Betancur 2016 (Flora) Colombia

Bromeliaceae

Author(s):—J. Betancur in Bernal, R.; Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (edit.) - Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia

Publication:— (2016). ISBN: 978-958-775-726-2 — DOI

Abstract:—Colombia is one of the countries with the greatest diversity of plants on the entire planet. This enormous plant wealth, which was the basis on which hundreds of indigenous civilizations flourished in this part of the world throughout the centuries, constitutes a heritage of incalculable value, to which our country must now turn its gaze to plan its future. The conservation and proper use of our flora must be part of our agenda in the coming decades. If not, the country would be wasting an excellent opportunity for its sustainable development.

The first step to the conservation and sustainable use of our resources is their complete knowledge. In the case of plants, a basic inventory of the national flora constitutes the fundamental basis on which their future management will have to be planned. But an inventory of this nature did not exist until now in Colombia, despite the long botanical history of our country, which dates back to the Royal Botanical Expedition initiated by José Celestino Mutis at the end of the 18th century.

And no institution is more suitable to produce this inventory than the National University of Colombia, a pioneer in the study of our flora and repository of the largest collection of specimens of Colombian plants in the world. For this reason it is a great satisfaction for the National University to deliver to the country and the entire world, as part of our commitment to the nation, this Catalog of plants and lichens of Colombia. This work, perhaps the most ambitious botanical undertaking that has been completed in the country, compiles, for the first time in our history, the 28,000 species of plants and lichens that have been identified so far in Colombia, providing information about each of them. the size of the plant, the ecological regions in which it is found, the elevation range in which it grows, the departments in which it has been found, its current state of conservation and the global distribution of the species.

This Catalog, on which 180 researchers from 20 countries worked over 13 years to compile it, is by no means the end of botanical research in Colombia. As the editors point out, knowledge of our flora is still incomplete and there are vast regions of the country that have been barely explored. Every year several dozen species new to science are discovered and the known distribution area for many others expands, while researchers discover new applications for our plants day after day. The road ahead is still long. But the information presented here constitutes a valuable tool on which we can plan the future of our flora: its knowledge and its protection; its rational use and its incorporation into our national identity.

The catalog book published in 2016 and its first digital version comprised 28,000 species of plants and lichens. Since then the catalog has been constantly updated, this list includes more than 47,000 scientific names, including almost 30,000 accepted names between species, subspecies, hybrids, varieties and forms. The provision of this list through SiB Colombia seeks to improve interoperability and promote its use by being able to make a detailed download of the entire catalog. This list will be updated in parallel with the digital version of the catalogue.

Pages: 3060 Illustrations: b&w, photos & maps Size: 2 volumes