In 1996, Gonzalo Navarro, Israel Vargas, et al. published a very detailed vegetation map and classification which is adapted here. Their map was based on extensive field work as well as interpretation of satellite images.

The front ranges of the Andes in this area consist of a series of sandstones and shales, producing a majestic landscape of cliffs in the deeply incised river valleys. Some of the massive red sandstones form huge rounded “haystacks” such as the “Volcanes” near Bermejo and most famously the “Fuerte” near Samaipata with its important archeological features.

Map Legend (click on the image thumbnails to enlarge them):

Vegetation types 1 through 4 represent the dry vegetation of the so-called mesothermic interandean valleys. The “old highway” from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba follows these valleys, where road construction is simple and where the towns of the region are located near productive agricultural land based on the summer rains or on irrigation.

1 Bosque semiárido chaqueño-interandino/Semi-arid interandean chaco woodland.
The vegetation of the valley floors could be called “woodland with cacti”. It is especially well-developed between Los Negros and Comarapa, especially near Pampa Grande, Mataral and San Isidro. The majority of the species flower at the beginning of the rains in December. The woodland was originally dominated by soto, Schinopsis haenkeana and Loxopterygium grisebachii, both of the Anacardiaceae. The shrubs are often spiny and include Koeberlinia spinosa (disjunct from the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico), the bizarre leafless “tree” composed entirely of stiff, spiny branches called lanza-lanza (Prosopis kuntzei), and cacti such as the giant caraparí (Neoraimondia herzogiana), several species of Opuntia, Pereskia diaz-romeroana and P. sacharosa. Capparaceae such as Capparis atamisquea and C. speciosa are common.
 

2 Bosque seco chaqueño-interandino/Dry interandean chaco woodland.
An equally dry forest occupies the slopes, but with less representation of Cactaceae. The forest is low, subjected to extensive cattle grazing, sand doinated by soto, Schinopsis haenkeana, quina-quina (Myroxylon peruiferum), Pisonia ambigua, ahuaí, Chrysophyllum gonocarpum), Aralia soratensis, Stillingia peruviana and Pisonia ambigua.
<

3 Bosque ribereño chaqueño-interandino/Riverine interandean chaco woodland.
Due to the presence of a higher water table, this is a taller woodland with ceibo (Erythrina falcata), Jacaranda mimosifolia, Salix humboldtiana.

4 Bosque freatófilo chaqueño-interandino/Phreatic interandean chaco woodland.
Where there is a subterannean source of water, the vegetation includes Prosopis alba, P. flexuosa, and Vallesia glabra.

5 Bosque subhúmedo deciduo del sureste de Amboró/Subhumid deciduous forest of southeastern Amboró.
This is forest is almost completely deciduous during the dry season. It covers the hills at less than 900 meters above sea level in the extreme southeast of the Flora region. Part of this vegetation type covers the non-consolidated sediments forming low hills east of the true andean foothills. Among the dominants are curupaú (Anadenanthera macrocarpa), cuchi (Astronium urundeuva), tajibillo (Cybistax antisiphylitica), Eriotheca roseorum and jopo de mono (Zeyheria tuberculosa).

6 Bosque subhúmedo-húmedo semideciduo del sureste de Amboró (termotropical superior)/Subhumid to humid deciduous forest of southeastern Amboró.
Between 900 and 1100 meters above sea level the conditions are somewhat cooler and wetter and the forest is only partially deciduous during the dry season. Among the dominants are jichituriqui (Aspidosperma cylindrocarpum), mechero (Cariniana estrellensis), cedro (Cedrela lilloi), ajo (Gallesia integrifolia), Pachystroma longifolium, Pogonopus tubulosus and tajibo amarillo (Tabebuia lapacho).

7 Bosque subhúmedo semideciduo de valle interno yungueño/Subhumid semi-deciduous forest of the internal Yungas valleys.
In the extreme western Amboró Park area is the region of San Mateo, where a semi-deciduous forest is found in the interior valleys. It is very much endangered by agriculture. Trees include jopo de mono (Zeyheria tuberculata), cedro (Cedrela fissilis), Luehea tomentella and Picramnia sellowii.

8 Bosques ribereño del sureste del Amboró/Riverine forest of southeastern Amboró.
From the Río Colorado to the Río Piraí are a series of east-flowing rivers emerging from the Andean foothills. The frequent violent floods produce a disturbed sandy zone dominated by Acacia aroma, A. albocorticata, Tessaria integrifolia, and Baccharis salicifolia. In the more stable vegetation along the smaller creeks are found Vitex pseudolea, Licaria triandra and Sapindus saponaria.

9 Bosque bajo de filos pedregosos/Low forest on rocky ridgetops.
On ridges between 1100 and 1200 meters above sea level, and from Cerro Amboró itself to “Los Volcanes” near Bermejo there develops a low woodland characterized by aliso (Alnus acuminata), Clethra scabra, Escallonia paniculata, various species of Myrtaceae, Ternstroemia, Viburnum and Myrsine. The shrublands are dominated by Melastomataceae, Ericaceae, Clusia, Compositae and Dodonaea viscosa.

10 Praderas saxícolas y/o antropogénicas/Rocky and/or anthropogenic grasslands.
Grasslands dominate the summits of the massive red sandstone mountains of “Los Volcanes”. This vegetation is partly natural but becomes more extensive by degradation of surrounding woodlands by fires and grazing, as can be seen in some of the landscapes between Bermejo and Samaipata.
11 Vegetación saxícola y rupestre/Rock and cliff vegetation.
The upper Carboniferous Escarpment formation and the upper Cretaceous Cajones formations dominate the landscapes of “Los Volcanes”, Bermejo and “El Fuerte” de Samaipata. These are massive reddish sandstones which form enormous rounded hills with vertical cliffs colonized by a specialized flora including the massive Tillandsia samaipatensis with the bright yellow hanging inflorescences as tall as a person.

12 Selva yungueña húmeda pluviestacional (termotropical superior)/Humid seasonal yungas forest.
In the southeastern parts of the Flora area, between 1100 and 1900 meters above sea level, is an endangered humid forest type, with various highly prized lumber species. Imporant tree species include Ceiba boliviana, cedro

26

26 Bosque yungueño hiperhúmedo de ceja de monte/Hyperhumid yungas forest on cloud forest ridges
The extreme phase of the cloud forest is found between 3000 and 3100 meters above sea level in the highest parts of the Park, to the northeast of Comarapa. It is a low, dense forest or woodland with Escallonia myrtilloides, Gaultheria glomerata, G. vaccinioides, Hesperomeles lanuginosa, Pernettya prostrata, and Weinmannia microphylla. It is the only part of the Flora area where the Ericaceae play an important role in the vegetation.