médanos de Coro National Park guarding remaining habitat against grazing, logging, and agricultural conversion. For gardeners in hot, dry climates, the region's native mesquite and Opuntia and Stenocereus cacti are familiar xeriscape and ornamental succulents.

Realm

Neotropic

Dominant biome

Deserts & Xeric Shrublands

Approximate area

6,166 square miles

States / provinces

Not recorded

Climate descriptor

Not recorded

Classroom prompts

- Which climate and biome facts explain why this region supports its characteristic plants?

- How do native-plant and wildlife-support claims differ from a species-presence claim?

- Which source-backed facts would you cite before using this region in a classroom map activity?

Use the Sources & citations section below for page citation styles and region source links.

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or regional planting notes that use this Plotwright page. To cite the underlying ecoregion framework or a specific editorial profile, use the source cards below.

Plotwright. (n.d.). Paraguaná xeric scrub (Paraguaná xeric scrub). Retrieved 2026, August 20, from https://plotwright.com/regions/resolve-606

Sources for this region

This page cites Plotwright first for the compiled view, then lists the upstream framework, climate, and editorial source pages so readers can cite the original material directly.

RESOLVE 2017 Terrestrial Ecoregions (Dinerstein et al.)

Primary ecoregion framework

One Earth

Wikipedia

Wikimedia Foundation

Open source

Source guide