Flora of Colombia

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The Flora of Colombia is characterized by 130,000 species of plants that have been described within Colombian territory.[1]

Victoria amazonica grows in the Amazon basin.

National Flower of Colombia[]

The national flower of Colombia is the orchid Cattleya trianae which was named after the Colombian naturalist José Jerónimo Triana. The orchid was selected by botanist , in representation of the to determine the most representative flowering plant of Colombia. He described it as one of the most beautiful flowers in the world and selected Cattleya trianae as National symbol.

National Tree of Colombia[]

The national tree of Colombia is the palm Ceroxylon quindiuense (Quindío wax palm) which was named after the Colombian Department of Quindío where is located the Cocora valley, the only habitat of this restricted range species. The Quindío wax palm was selected as the national tree by the government of Belisario Betancur and was the first tree officially declared as a protected species in Colombia. C. quindiuense is the only palm that grows at such high altitudes in Colombia and is the tallest monocot in the world.

Endemism[]

Colombia has the second largest number of heliconia species worldwide. Most of them are endemic species
The Baudó Mountains in the Colombian pacific coast have many endemic plants.

Colombia has the largest number of endemic species (species that are not found naturally anywhere else) worldwide. About 10% of the species in the world live in Colombia.[2] Some determinant factors in the distribution range of the species are the wide diversity of habitats available due to the variety of altitudes, weather conditions, temperatures, soils and sunlight on the coasts, in the Andes and in the rainforest lowlands.

Endemics can easily become endangered or extinct due to their restricted habitat and vulnerability to the actions of man, including the introduction of new organisms.

Ecoregions with high endemism[]

According to the Colombian Ministry of Environment, the following ecoregions have the highest percentage of botanic endemic species:

  • Colombian Amazon basin
  • Catatumbo River basin
  • Mid Magdalena river basin
  • Pacific coastal region

Tree species[]

Many of the Colombian trees are endangered species due to the high quality of the woods and timber industry exploitation (such as Colombian oak and Colombian mahogany) and as source of tanning substances for the leather industry (such as mangrove and Encenillo tree Weinmannia tomentosa). Some tree species described in Colombia are:

Pekea-nut tree (Caryocar nuciferum)
Yopo tree (Anadenanthera peregrina)
Cyrilla racemiflora

Fruits of Colombia[]

  • Chontaduro fruit (Bactris gasipaes)

  • Tomato tree or tamarillo (Solanum betaceum)

  • Mamoncillo (Melicoccus bijugatus)

  • Arazá or Strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum)

  • Uchuva or Cape gooseberry fruit (Physalis edulis)

  • Guanabana or Soursop fruit (Annona muricata)

  • Marañon or Cashew (Anacardium occidentale)

  • Feijoa or Pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana)

  • Lulo or Naranjilla (Solanum quitoense)

  • Curuba

  • Maypop (Passiflora incarnata)

  • Gulupa or purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis)

Genera[]

Marmalade bush (Streptosolen jamesonii)
The Arrayan was sacred to precolumbian peoples
Espeletia schultzii
Passiflora tarminiana
Velvety Passion Flower
Orange Passion Flower
Passiflora coccinea
Passiflora loefgrenii
Passiflora picturata
Passiflora subpeltata
Passiflora citrina

Abarema[]

  • Abarema callejasii
  • Abarema ganymedea
  • Abarema josephi
  • Abarema killipii
  • Abarema lehmannii

Acidocroton[]

Aiphanes[]

Aniba[]

Brownea[]

Brunellia[]

Calatola[]

Centronia[]

  • Centronia brachycera
  • Centronia mutisii

Ceroxylon[]

Clusia[]

  • Clusia croatii
  • Clusia osseocarpa

Eschweilera[]

  • Eschweilera bogotensis
  • Eschweilera boltenii
  • Eschweilera integricalyx
  • Eschweilera integrifolia
  • Eschweilera pittieri
  • Eschweilera punctata
  • Eschweilera rimbachii
  • Eschweilera sclerophylla

Espeletia[]

Freziera[]

Grias[]

  • Grias colombiana
  • Grias haughtii
  • Grias multinervia

Guarea[]

Gustavia[]

Herrania[]

Huilaea[]

  • Huilaea kirkbridei
  • Huilaea macrocarpa
  • Huilaea minor
  • Huilaea mutisiana
  • Huilaea occidentalis
  • Huilaea penduliflora

Inga[]

  • Inga allenii
  • Inga coragypsea
  • Inga goniocalyx
  • Inga interfluminensis
  • Inga macarenensis
  • Inga mucuna
  • Inga saffordiana

Leptolejeunea[]

Licania[]

Macrolobium[]

Magnolia[]

Mayna[]

Meriania[]

Metteniusa[]

Miconia[]

Oenocarpus[]

Orphanodendron[]

  • Orphanodendron bernalii

Parmentiera[]

  • Parmentiera stenocarpa

Passiflora[]

Phytelephas[]

Pouteria[]

Pradosia[]

  • Pradosia cuatrecasasii

Prunus[]

Rinorea[]

Rollinia[]

Romeroa[]

  • Romeroa verticillata

Schoenocephalium[]

Solanum[]

  • Solanum sibundoyense
  • Solanum betaceum (tamarillo)

