S07 - Session O2 - Artificial communities of plants as guides for design of urban areas of central México

Authors: Edith Salomé *, Elisa Olivares-Esquivel

The objective of the project was to create an artificial community of native perennial plants with a long annual flowering period, high diversity and low maintenance requirements to develop design guides for the urban zones of central Mexico. Over the course of a year, 22 plant species (herbaceous, bulbs and grasses) were tested in a screening in the city of Cuernavaca (State of Morelos). Selection parameters included flower colour, flowering period, form of life, vigour and relationships with pollinators. The screening showed the necessity to revise the relationship between density and vigour in each species, the search for groundcover species with steady growth but low competitiveness, and a thorough understanding of the site and possible pests and diseases, among others. Leading from these results, two plant communities were designed in Puebla city in collaboration with the Autonomous Popular University of the State of Puebla (UPAEP) and the city council (State of Puebla). Both the screening and the case studies were visited by local fauna and demonstrated the potential of these artificial communities of native species in improving urban Mexican areas.