An integrated assessment of the vascular plant species of the Americas

Carmen Ulloa Ulloa, Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, Stephan Beck, Manuel J. Belgrano, Rodrigo Bernal, Paul E. Berry, Lois Brako, Marcela Celis, Gerrit Davidse, Rafaela C. Forzza, S. Robbert Gradstein, Omaira Hokche, Blanca León, Susana León-Yánez, Robert E. Magill, David A. Neill, Michael Nee, Peter H. Raven, Heather Stimmel, Mark T. StrongJosé L. Villaseñor, James L. Zarucchi, Fernando O. Zuloaga, Peter M. Jørgensen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

289 Scopus citations

Abstract

The cataloging of the vascular plants of the Americas has a centuries-long history, but it is only in recent decades that an overview of the entire flora has become possible. We present an integrated assessment of all known native species of vascular plants in the Americas. Twelve regional and national checklists, prepared over the past 25 years and including two large ongoing flora projects, were merged into a single list. Our publicly searchable checklist includes 124,993 species, 6227 genera, and 355 families, which correspond to 33% of the 383,671 vascular plant species known worldwide. In the past 25 years, the rate at which new species descriptions are added has averaged 744 annually for the Americas, and we can expect the total to reach about 150,000.
Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)1614-1617
Number of pages4
JournalScience
Volume358
Issue number6370
DOIs
StatePublished - 22 Dec 2017

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