Sphaerolejeunea[]

Streptosolen[]

  • Streptosolen jamesonii

Swartzia[]

Utricularia[]

Vantanea[]

Wettinia[]

  • Wettinia anomala
  • Wettinia disticha
  • Wettinia fascicularis
  • Wettinia hirsuta
  • Wettinia kalbreyeri

Xylosma[]

Zamia[]

Zygia[]

Orchid species[]

Colombia has the largest number of orchids in the world. Among others:

  • Restrepia aristulifera

  • Restrepia aspasicensium

  • Restrepia brachypus

  • Restrepia contorta

  • Restrepia cuprea]

  • Restrepia dodsonii

  • Restrepia elegans

  • Restrepia falkenbergii

  • Restrepia flosculata

  • Restrepia guttulata

  • Restrepia iris

  • Restrepia lansbergii

  • Restrepia muscifera

  • Restrepia nittiorhyncha

  • Restrepia pandurata

  • Restrepia roseola

  • Restrepia sanguinea

  • Restrepia teaguei

  • Restrepia trichoglossa

  • Restrepia wageneri

  • Masdevallia agaster

  • Masdevallia angulifera

  • Masdevallia barlaeana

  • Masdevallia bicolor

  • Masdevallia bulbophyllopsis

  • Masdevallia civilis

  • Masdevallia caudata

  • Masdevallia constricta

  • Masdevallia floribunda

  • Masdevallia fractiflexa

  • Masdevallia herradurae

  • Masdevallia ignea

  • Masdevallia mejiana

  • Masdevallia nidifica

  • Masdevallia striatella

  • Masdevallia tovarensis

  • Masdevallia triangularis

  • Masdevallia veitchiana

  • Masdevallia ventricularia

  • Masdevallia wageneriana

  • Masdevallia weberbaueri

  • Dracula chestertonii

  • Dracula cordobae

  • Dracula houtteana

  • Dracula vampira

  • Oncidium croesus

  • Oncidium divaricatum

  • Oncidium ensatum

  • Oncidium flexuosum

  • Oncidium forbesii

  • Oncidium graminifolium

  • Oncidium harrisonianum

  • Oncidium incurvum

  • Oncidium longicornu

  • Oncidium longipes

  • Oncidium luridum

  • Oncidium ochmatochilum

  • Oncidium ornithorhynchum

  • Oncidium sphacelatum

  • Oncidium splendidum

  • Oncidium varicosum

  • ()

  • ()

  • Odontoglossum cruentum

  • Odontoglossum grande (Rossioglossum grande)

  • ()

  • Odontoglossum tenue

  • Gongora galeata

  • Stelis argentata

  • Cattleya aclandiae

  • Guarianthe aurantiaca

  • Cattleya bicolor

  • Guarianthe bowringiana

  • Cattleya dowiana

  • Cattleya gaskelliana

  • Cattleya guttata

  • Cattleya harrisoniana

  • Cattleya intermedia

  • Cattleya labiata

  • Cattleya loddigesii

  • Cattleya lueddemanniana

  • Cattleya luteola

  • Cattleya maxima

  • Cattleya nobilior

  • Cattleya percivaliana

  • Cattleya skinneri

  • Cattleya violacea

  • Cattleya walkeriana

  • Cattleya warscewiczii

  • Stanhopea anfracta

  • Stanhopea annulata

  • Stanhopea candida

  • Stanhopea cirrhata

  • Stanhopea connata

  • Stanhopea costaricensis

  • Stanhopea ecornuta

  • Stanhopea embreei

  • Stanhopea florida

  • Stanhopea frymirei

  • Stanhopea gibbosa

  • Stanhopea grandiflora

  • Stanhopea graveolens

  • Stanhopea haseloffiana

  • Stanhopea hernandezii

  • Stanhopea impressa

  • Stanhopea inodora

  • Stanhopea insignis

  • Stanhopea intermedia

  • Stanhopea lietzei

  • Stanhopea maculosa

  • Stanhopea nigripes

  • Stanhopea oculata

  • Stanhopea platyceras

  • Stanhopea pozoi

  • Stanhopea pseudoradiosa

  • Stanhopea pulla

  • Stanhopea radiosa

  • Stanhopea reichenbachiana

  • Stanhopea ruckeri

  • Stanhopea saccata

  • Stanhopea stevensonii

  • Stanhopea tricornis

  • Stanhopea wardii

  • Stanhopea warszewicziana

  • Stanhopea xytriophora

  • Phragmipedium boissierianum

  • Phragmipedium caudatum

  • Phragmipedium lindleyanum

  • Phragmipedium longifolium

  • Phragmipedium schlimii

  • Phragmipedium warszewiczianum

  • Catasetum expansum

  • Catasetum pileatum

  • Catasetum saccatum

  • Acineta chrysantha

  • Brassavola cucullata

  • Brassavola flagellaris

  • Brassavola nodosa

  • Scaphosepalum swertiifolium

  • Aganisia cyanea

Frondaria[]

  • Frondaria caulescens

Restrepia[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ en Colombia Paisajes naturales de Colombia Archived 2009-03-20 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Universidad Sergio Arboleda Estudios de pregrado, postgrado, educación continuada
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