SMITHSONIAN
INSTITUTION
Contributions from
the United States National Herbarium
Volume 55: 1-584
Department of
Botany
National Museum of
Natural History
Washington, DC
2007
Checklist
of the Plants of the Guiana Shield
(VENEZUELA: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro;
GUYANA,
SURINAM, FRENCH GUIANA)
by
V. Funk,T. Hollowell, P. Berry, C. Kelloff, and S. N. Alexander
ABSTRACT
Funk, V., T.
Hollowell, P. Berry, C. Kelloff, and S. N. Alexander. Checklist of the Plants
of the Guiana Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana,
Surinam, French Guiana). Contributions from the United States National
Herbarium, volume 55, 584
pages. This volume contains a checklist of the plants of the Guiana Shield Area
(northeastern South America) produced using information gathered from
historical and recent collections as well as many recent expeditions. The
Guiana Shield, as treated here, includes the countries of Guyana and Surinam,
French Guiana (a part of France) and the Venezuelan states of Amazonas,
Bolivar, and Delta Amacuro. The checklist contains 257 vascular plant families
with 13,367 species. According to the list 6,791 of those species are from
Amazonas, 6,669 from Bolívar, 1,651 from Delta Amacuro, 7,112 from Guyana, 4,984
from Surinam, and 5,406 are from French Guiana. Of these species, 293 (2.2%)
are estimated to be introduced and naturalized and even fewer are invasive. The
small number of naturalized species is a good indication of the large amount of
intact vegetation from this area of South America. The largest family is the Leguminoseae
with 146 genera containing 1032 species; 41 families are represented by only
one species. Over 250 scientists from around the world participated in this
project by identifying specimens and checking species lists. This volume should
be of use to students, taxonomists, ecologists, and conservation biologists, as
well as to interested amateurs.
KEY WORDS (not in title): South America, biodiversity,
endemic species, invasive species
DATE OF
PUBLICATION: 31 July 2007
Cover Design by
Alice R. Tangerini: front, illustration by Alice R. Tangerini: new species of Paloue, habit, leaf base detail, ovary detail,
anther and stipules (K.M. Redden 4027); back, illustration by Alice R. Tangerini:
Nautilocalyx
pemphidius L.
Skog; habit, flower bud, open flower, corolla face, longitudinal section of
flower, stamens, pistil, and nectary, fruit, seeds (Bell 324)
Contributions from
the United States National Herbarium (ISSN 0097-1618) Department of Botany,
National Museum of Natural History, MRC-166, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA.
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Botany, National Museum of Natural History, MRC-166, P.O. Box 37012,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA.
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this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National
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The periodical,
Contributions from the United States National Herbarium, was first published in
1890 by The United States Department of Agriculture. From 1 July 1902 forward
it was published as a Bulletin of the United States National Museum. The series
was discontinued after volume 38 (1974), and has been revived with volume 39
(2000) as a venue for publishing longer taxonomic papers, checklists, floras,
and monographs, produced by the staff and associates at the U.S. National
Herbarium. It is externally peer reviewed, and published at irregular
intervals. Subscription and other correspondence should be addressed to CUSNH,
Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, MRC-166, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA e-mail: CUSNH@si.edu. The present issue is
available for free while supplies last and PDF files of the most recent issues
(vol. 49-present) of the Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. are available at:
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/botany/pubs/CUSNH/ If you have any questions about manuscript
submission or comments on previous volumes, please contact the editor, Paul M.
Peterson (peterson@si.edu).
CONTENTS
FOREWORD by Peter
H. Raven
................................................................................................. 5
INTRODUCTION by V.
A. Funk & T. Hollowell ........................................................................
7
Geology of the Guiana Shield ...........................................................................................
8
Climate .......................................................................................................................... 9
Diversity
........................................................................................................................ 9
Conservation
.................................................................................................................. 10
Discussion
....................................................................................................................... 10
Using the Checklist
......................................................................................................... 13
Nomenclatorial considerations
.......................................................................................... 14
Acknowledgements
.......................................................................................................... 14
References
..................................................................................................................... 14
CHECKLIST
.............................................................................................................................. 17
Psilotophyta
..................................................................................................................... 17
Lycophyta
....................................................................................................................... 17
Pterophyta
....................................................................................................................... 21
Coniferophyta
.................................................................................................................. 56
Cycadophyta
.................................................................................................................... 56
Gnetophyta
...................................................................................................................... 57
Anthophyta
...................................................................................................................... 57
Monocotyledonea
................................................................................................. 58
Dicotyledonea
...................................................................................................... 183
LITERATURE CITATION
FOR ILLUSTRATIONS ................................................................... 562
APPENDIX: Individuals
who identified plants ................................................................................ 563
INDEX TO GENERA
................................................................................................................. 565
INDEX TO FAMILIES
............................................................................................................... 584
