Centro Nacional P atago  nico Consejo N acional de Investigaciones Cienti cas y Te  cnicas P uerto M adryn, Chubut, Argentina R. A. ROSELL Laboratorio de Humus Departamento de Agronomõ  a Universidad N acional del Sur Consejo N acional de Investigaciones Cientõ  cas y Te  cnicas Bahõ  a Blanca, Argentina T his study was conducted to (1) quantify the mineral composition of litter, new leaves, and stems of two plant species (Atriplex lampa and Prosopis alpataco) in shrub patches, occurring with common abundance in the northeastern Patagonian region, and (2) determine the spatial and temporal variabilities of the mineral ele± ments. T here were 240 vegetal samples collected from six di erent sites, all within about 15 km. T he essential nature of 15 mineral elements for litter and plant parts was analyzed. Composition varied signi cantly for P, Ca, M g, Na, K, Cu, Zn, Mo, and B between species ; N between seasons ; and S, Al, Fe, M n, and Cd among sites. Also Na, K, and B showed secondary variations derived from a seasonal e ect, as did P, Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn, and M o, but associated with secondary di erences among sites.