Yareta is a green and alien-looking growing plant in South America. On first inspection, you might consider that it is an extraterrestrial species. That is using the remote grasslands of the continent to start a foothold on planet Earth. Yet, though aliens look like a green mass of cells, their origins are very much in this world.
This is called Yareta, and it lives in colonies that are as old as 3000 years old.
The rocks on the highlands of the Andes look like they’re covered with moss. There is a type of flowing plant recognized as Yareta. It lives in colonies that can be thousands of years old. Yareta (Azorella compacta) also known as “Llareta” is a flowering plant that belongs to the family Apiaceae. The plant is growing in the cold Puna grasslands of the Andes in Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile, and western Argentina. Yareta is located at altitudes between 3,200 and 4,500 meters, where the wind blows continuously and the cold cracks even granite.
Therefore, to survive the severe conditions, this rare plant grows in packs so dense that its stems can take the weight of a human. The plant keeps itself near the ground in order to retain as much heat as possible. This also supports resisting the powerful high-altitude wind, which will tear up the roots of any plant.
To prevent moisture loss through evaporation, the Yareta has wax-covered leaves. This is another trick the Yareta have learned to survive the inhospitable mountains of the Andes: to grow exceptionally slowly, almost at a geological speed of 1.5 cm a year. A large blob of Yareta growing on the rocks can thus be thousands of years old. Many Yareta plants are projected to be over 3,000 years old.
Normally this plant is dry and dense, and it burns well, like peat, and was traditionally harvested for fuel. The amount of Yareta being removed had become so noteworthy that it threatened the very existence of the plant. This is now a protected species and being such a slow grower, it has also made it to the endangered list.
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