A history of botanical exploration in Amazonian Ecuador, 1739-1988

Resumen

In proportion to its area Ecuador is the floristically richest country in South America. This botanical wealth is undoubtedly due to the diverse ecological conditions created by the Andes, rising in Ecuador from sea level to nearly 6300 m altitude. The country accordingly has attracted the interest of numerous naturalists, many of whom crossed Ecuador on their way from Bogota to Lima or visited various ports of South America, including Guayaquil. Among the earliest were La Condamine and Joseph de Jussieu (1740s), Nee (a naturalist on the Malaspina expedition, visiting Guayaquil in October 1790 (Madulid, 1989)), Tafalla (collecting near Guayaquil around 1800), Humboldt and Bonpland (1802), Barclay and Hinds (resident botanists on H.M.S. Sulphur collecting in Ecuador in 1836 and 1838), Hartweg (itinerary: