Poás Volcano Landscape Scenes and Plants

Created 28 December 2005

This page last updated 13 January 2006

The Poás Volcano is an active stratovolcano located in the center of Costa Rica, within view of San Jose, the capitol. The volcano last erupted in 1991. It is 2,704 meters (8,871 feet) above sea level, and is usually in cloud, with the summit area vegetated by Cloud Forest. Poás National Park occupies/protects 5,599 hectares, centered on the volcano summit.

Additional information on the Poás Volcano can be found at this site. And more information on Poás Volcano National Park can be found here, and at this site as well.

Due to the extremely high levels of precipiation, conditions are perfect for plant species that depend on water for reproduction, such as ferns, mosses, and some lichens. Nearly all protected surfaces are covered by epiphytic vascular plants (orchids and bromeliads) and bryophytes (mosses and liverworts).

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All photos copyrighted by David L. Magney 2005

Photos of Scenes of the volcano summit and plants

Poás Volcano National Park sign and entrance ticket

Panorama view of the Poás Volcano, left side and right side. The summit of the volcano is usually shrouded by clouds, and not visible. The crater is a mile wide. Steam and suphurous gases were escaping from the vents within the crater.

Panorama view of Laguna Botos, a volanic crater a bit to the southeast of the current summit crater of Poas. This lake takes its name from the indigenous tribe that lived near it.

Below are photos of a common shrub in Costa Rican cloud forests, I think Monochaetum floribundum in the Melastomataceae.

This is a view of the cloud forest vegetation at the summit of the Poás Volcano (left), and a native bamboo (right).

Bromeliad, growing as an epiphyte, and the flower of another species of Bromelia.

Poor-man's Umbrella (Gunnera insignis) - Gunneraceae (Gunnera family) has huge leaves. It is a common plant of tropical cloud forests of Central America, ranging from Mexico to northern South America. Another, similar species is found in the temporate rainforests of the Lake District of Chile and Argentina (see my webpage on my Puyehue Chile Photos page] elsewhere on this web site).

Left: a small shrub species of the Melastomataceae. Right: a shrub in the Honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae).

A Paddle Fern or Helecho Lengua (Elaphoglossum sp.) in the on the left, on of the largest genera of fern in Costa Rica, and Nertera granadensis - Rubiaceae (Rue family), a widespread groundcover with orange to red berries ranging from Mexico to Bolivia.

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Poás Volcano Landscape Scenes and Plants

Created 28 December 2005

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Photos of Scenes of the volcano summit and plants