Floristic and phytogeographic aspects of Araceae in Cerro Pirre (Darien, Panama)

Authors: Ortiz, Orlando O.; Stapf, María S. de; Baldini, Riccardo M.; Croat, Thomas B.

Description: The aroid flora in Panama includes 436 described species in 26 genera, representing the richest country of Araceae in Central America. Much of the existing knowledge of the Panamanian aroids has been generated in the last 50 years, mainly due to extensive taxonomic studies and, to a lesser extent, by floristic studies. Floristic studies generated valuable information to better understand biodiversity, especially in the poorly-explored areas. For this reason, the main objective of this work is to study the floristic composition of the aroids of a botanically important region: Cerro Pirre (Darién Province). As a result, 430 specimens were studied, comprising 94 species in 12 genera. The Aroid flora of Cerro Pirre is formed by species of wide geographic distribution (53%) and, to a lesser extent, endemic species (27%). Of the total species, approximately 43% are nomadic vines, 33% epiphytes, 23% terrestrial and a single species epilithic (1%). Ten new records for the flora of Cerro Pirre were recorded and one new record for Panama. Nine species new to science were discovered. The surprisingly high number of new records and new species emphasizes the need for complementary inventories, through field work in unexplored areas and herbarium work through the comprehensive review of botanical material.