^ SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION «K Contributions of the United States National Herbarium c7U Volume 54: 1-180 Floristic Checklist of the Mache-Chindul Mountains of Northwestern Ecuador by John L. Clark David A. Neill and Mercedes Asanza Department of Botany National Museum of Natural History Washington, DC 2006 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Contributions from the United States National Herbarium Volume 54: 1-180 Floristic Checklist of the Mache-Chindul Mountains of Northwestern Ecuador by John L. Clark, David A. Neill and Mercedes Asanza Department of Botany National Museum of Natural History Washington, DC 2006 ) ABSTRACT Clark, John L., David A. Neill, and Mercedes Asanza. Floristic Checklist of the Mache-Chindul Moun- tains of Northwestern Ecuador. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium, volume 54, 1 80 pages (including 23 figures). An inventory of the vascular plants of the Mache-Chindul Mountains is presented from collecting expeditions beginning in 1991 to present. 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°21'N 79°44'W) and the northern- most part of the province of Manabi (00°25'S 79°57'W). The Pacific Ocean lies 20-30 km due west and the equator transects the 2 middle of this mountain range. The Mache-Chindul range occupies about 400 km and harbors the last large tract of coastal wet forest in Ecuador, an area less than 4% of its original size. Important protected areas include the Reserva Ecologica Mache- Chindul, Bilsa Biological Station, Bosque Protector Cerro Pata de Pajaro, and the Reserva Lalo Loor. 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. A biogeographic analysis is presented based on 1,318 native species. A total of 162 species (12%) are endemic to the western lowlands of coastal Ecuador. 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 Choco region of coastal Colombia. A total of 814 species (61%) extend farther to the north into Mesoamerica. 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. An annotated list of species by family is given that includes the publication citation, a representative specimen, elevation range, habitat preference, and phyto- geographic region for each species. KEYWORDS: biogeography, biodiversity, Ecuador, floristics, Mache-Chindul Mountains, vascular plants RESUMEN Clark, John L., David A. Neill, and Mercedes Asanza. Floristic Checklist of the Mache-Chindul Moun- tains of Northwestern Ecuador. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium, volume 54, 1 80 paginas (incluyendo 23 flguras). Se presenta un inventario de las plantas vasculares de la Cordillera Mache-Chindul, basado en las expediciones botanicas desde el ano 1991 hasta la actualidad. Las montafias de Mache-Chindul alcanzan una altitud maxima de 800 m.s.n.m. y estan ubicadas en el noroccidente del Ecuador, en el extremo sur de la provincia de Esmeraldas (00°21 'N 79°44'W) y el extremo norte de la provincia de Manabi (00°25'S 79°57'W). La costa del Oceano Pacifico esta entre 2 20-30 km al oeste, y la linea equinoccial divide en la mitad a esta Cordillera. Mache-Chindul comprende alrededor de 400 km y abarca el ultimo remanente grande de bosque muy humedo tropical en la Costa del Ecuador, un area de menos de 4% de su extension original. Las principales areas protegidas en la region incluyen la Reserva Ecologica Mache-Chindul, la Estacion Biologica Bilsa, el Bosque Protector Cerro Pata de Pajaro, y la Reserva de Lalo Loor. Un inventario de las 6.000 colecciones de plantas de la region da como resultado el listado de 1 .346 especies de plantas vasculares nativas al area de estudio. No se realizo un inventario completo de las especies introducidas y cultivadas, y casi 2.400 colecciones (40% del total) estan identificadas solamente a nivel de genero. Se presenta un analisis biogeografico, en base de 1.318 especies nativas. Un total de 162 especies (12%>) son endemicas a la Costa del occidente del Ecuador. La flora de Mache-Chindul comparte 865 especies (66% del total) con las tierras bajas de la Amazonia, a traves de la