High in the Andes of South America grows a plant that looks more like a green rock than an ordinary plant. Known as Yareta or Llareta, Azorella compacta forms dense, rounded cushions over the rocky ground of the high mountains. For generations, Yareta has attracted attention because of its extremely slow growth and remarkable longevity. Some descriptions have called it a 3,000-year-old plant, although scientific research gives us a more careful picture of just how old individual plants can become. Yareta survives in one of the harshest environments imaginable, where cold temperatures, intense sunlight, dry air, and limited water make life difficult for most plants.
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| Yareta forms dense green cushions across the rugged high Andes. |
