Analysis of the Vascular Flora of Maquipucuna

Abstract

This chapter presents an analysis of the recorded vascular plant taxa of Maquipucuna. It provides a list of the 16 most species-rich vascular plants, vascular plants with the largest number of native species and of epiphytic species, diversity of woody taxa, and exotic taxa in the Maquipucuna flora. The vascular flora of the Maquipucuna area includes 621 genera and 1,640 species of vascular plants, of which only 44 are exotic. The largest family in number of species, with about 12.8 percent of the flora, is Orchidaceae, for which 204 species are reported currently. The pteridophytes, with 227 native species (14.2 per cent of the vascular flora), are a more prominent floristic component at Maquipucuna than at most other cloud forest sites. About 441 species, or approximately 27.7 percent of those recorded from Maquipucuna, are epiphytic. Polypodiaceae have the highest percentage of epiphytism (87 percent), while orchids and Araceae have over 50 epiphytic species.