Asteraceae in El Durazno and vicinity of northern Tamazula, Durango (Mexico): Richness, distribution and endemism

We studied the Asteraceae flora and its level of endemism in the vicinity of the community El Durazno, northwest of the municipality Tamazula, Durango, Mexico. The locations are difficult to access and are poorly explored areas in the Sierra Madre Occidental. Field trips were conducted to collect botanical material in all four seasons of the year from 2001 to 2014. The floristic richness of the Asteraceae family consisted of 75 genera and 148 species, of which 51[%] are endemic to Mexico. We report 17 new records for the State of Durango. Endemism is high with 50.33[%] of genera and 25.75[%] of species. The main plant communities of the region are found at altitudes between 670 and 2550 m and are represented by: 1) coniferous forest (2050 to 2550 m) where 49.34[%] of the Asteraceae were recorded in this study; 2) Pinus-Quercus forest (1500-1900 m) with 39.47[%] of species; and 3) deciduous tropical forest (600-1000 m) with 22.37[%]. It can be concluded that the richest area for this family occurs in the subhumid temperate ecosystem. Accordingly, 96[%] of genera and 95.27[%] of species are native, and the rest are exotic. Some 27.7[%] of the Asteraceae taxa are synantropic species.