![]() Diagnostic illustrations are included for all new taxa and other selected species. A preliminary geospatial conservation assessment is made for each species. A taxonomic key, detailed descriptions, distribution maps, and phenological and ecological information are presented for all species, along with SEM images of seed morphology for selected species. Thirteen new names are provided for epithets preempted in Miconia (M. ![]() Thirteen new combinations are made (Miconia aguilarii, M. This study represents the first comprehensive monograph of the clade across its entire range based on a study of over 2100 collections from seven herbaria. These had previously been described in Ossaea and Clidemia, two traditionally recognized genera of Miconieae, but this natural group is nested within the megadiverse genus Miconia. The Octopleura clade of Miconia is a natural group of Neotropical subshrubs and small trees comprising some thirtythree species. An annotated list of species by family is given that includes the publication citation, a representative specimen, elevation range, habitat preference, and phytogeographic region for each species. The botanical explorations in the Mache-Chindul Mountains have resulted in the publication of two new monotypic genera and 33 species recently described as new to science. A total of 814 species (61%) extend farther to the north into Mesoamerica. ![]() The Mache-Chindul flora shares 865 species (66%) with the lowlands of Amazonia, across the barrier of the Andes, and 957 species (73%) are shared with the Chocó region of coastal Colombia. A total of 162 species (12%) are endemic to the western lowlands of coastal Ecuador. A biogeographic analysis is presented based on 1,318 native species. An inventory of the 6,000 collections made from the region has resulted in the enumeration of 1,346 vascular plant taxa that are native to the study area non-native and introduced species were not heavily sampled and nearly 2,400 collections (40%) are only determined to genus. Important protected areas include the Reserva Ecológica Mache-Chindul, Bilsa Biological Station, Bosque Protector Cerro Pata de Pájaro, and the Reserva Lalo Loor. The Mache-Chindul range occupies about 400 km2 and harbors the last large tract of coastal wet forest in Ecuador, an area less than 4% of its original size. The Pacific Ocean lies 20-30 km due west and the equator transects the middle of this mountain range. The Mache-Chindul Mountains reach an elevation of 800 meters and are located in northwestern Ecuador in the southernmost part of the province of Esmeraldas (00✢1’N 79✤4’W) and the northernmost part of the province of Manabí (00✢5’S 79✥7’W). An inventory of the vascular plants of the Mache-Chindul Mountains is presented from collecting expeditions beginning in 1991 to present.
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