The dry climate and high elevation mean that vegetation is scarce in the region, with cacti such as Echinopsis atacamensis and grasses occurring at lower elevations. The little vegetation that is present displays an altitudinal zonation with a lower Prepuna with shrubs and succulents, a middle Puna with grasses and shrubs and a high Andean steppe with bunch grass. A report in 1993 stated that red-brown cacti and brown grass grew around the foot of Purico. Conversely, the soils on the Purico complex contain a diverse population of microbes which have to tolerate extreme environmental conditions. Among these are the bacteria Amycolatopsis vastitatis, Lentzea chajnantorensis and Streptomyces aridus which were first isolated at the Purico complex.