Botanisches Museum / Botanical Museum
Phanerogamic Flora
The exhibition then goes on to show the work developed by scientists for the
elaboration of the Phanerogamic Flora of the State of São Paulo. Since the start
of the project, in 1993, the 250 botanists involved in this initiative have
described around two thousand species of flowering plants, 50 of them being new
discoveries. It is estimated that the number of flowering plants in the state of
São Paulo is as many as 7,500 – approximately two thirds of the flora of Europe.
The state of São Paulo has great topographical and climatic diversity and
different ecosystems. It occupies an area of 248 thousand kilometers in the
south-east of Brazil.
Planned in three stages, the Phanerogamic Flora of the State of São Paulo
project, began with existing material in herbariums, but immediately set about
filling gaps in the knowledge by means of intensive collections, and publishing
a series of illustrated books with the results. Five volumes have already been
published, out of a planned 15.
Regional Phanerogamic Floras are being elaborated by botanists in other
Brazilian states.