barrera de los Andes, y 957 especies (73%) se comparten con la region del Choco en la costa occidental de Colombia. Un total de 814 especies (61%) se extienden mas al norte hacia el istmo de Mesoamerica. Las exploraciones botanicas en la Cordillera Mache-Chindul han tenido como resultado la publicacion de dos nuevos generos monotipicos, y 33 especies descritas recientemente como nuevas para la ciencia. Se presenta un listado de las especies, con comentarios, organizado por familia taxonomica e incluyendo la cita de la publicacion, un especimen representative, rango de altitud, habito, y distribucion fitogeografica de cada especie. PALABRAS CLAVES: biogeografia, biodiversidad, Ecuador, flora, Cordillera Mache-Chindul, plantas vasculares DATE OF PUBLICATION: 7 November 2006 Cover Design by Alice R. Tangerini: front, detail of Gasteranthus bilasensis L.E. Skog & L.P.Kvist (P. Mendoza-T. et al. 561, J.L. Clark et al. 213, and N. Pitman et al. 884) illustrated by Cathy Pasquale- Johnson; back, detail of Ecuadendron acosta-solisianum D.A. Neill (D.A. Neill, H. Vargas, T. Nunez & J.L. Clark 10437) illustrated by John Myers. 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. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium, Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, MRC-166, P.O. Box 37012, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48— 1984. 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: [email protected]. 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 ([email protected]). CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 7 METHODS 7 CLIMATE AND TOPOGRAPHY 8 PHYTOGEOGRAPHYAND VEGETATION 9 BOTANICAL NOVELTIES 10 CONSERVATION STATUS 11 HISTORY OF BOTANICAL EXPLORATION 11 BIOGEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS OF THE VASCULAR FLORA 12 STATISTICAL RESULTS: SPECIES DISTRIBUTIONS AND BIOGEOGRAPHIC AFFINITIES 13 LIFE FORM CATEGORIES, AND COMPARISONS WITH OTHER FLORAS 14 MAJOR PLANT FAMILIES, ANDCOMPARISONS WITH OTHER FLORAS 15 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 19 ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF THE FLORA OF THE MACHE-CHINDUL MOUNTAINS 21 PTERIDOPHYTA 21 GYMNOSPERMAE 36 ANGIOSPERMAE 36 LITERATURE CITED 179 80°20'W 80° 10' W 80°0'W 79°50'W 79°40'W 79°30'W 79°20'W 1°0'Nf ro-N 0°50'N 0°50'N 0°40"N 0°40'N 0°30'N 0°30'N 0°20'N 0°20'N 0°10'N 0°10'N 0°0'N 0°0'N Provincia psaHo^JTVPifhincha r i ^ i i 80°20'W 80°10'W 80°0'W 79°50'W 79°40'W 79°30'W 79°20'W Legend = 1-100 collections = >100 collections Reserva Ecologica Mache-Chindul ^^^ Province Boundary Bilsa Biological Station (> 3500 collections) h^m Highways Bosque Protector Cerro Pata de Pajaro (>200 collections) Rivers Kilometers 5 10 20 30 40 Figure l.Map of study area. Intensity of collecting is indicated by orange circles (Bilsa Biological Station and Cerro Pata de Pajaro represent the two most intensely collected localities with c.a. 3500 and 400 collections respectively). Checklist of the Mache-Chindul Mtns. Floristic Checklist of the Mache-Chindul Mountains of Northwestern Ecuador 1 2 2 John L. Clark , David A. Neill , and Mercedes Asanza INTRODUCTION hectares were set aside by Ecuador's Ministry The Mache-Chindul Mountains comprise the of Environment, in the established protected northern portion of the Pacific coastal range of area, "Reserva Ecologica Mache-Chindul." western Ecuador where significant tracts of remnant forests are intact. These mountains reach The study area covered by this checklist 800 m in elevation and extend from southwestern includes the western Ecuador coastal range from Esmeraldas province to northern Manabi province. the region southeast of the provincial capital city Results presented here are from intensive floristic of Esmeraldas (northern limit of area at inventory expeditions of the Mache-Chindul study about 00° 45' N) to the region just east of the coastal town Mountains carried out from September 1994 to of Jama in northern Manabi province (southern August 2003, as well as earlier collections made limit of study area at about 00° 15'S; see Figure by A.H.