Check List 21(1): 222-241, doi: 10.15560/21.1.222

A historical checklist of the orchid flora (Orchidaceae) of Quito, Ecuador

Martín Carrera^‡§, Luis Baquero^|

‡ Wildlife Conservation Society – Ecuador Program, Quito, Ecuador§ Grupo de Investigación Dodson, Quito, Ecuador| Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador

Corresponding author: Martín Carrera ( martin-cl@hotmail.com )

Academic editor: Luana Calazans

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Citation: Carrera M, Baquero L (2025) A historical checklist of the orchid flora (Orchidaceae) of Quito, Ecuador. Check List 21(1): 222-241. https://doi.org/10.15560/21.1.222

Abstract

We compile a species inventory of orchid species collected at Quito, Ecuador, between 1790 and 2018 and compare it with the orchid species observed in the field between 2018 and 2021. Historical herbarium records include 52 orchid species in Quito. During our field campaigns, we found 29 of these previously collected species in herbaria and an additional 11 species which we newly report from Quito, bringing the total number of orchid species in Quito to 63 species. However, we were unable to find 23 species during our field campaigns. Our study shows that even in one of the largest Ecuadorian cities, several orchid species are still present, and among them, species not previously reported. Urgent conservation actions are needed in urban areas to preserve urban diver‑ sity and native ecosystems in Quito.

Keywords

Species list, urban flora, urban impact, streams, Neotropics