A History of Botanical Exploration in Amazonian Ecuador, 1739-1988

Just came across this article called A History of Botanical Exploration in Amazonian Ecuador, 1739-1988 and thought it could deserve a little attention, even if it comes from the conservative Smithsonian Institute, for those interested in knowing more about the Ecuadorian Amazon 🙂

It begins:

“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 (174Os)

, Nee (a naturalist on the Malaspina expedition, visiting Guayaquil in October 1790 (Madulid, 1989)). Tafalla (collecting near Guayaquil around 1800), Humboldt and Bonpland (1 802), Barclay and Hinds (resident botanists on H.M.S. Sulphur collecting in Ecuador in 1836 and 1838), Hartweg (itinerary: Bentham, 1839), Lehmann, Lobb (biography: Ewan, 1973), and Andre (itinerary: Smith, 1965), to name but a few. Darwin during his visit to the Galapagos Archipelago in 1835 collected numerous animals and also 209 plants (Wiggins and Porter, 1971). However, except for La Condamine and possibly Jussieu, all early exploration was confined to the coastal area and the western Andes.”
In the abstract it reads:
“Renner, S.S. A History of Botanical Exploration in Amazonian Ecuador, 1739-1988. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany, number 82,39 pages, 1 map, 1993.-Information is provided on all individuals known to have collected botanical specimens in the eastern Ecuadorean lowlands below 600 m altitude from 1739 until 30 May 1988. This area belongs to the provinces Sucumbios, Napo, Pastaza, Morona-Santiago, and Zamora-Chinchipe and covers about 71,000 km2. Besides biographical data, are included collecting dates and localities, herbaria containing the specimens, and pertinent references to publications by the collector, or about the collector or the expedition. The data are arranged alphabetically by collector, including cross references between main and secondary collectors. Altogether 205 collectors are treated. The total number of specimens gathered in the eastern Ecuadorean lowlands (excluding duplicates, including
bryophytes and fungi) is around 61,000, i.e., about 86 per 100 km2, representing an estimated 4000 species of vascular plants. An index to localities and a map provide general information on the main collecting regions.”

Contents
Page
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . … . . . 3
Chronology of Botanical Exploration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Cryptogamic Flora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Ethnobotanical Collecting in Amazonian Ecuador . . . . . . . . 6
Annotated List of Collectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Index to Localities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Literature Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

and then all the little print, and due credit and attribution should be provided for:

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DATE is handstamped in a limited number of initial copies and is recorded in the Institution’s annual report, Smithsonian Year. SERIES COVER DESIGN: Leaf clearing from the katsura tree Cercidiphyllum japonicum Siebold and Zuccarini.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Renner, Susanne. 1954-A history of botanical exploration in Amazonian Ecuador, 1739-1988
S.S. Renner.
p. cm.-(Smithsonian contributions to botany ; no. 82)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Supt. of Docs. no. SI 1.29:
1. Botany-Ecuador-History. 2. Botany-Amazon River Region-History. 3. Plant collecting-Ecuador-
History. 4. Plant collecting-Amazon River Region-History. 5. Plant collectors-Ecuador-
History. 6. Plant collectors-Amazon River Region-History. 7. Scientific expeditions-Ecuador-
History. 8. Scientific expeditions-Amazon River Region-History. 1. Title. 11. Series.
QK2 1.E23R46 I992 92-5840 581.9866’4-dc20 92-5840
@ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials 239.48-1984.