Microhistological epidermal atlas for identifying plants consumed by South American camelids in the dry Peruvian Puna

A microhistological atlas was developed that describes the key foliar epidermal characteristics of 22 plant species consumed by vicuñas within the Sustainable Use Management Areas in the Peasant Community of San Cristóbal de Lucanas, Ayacucho, Peru. This atlas is intended to be used as a reference pattern in plant identification when the microhistology technique is applied to feces to determine the botanical composition of the diet of domestic and wild herbivores. Additionally, a successful case applied to vicuñas is presented. •Epidermal characteristics of key plant species that are components of the vicuna diet are provided.•Microphotographs were made of the main epidermal characteristics of Peruvian high Andean grasslands.•The usefulness of micromorphological characters of the leaf and stems epidermis to distinguish different species.